Coke elects new officers

19/12/05 The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company have elected Jean-Michel Arès as senior vice president, and Ann Taylor, Kathy Waller and Jerry Wilson as vice presidents of the Company.

Jean-Michel Arès is chief information officer, responsible for development and execution of the Company's worldwide information technology strategy and infrastructure. Prior to joining the Company in 2002, Mr. Arès served as vice president and chief information officer for GE Power Systems. Mr. Arès began his career with General Electric in 1996, where he worked in the Corporate Initiatives Group. Prior to that, Mr. Arès was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Arès has a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in business, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Ann Taylor is director of Investor Relations, responsible for overseeing global financial communications with the financial and investment community. Prior to her current role, Ms. Taylor was chief financial officer and director of strategic services for the Company's Europe, Eurasia and Middle East operations. She joined the Company in 1984 in Atlanta and served as a senior financial analyst, cost accounting manager and manager of mergers and acquisitions, before moving to Europe in 1994 where she progressed through a number of key financial positions in the Company's European operations. Ms. Taylor holds a bachelor's degree in math and economics from Wake Forest University and a master's degree in business from the University of Virginia. 

As chief of internal audit, Kathy Waller manages the worldwide internal audit process, with key responsibility for the Company's compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and corporate governance matters. Prior to this role, Ms. Waller served as director of financial reporting. She joined the Company in 1987 as a senior accountant in Accounting Research. Ms. Waller, who serves as chairperson of the Company's Ethics and Compliance Committee, holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in business from the University of Rochester.
 
As president of The McDonald's Group, Jerry Wilson leads the Company's strategic business alliance with McDonald's in 120 countries with more than 31,000 restaurants. Prior to his current role, Mr. Wilson was senior vice president and chief operating officer of The McDonald's Group Worldwide, where he led the European, North American, Latin American and Asian business units. Prior to that, he served as vice president of The McDonald's Group, North America. After joining the Company in 1988, Mr. Wilson progressed through a series of positions with increasing responsibility in the Coca-Cola USA Fountain business unit. Mr. Wilson has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Georgia and a master's degree in business from Mercer University.
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