Bradt rewarded with top Coca-Cola post in Japan

Coca-Cola marketing director George Bradt has been promoted to vice president of Coke in Japan. The move is seen as a reward for his efforts in Coke’s battle with own-label colas.

Bradt will take a strategic role at Coke in Japan , and will be responsible for increasing the company’s consumer understanding across all its brands. These include teas and coffees as well as soft drinks.

His full title has yet to be decided, but he will replace Coke’s head in Japan, Mike Hall.

In Japan, Bradt will work alongside Steve Jones, his predecessor in the UK. Jones will continue as consumer marketing director for Coke’s global brands in Japan, which include its best-known soft drinks.

Coca-Cola has not named his successor in the UK, but says it will soon make an announcement.

Bradt joined Coke in August 1994 from Disney, where he was director of marketing and sales, just as the UK own-label cola war began. Despite the strength of the retail brands, such as Sainsbury’s and Asda, Coke’s sales in Great Britain rose by 27 per cent in the third quarter of last year, compared with international sales growth of seven per cent.

“There has been substantial growth in own-label cola sales, but we have grown even more. Our business is now dramatically larger than when I got here. We turned own-label into a win/win situation,” says Bradt.

Other changes within Coca-Cola Great Britain & Ireland include Tim Capadalis’ departure as operational marketing director to take on another as yet unnamed role within the company.

He will be regional manager, responsible for Coke in a country outside GB and Ireland, or an area vice president working in the US.

Capadalis will be replaced by Charlie Brock, who joins from Coke in Chicago.