Brands
Henrique Braun gets promoted to EVP & COO at The Coca-Cola Co
MUMBAI: Come the new year and Henrique Braun will be carrying a new designation at The Coca-Cola Co. Last week, he was named executive vice-president & chief operating officer. In his expanded role, Braun will be responsible for all of the company’s operating units worldwide. He will report to chairman & CEO James Quincey.
Braun currently serves as EVP & president, international development, overseeing the company’s operating units for Latin America; Japan & South Korea; Asean & south Pacific; Greater China and Mongolia; Africa; India & southwest Asia; and Eurasia and Middle East.
As COO, Braun will add oversight of the north America and Europe operating units.
“Henrique has built an impressive track record of driving our growth strategy along with numerous operational accomplishments, all while keeping the consumer as the center of decisions,” Quincey said. “He has proven to be a trusted, strategic leader with a reputation for developing talent and delivering results.”
Prior to his current role, Braun served as president of the Latin America operating unit from 2020 to 2022 and as president of the Brazil business unit from 2016 to 2020. From 2013 to 2016, he was president of the company’s Greater China & Korea business unit.
Braun, 56, joined The Coca-Cola Co in 1996 in Atlanta and progressed through roles of increasing responsibilities in north America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Those positions included supply chain, new business development, marketing, innovation, general management and bottling operations. Braun has served in regional, business unit and corporate functions.
“I am energised and honored to take on this broader role and look forward to partnering with James, our executive leadership team, bottling partners and associates to deliver on our total beverage strategy and drive growth across the company and our system worldwide,” Braun said.
The following leaders will report to Braun:
Selman Careaga, president, ASEAN & South Pacific operating unit;
Nikos Koumettis, president, Europe operating unit;
Gilles Leclerc, president, Greater China and Mongolia operating unit;
Jennifer Mann, EVP and president, North America operating unit;
Luisa Ortega, president, Africa operating unit;
Murat Ozgel, president, Japan & South Korea operating unit;
Bruno Pietracci, president, Latin America operating unit;
Sanket Ray, president, India & Southwest Asia operating unit;
Sedef Salingan Sahin, president, Eurasia and Middle East operating unit.
Braun holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University Federal of Rio de Janeiro, a master’s of science degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from Georgia State University.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
