Real magic: In conversation with Coca-Cola’s James Quincey

How do you lead an iconic brand that’s known and loved the world over? With a steady focus on what are the few vital things that you and you alone must do. The role of a CEO requires discernment, an ability to notice the signals.

James Quincey joined Coca-Cola three decades ago, in 1996, after an early career in consulting, rising through the ranks to become CEO in 2017. When he took up the top job, with a big fanfare and lots of fancy presentations, what people noticed was that he wore jeans, not a suit. This was his way of announcing that things were changing.

“No matter what a CEO says, everything communicates,” he says. In March, he will hand over the reins as CEO, but remain Chairman – a role he’s held since 2019.

Innovating and staying true

The day-to-day reality of what it’s like to be that one person at the top of the pyramid at a large organisation was a real eye-opener, Quincey recalls. “You tend to think each progression in the organisational hierarchy is a bigger version of what went before: a small country, large country, many countries…” That’s only partly true, he soon learned.

“What you discover is there’s another pyramid, and it’s upside-down. You’re one person at the bottom and there are all these people on top of you with a point of view. The role of a CEO is both a manager of other managers but also a representative of the enterprise – and the bigger the company, the more people tell you what you should do.”

As CEO, a plethora of demands fragment your time. “This role requires a certain degree of discipline,” Quincey says calmly. “Choosing what to drive and how you spend your time becomes very valuable.” How does he make those choices? “I daydream,” comes the surprising answer. “I get up very slowly in the mornings, I drink lots of coffee and I don’t fill my day with meetings.”

The decisions that move up as far as the CEO are the ones that other people don’t want to make, he points out: strategy, people decisions, “unpalatable decisions”. Sometimes he will push a decision back down. “You have to focus on those things that make the most difference.”

One challenge is working out where and when to innovate, while staying authentic to the brand’s origins. “Leadership has to be about having a point of view,” Quincey says. “There’s a certain drive to do something new. Someone has to say no.” He shudders at the “complete shambles” that was New Coke, a brief redesign of the taste in 1985. The brand’s loyal customer base hated it and the decision was immediately reversed.

In the 2020s, consumer tastes and lifestyles are shifting, with zero-calorie sodas gaining in popularity. Coca-Cola is now a “total beverage company”, with offerings in sparkling beverages, water, milk, coffee, tea, sports drinks and juices worldwide, frequently introducing new products and experiences. It has 32 brands that have sold a billion dollars at retail.

A Coke is a Coke

The company works hard to understand its consumers in different countries and cultures, reflecting local rituals around eating and drinking in its marketing while sticking to its authenticity. A Coke advert in Mexico might show a family sitting around a table; in Singapore it might be friends eating street food. But it’s essentially the same product, and it represents something universal.

“Fundamental human aspirations and values are not that different around the world,” says Quincey. “People want friends and family to have better lives.”

The company’s sustainability strategy prioritises goals and actions that seek to improve water security in high-risk locations, reduce packaging waste and decrease emissions. Coca-Cola offers beverages in a variety of packaging formats – glass and plastic bottles, aluminium cans and refillable packaging. Each option can play a role in helping reduce packaging waste and emissions. The company aims to use more recycled material in primary packaging and is supporting collection rates, both of which require enabling policies and the growth of collection infrastructure.

The Coca-Cola system is also working with suppliers to help reduce carbon emissions across its value chain, including growing its ingredients more efficiently and increasing the use of renewable electricity.

Quincey believes businesses that create costs to society that they have not paid for are storing up problems for themselves. “The brand is not just what you make and do but how you engage with people,” he says. When it comes to ESG, you have to be able to demonstrate the benefit to shareholders, but ultimately it’s simple: “Businesses are going to prosper if communities prosper.”

One company can’t achieve this alone, he points out: “It has to be a collective action. Oftentimes, government has to play its role of regulating. That’s controversial in some circles, but you need to be able to create some degree of level playing field.”

Nobody gets known for being the wallpaper

What is his advice for smart young people at the start of their careers? Execute and add value, obviously, but also get yourself noticed. “Nobody gets known for being the wallpaper. You have to be famous for something. You’re not going to score a home run every year, you’ve got to be able to bounce back from failures and build a track record.”

He feels strongly that too much remote working does a disservice to the more junior people in the workforce. “I can go on video calls with my senior management team because I’ve known them for decades – but for people joining, the more in-person time you get, the better off you are.”

Finally, he underlines the importance of using your time consciously: “Choose how you want to invest in life – work, family, friends, hobbies. It’s always your choice, and how you choose will affect where you are in 20, 30 years’ time.

“Do something that gets you out of bed in the morning. For each person, that’s a different reason – but make it yours.”

James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, spoke with Professor Lynda Gratton at London Business School on 3 February 2026. The fireside chat was the second in the Distinguished Speaker Series for the School’s MBA students, global business leaders in the making.