The Coca-Cola Company has on Friday announced that Luisa Ortega will become president of the Europe operating unit effective 1 September, succeeding Nikos Koumettis, who will retire in 2026 after a 25-year career with the company.
Koumettis will remain with the company through February 28, 2026, as a senior advisor. He will also serve on the board of directors of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, a company-owned bottler in India.
Ortega joined Coca-Cola in 2019 and currently serves as president of the Africa operating unit. In this role, she leads a complex business that operates across 54 markets. Koumettis has led the Europe operating unit since it was created in 2021.
“Luisa has done an outstanding job leading our African business, where our system has continued to make major investments to serve growing markets on the continent,” said Henrique Braun, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. “As head of Europe, she will bring great international experience to one of our biggest and most important operating units.”
The company thanked Koumettis for his many contributions. “Nikos has been a valued colleague for many years, and he has played a vital role in strengthening our European business,” Braun said. “The operating unit was honoured as the company’s top performer for 2023, which is a testament to the strong work of Nikos and his team.”
Ortega will continue to report to Braun in her new role. Ortega’s successor in Africa will be named at a future date.
Nikos Koumettis
Koumettis, 60, joined Coca‑Cola in 2001. Over his career, he has led operations in more than 100 countries, with a consistent focus on delivering strong business results and developing talent.
His early roles with the company included business unit president for Canada; president of the Adriatic and Balkans business unit; and Southeast Mediterranean Region general manager, with responsibility for Greece and Cyprus. He played a leadership role in several innovations, including the 2002 launch of the Sprite Zero brand, which originated in Greece.
Koumettis served as president of the Central and Southern Europe business unit from 2011 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he was president of the company’s Central and Eastern Europe business unit. In 2016, he founded and led the company’s Global Franchise Leadership Council to help develop global general management and franchise capabilities.
In 2019, Koumettis became group president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, overseeing six business units spanning from Western Europe to Russia to Southern Africa. He became president of the Europe operating unit in 2021 when the company’s current operating model was established.
After the transition in September, Koumettis will continue to co-lead the Global Franchise Leadership Council.
Ortega, 55, joined Coca‑Cola in 2019 as vice president and general manager of the South Latin business unit. She was later named deputy president and then president of South Latin. In 2021, she became president of the newly created central zone of the Latin America operating unit.
She began her duties as president of the Africa operating unit in 2023.
Prior to Coca‑Cola, Ortega worked at SC Johnson for more than 14 years in various roles in Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific. She served as general manager for the Western Europe region and, prior to that, was the global head of Insecticides Business. She also worked at Endesa, a utility corporation that serves mainly Spain and Portugal.
Ortega, a native of Spain, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Universidad Pontificia Comillas and an MBA from the IESE Business School, both in Spain, along with participating in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.