James Quincey

James Quincey
Born	James Robert Quincey 8 1, 1965
Birthplace	London, England, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
Known for	Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
Education	University of Liverpool (BSc)
Spouse(s)	Jacqui Quincey
Children	2

James Robert Quincey (born 8 January 1965) is a British business executive who has served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Coca-Cola Company since 2019, having been appointed CEO in May 2017 and chairman of the board in April 2019. Born in London, Quincey spent the early years of his career in management consulting at Bain & Company before joining Coca-Cola in 1996. Over the course of more than two decades at the beverage company, he rose through a succession of senior leadership positions across multiple continents, overseeing operations in Latin America, Europe, and other regions before being named president and chief operating officer (COO) in August 2015. Under his leadership as CEO, Coca-Cola navigated a period of significant transformation in the global beverage industry, contending with shifting consumer preferences away from sugary carbonated drinks and expanding the company's portfolio to include more than ten billion-dollar brands. In December 2025, Coca-Cola announced a succession plan under which Quincey would step down as CEO in 2026, with COO Henrique Braun named as his successor, while Quincey would continue serving as executive chairman of the board.

Early Life

James Robert Quincey was born on 8 January 1965 in London, England. He grew up in the United Kingdom during a period of considerable economic and social change in Britain. Details of his family background and childhood remain largely private, as Quincey has maintained a relatively low public profile regarding his personal history throughout his career.

Quincey's formative years in London provided him with exposure to an international business environment, and he would go on to build a career defined by a global perspective. His early life in the British capital laid the groundwork for what would become an extensive career spanning multiple countries and continents in the corporate world.

Education

Quincey attended the University of Liverpool, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. The University of Liverpool, a Russell Group research university in the northwest of England, provided Quincey with his academic foundation before he entered the business world. Following his university education, Quincey embarked on a career in management consulting, which would serve as a precursor to his long tenure in the beverage industry.

Career

Early Career at Bain & Company

After completing his studies at the University of Liverpool, Quincey began his professional career at Bain & Company, the global management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. His time at Bain provided him with analytical and strategic skills that would prove instrumental in his later career at Coca-Cola. Management consulting at a firm of Bain's calibre exposed the young Quincey to a wide range of industries and business challenges, equipping him with a broad operational perspective.

Joining The Coca-Cola Company

In 1996, Quincey joined The Coca-Cola Company, beginning what would become a career of more than two decades at the world's largest beverage company. Over the following years, he held a series of increasingly senior positions within the organisation, gaining experience across multiple geographic markets and business functions.

Quincey's early roles at Coca-Cola took him to various international markets, where he developed deep expertise in the company's global operations. He served in leadership positions overseeing the company's business in Latin America, a region that represents one of Coca-Cola's most important markets. His work in the region gave him first-hand experience managing large-scale bottling operations, navigating diverse regulatory environments, and adapting the company's product portfolio to local consumer tastes.

He also held significant responsibilities in Europe, further broadening his international experience. These varied assignments across continents positioned Quincey as one of the most experienced operational leaders within the Coca-Cola system, with an understanding of how the company's business functioned in both developed and emerging markets.

President and Chief Operating Officer

In August 2015, Quincey was named president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company, a move that positioned him as one of the top executives at the firm and a likely successor to then-CEO Muhtar Kent. In the COO role, Quincey assumed day-to-day operational responsibility for the company's global business, working closely with Kent on the company's strategic direction.

As COO, Quincey worked behind the scenes to address some of the company's most pressing challenges, including efforts to cut costs and reverse flagging soda sales in key markets. The beverage industry was undergoing a period of significant change, with consumers in many markets moving away from traditional carbonated soft drinks in favour of healthier alternatives, including water, tea, juice, and low-sugar options. Quincey's tenure as COO saw the beginning of efforts to diversify the company's product portfolio and adapt to these evolving consumer preferences.

During this period, Quincey also oversaw a major senior management restructuring at the company, reorganising leadership to streamline operations and position Coca-Cola for future growth.

Former Coca-Cola CEO E. Neville Isdell publicly endorsed Quincey as the right choice to lead the company into its next chapter, citing his international experience and operational acumen.

Appointment as CEO

In December 2016, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Quincey would succeed Muhtar Kent as CEO, effective May 2017. The appointment was seen as a natural progression given his role as COO and his extensive experience within the company. Quincey formally assumed the CEO role in May 2017, becoming only the thirteenth person to lead The Coca-Cola Company in its more than 130-year history at that time.

Upon taking office, Quincey signalled a willingness to embrace change and innovation within the traditionally conservative company. In a notable message to staff, he encouraged employees to take risks, telling them not to be afraid of making mistakes. This message was interpreted as a signal that Quincey intended to foster a more entrepreneurial and experimental culture at the company, moving away from the risk-averse approach that some observers had attributed to Coca-Cola in prior years.

In an interview with Coca-Cola's corporate communications, Quincey articulated his vision for the company's future, emphasising the need to adapt to changing consumer habits and expand beyond the company's traditional focus on carbonated soft drinks.

Leadership as CEO and Chairman

In April 2019, Quincey added the title of chairman of the board of directors to his role as CEO, succeeding Kent in the chairman position as well. This dual role gave him comprehensive leadership authority over both the company's management and its governance.

Under Quincey's leadership, Coca-Cola pursued a strategy of portfolio diversification, expanding well beyond its flagship cola brand. The company added more than ten billion-dollar brands to its portfolio during his tenure as CEO, reflecting a deliberate effort to meet consumers where their tastes were heading — toward lower-sugar options, enhanced water, coffee, tea, and other non-carbonated beverages. This strategy involved both organic product development and strategic acquisitions.

Quincey also oversaw a significant shift in the company's approach to environmental sustainability. In January 2018, Coca-Cola announced expanded recycling initiatives amid growing public pressure on consumer goods companies to address the environmental impact of plastic packaging. Under Quincey, the company set ambitious targets related to packaging sustainability and collection, acknowledging the beverage industry's role in addressing plastic waste.

Quincey's tenure as CEO also required navigating significant external disruptions, including the global COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted Coca-Cola's away-from-home consumption channels — restaurants, stadiums, cinemas, and other venues that represented a substantial portion of the company's sales. The company's response involved cost-cutting measures, portfolio rationalisation (reducing the number of brands to focus on those with the strongest growth potential), and accelerating digital transformation efforts.

CNN profiled Quincey in 2021 as part of a series on corporate risk-takers, highlighting the decisions he made to transform Coca-Cola's business during a period of unprecedented uncertainty.

In early 2025, Quincey discussed the possibility of incorporating protein and fiber into soft drinks as part of a broader reinvention of the soda category, reflecting his continued focus on adapting the company's product offerings to evolving health and nutrition trends.

In a 2025 interview with Morgan Stanley, Quincey discussed how consumer-first thinking, cultural transformation, and a focus on global growth had shaped Coca-Cola's strategy during his time as CEO.

In a separate appearance on the Grey Matter podcast with Consello founder Declan Kelly, Quincey spoke about the challenges of stewarding change at a large global organisation, offering insights into his leadership philosophy and approach to corporate transformation.

CEO Succession and Transition

On 10 December 2025, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Quincey would step down as CEO, with Chief Operating Officer Henrique Braun named as his successor. The transition was planned to take effect in 2026, with Quincey continuing to serve as executive chairman of the board of directors.

Reuters reported that the selection of Braun, an insider who had served in various senior roles at the company, reflected Coca-Cola's preference for continuity in leadership as the packaged food and beverage industry continued to adapt to changing consumer preferences.

Food Dive characterised Quincey's nine-year tenure as CEO as one in which he steered the company through waning consumer interest in sugary drinks while significantly expanding the breadth of Coca-Cola's product portfolio.

Personal Life

James Quincey is married to Jacqui Quincey, and the couple have two children. Despite leading one of the world's most recognisable consumer brands, Quincey has maintained a relatively private personal life, rarely discussing family matters in public forums.

Quincey is based in the United States, where The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. As a British citizen leading an American multinational corporation, he has been one of the more prominent examples of an international executive at the helm of a major U.S. company. His career trajectory — from London to management consulting to decades at Coca-Cola spanning multiple continents — reflects the increasingly global nature of corporate leadership in the 21st century.

Legacy

Quincey's tenure as CEO of The Coca-Cola Company is defined by a period of significant transformation in the global beverage industry. He assumed leadership at a time when the traditional carbonated soft drink business faced headwinds from changing consumer health consciousness, regulatory pressures including sugar taxes in multiple markets, and growing environmental concerns about plastic packaging.

His response to these challenges involved a comprehensive strategy of portfolio diversification, moving Coca-Cola from being primarily a carbonated soft drink company to what he described as a "total beverage company." Under his leadership, the company expanded into categories including coffee, dairy, plant-based beverages, enhanced water, and sports drinks, adding more than ten billion-dollar brands to its portfolio.

Quincey's management style, characterised by his early directive to staff to embrace risk-taking and not fear mistakes, represented a notable cultural shift for a company that had long been perceived as cautious and tradition-bound. His emphasis on innovation and adaptability helped position Coca-Cola to compete in a rapidly evolving consumer landscape.

The environmental sustainability initiatives launched under his watch, including expanded recycling programmes and packaging commitments, reflected a recognition of the growing importance of corporate environmental responsibility, though the beverage industry as a whole continued to face scrutiny regarding its environmental footprint.

His decision to remain as executive chairman after stepping down as CEO suggests a continued role in shaping the company's strategic direction during the transition to new leadership under Henrique Braun.