Coca-Cola, has announced the appointment of Luisa Ortega as the President of the company’s Africa operating unit, overseeing markets across the continent. Ortega currently serves as president of the company’s central zone in Latin America, which includes Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean.
A native of Spain, Ortega 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.
She holds 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.
Ortega replaces Bruno Pietracci, who has been named president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America operating unit. Both changes take effect on Feb. 1, 2023 at which point Ortega will relocate to Johannesburg in 2023.
Ortega and Pietracci will report to Henrique Braun, who becomes President, International Development, for Coca-Cola on Jan. 1, 2023. Braun has served as president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America operating unit since 2020.