Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Coca-Cola has announced that Ms Luisa Ortega would become president of the company’s Africa operating unit, overseeing markets across the continent.
She currently serves as president of the company’s central zone in Latin America, which includes Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean.
She replaces Mr Bruno Pietracci, who has been named president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America operating unit. Both changes take effect February 1, 2023, meaning Ms Ortega will relocate to Johannesburg in 2023.
Both Ms Ortega and Mr Pietracci will report to Mr Henrique Braun, who will become President of International Development for Coca-Cola on January 1, 2023. Mr Braun has served as president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America operating unit since 2020.
“I’m happy to see Luisa take her knowledge and global expertise to lead our operations in Africa,” Mr Braun said. “I’m also pleased to welcome Bruno back to his native Latin America, where he has extensive experience across a number of markets.”
Ms Ortega, a native of Spain, 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 also serves as chair of the company’s Global Women’s Leadership Council.
Prior to Coca-Cola, she worked at SC Johnson for more than 14 years in various roles in Europe, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. She also worked at Endesa, a utility corporation that serves mainly Spain and Portugal.
Ms Ortega 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.
On his part, Mr Pietracci joined Coca-Cola in Brazil in 2008 as vice president of strategic planning and research. In 2010, he moved into operations to lead the Southern Brazil region. He was later named general manager of the Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador markets.
In 2016, Mr Pietracci became vice president of operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He later became president of the company’s South and East Africa business unit, followed by serving as president of Africa and Middle East business unit. Mr Pietracci was named to his current role as president of the Africa operating unit in 2021. He was appointed in 2022 to the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA).
Prior to Coca-Cola, Mr Pietracci was with McKinsey & Co. in Brazil and Lisbon. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil and an MBA from INSEAD in France.
