Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola appointed Monster Energy Company exec Rob Gehring as president of its North America operating unit, effective Dec. 1.
- Gehring succeeds John Murphy, who held the role on an interim basis since Aug. 1, when Jennifer Mann left the role. Murphy remains president and chief financial officer while Mann will stay on with Coca-Cola as a senior advisor through April.
- The change marks the latest executive shift under newly appointed CEO Henrique Braun. Since Braun stepped into the top spot in March, Coca-Cola created a chief digital officer role and appointed a new global chief people officer.
Dive Insight:
Gehring is returning to Coca-Cola after a long history at one of the beverage giant's largest bottlers Swire Coca-Cola. At Swire, Gehring held various positions including president, CEO and chief operating officer.
Gehring joined Monster Energy in 2024 and served as CEO of the energy drink maker's Americas business since February 2026. He was tasked with strategy, financial performance, organizational leadership and growth across the region, according to his LinkedIn.
“Rob is a transformational leader whose exceptional ability to develop and lead people, combined with his deep operations experience, has made him a trusted partner across our system,” CEO Henrique Braun said in a statement. “I am pleased to welcome him back to Coca-Cola and look forward to partnering with him to grow our business in North America.”
Earlier this month, Coca-Cola announced it was investing $10 billion in its U.S. infrastructure systemwide through 2030 to keep up with demand for its offerings.
In Coca-Cola’s most recent earnings report, its net revenue grew 7% year over year to $13.4 billion.
