Kent to take over as Coca-Cola’s president & COO

NEW YORK: Coca-Cola promoted international chief Muhtar Kent to president and chief operating officer, a move that makes him the likely successor to CEO E Neville Isdell. Kent, 54, will assume his new duties immediately. The company hasn’t had a president since 2004, when Isdell came out of retirement to run Coca-Cola and assumed both CEO and president duties.

The promotion puts Kent in line to succeed Isdell, 63, who hasn’t said when he plans to retire. Kent has worked for the Coca-Cola system for almost 30 years and previously oversaw international operations that account for $15 billion in sales and 80 percent of Coca-Cola's profits.

Kent began working for Coca-Cola in 1978, and has overseen several of the company's key divisions such as Turkey and North Asia. Kent became head of Coca-Cola's North Asia division in March 2005