Coca-Cola appoints new UK marketing director
The company has promoted Kris Robbens, currently its western Europe brand director, to the top marketing job in Great Britain as it looks to do more product launches to keep up with changing consumer habits.
Coca-Cola Great Britain has appointed European marketer Kris Robbens as its new marketing director.
Robbens has spent 15 years with Coca-Cola, most recently as brand director for Coca-Cola western Europe. During that time, he led the development of Coca-Cola’s ‘one brand’ strategy in the region, while accelerating sales of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
He was also responsible for marketing campaigns including ‘Share a Coke’ and all of Coca-Cola’s UEFA European Championship activity in 2016.
In his new role, Robbens will head up new product launches and ensure the company is keeping up with changing consumer habits. Coca-Cola has been speeding up its innovation pipeline over the past year, launching water brand Aquarius in the UK and introducing its first range of mixers and first Coke-branded energy drink.
READ MORE: No more ‘holy grails’: Why Coca-Cola is no longer tied to its old brand rules
Robbens began his career at Unilever in his home country of Belgium, becoming a brand manager for Dove. In 2005 he moved to Coca-Cola, initially as brand manager for the company before taking on a wider European role in 2010. He became brand director of Coca-Cola in western Europe in 2016.
Robbens replaces Coca-Cola veteran Paul Grace, who was appointed in December. Grace will continue to sit on the leadership team but take on a new commercial and marketing role. Grace took over from from Aedamar Howlett who had been in the role since 2016.
