Neville Isdell: The Coca-Cola Company
Neville Isdell is the former chairman of the board of directors and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company. After 43 years with Coca-Cola system, he retired in April 2009. Building on an incredibly successful history, Isdell took the world's largest beverage company to new heights during his tenure. Under his leadership, it reached high levels of employee engagement, allowing the employees themselves to chart the company's path to continued growth and profitability.
He expanded on the firm's proud legacy of corporate responsibility by embedding sustainability throughout every facet of the organisation and helping to ensure its role as a community-connected 21st-century enterprise. These efforts resulted in Coca- Cola's return to Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list in 2006. In 2009, the company moved up to 12th spot in the global ranking.
A native of Ireland, Isdell was born in Downpatrick but moved to Zambia with his family when he was 10 years old. He joined Coca-Cola in 1966 with the local bottling company in Zambia. In 1972, he became general manager of Coca-Cola Bottling of Johannesburg - the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa at the time. Isdell was named region manager for Australia in 1980. In 1981, he became president of the bottling joint venture between the Coca-Cola company and the San Miguel Corporation in the Philippines, where he oversaw the turnaround and renewal of the Coca-Cola business in that key market.
Isdell moved to Germany as president of the company's central European division in 1985. In 1989, he was elected senior
vice-president and appointed president of the Northeast Europe/Africa Group and led the company's entry into new markets in India, the Middle East, eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In 1995, he was named president of the Greater Europe Group.
From July 1998 to September 2000, Isdell served as chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Plc in the UK, where he oversaw that company's merger with Hellenic
He expanded on the firm's proud legacy of corporate responsibility by embedding sustainability throughout every facet of the organisation and helping to ensure its role as a community-connected 21st-century enterprise. These efforts resulted in Coca- Cola's return to Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list in 2006. In 2009, the company moved up to 12th spot in the global ranking.
A native of Ireland, Isdell was born in Downpatrick but moved to Zambia with his family when he was 10 years old. He joined Coca-Cola in 1966 with the local bottling company in Zambia. In 1972, he became general manager of Coca-Cola Bottling of Johannesburg - the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa at the time. Isdell was named region manager for Australia in 1980. In 1981, he became president of the bottling joint venture between the Coca-Cola company and the San Miguel Corporation in the Philippines, where he oversaw the turnaround and renewal of the Coca-Cola business in that key market.
Isdell moved to Germany as president of the company's central European division in 1985. In 1989, he was elected senior
vice-president and appointed president of the Northeast Europe/Africa Group and led the company's entry into new markets in India, the Middle East, eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In 1995, he was named president of the Greater Europe Group.
From July 1998 to September 2000, Isdell served as chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Plc in the UK, where he oversaw that company's merger with Hellenic