Coca-Cola Creates New Chief Digital Officer Role
The Coca-Cola Company has created a new chief digital officer position, naming longtime executive Sedef Salingan Sahin to the role as part of a broader leadership transition tied to a new CEO.
Why it matters:
The move formalizes digital leadership at a time when consumer brands are under pressure to modernize marketing, operations, and personalization across global markets.
The appointment:
- Sahin is a 20+ year Coke veteran and currently president of Eurasia and Middle East operations.
- She will lead enterprise-wide digital transformation and streamline work across related functions.
- The role takes effect March 31, alongside incoming CEO Henrique Braun.
What Coke is saying:
Braun called the new role “pivotal,” saying the company needs to move faster and adopt technology more effectively to stay close to consumers.
Organizational shifts:
- Sahin will assume some strategic responsibilities previously overseen by CFO John Murphy.
- CMO Manolo Arroyo’s role is expanding to include customer and commercial leadership; his title will change to chief marketing and customer commercial officer.
- Additional changes include new market groupings and operational leadership updates.
The big picture:
Coke has long positioned itself as a digital-forward marketer. Creating a dedicated CDO role signals a push to unify digital initiatives and accelerate execution as technology adoption becomes more critical across the enterprise.
What to watch:
How quickly the new structure improves coordination, speeds decision-making, and supports emerging technologies-including AI across Coke’s global operations.
