Henrique Braun to succeed James Quincey as Coca-Cola CEO in 2026

New Delhi: The Coca-Cola Company has named Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Henrique Braun as its next chief executive officer, effective March 31, 2026.

Braun will succeed James Quincey, who will step down as CEO after nine years in the role and continue as Executive Chairman of the board, the company said in a statement issued from Atlanta.

Coca-Cola’s board has elected Braun as CEO and also plans to nominate the 57-year-old executive for election to the board at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareowners.

Braun has served as EVP and COO since January 1, 2025, overseeing all of the company’s operating units worldwide. He became an executive vice president in 2024 after leading international development from 2023 to 2024, a role in which he oversaw seven of Coca-Cola’s nine operating units.

Before that, he headed the Latin America operating unit between 2020 and 2022 and led the Brazil business unit from 2016 to 2020. From 2013 to 2016, he was President for Greater China & South Korea. 

Braun joined Coca-Cola in 1996 and has held roles across supply chain, new business development, marketing, innovation, general management and bottling operations in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Quincey, 60, became CEO in 2017 and Chairman of the board in 2019. He joined Coca-Cola in 1996 and has held leadership roles across Latin America and Europe, including as President of the company’s Europe Group and President of its Mexico division.