Coca-Cola’s CFO Talks About The Company’s New Directions

Coca-Cola’s Chief Financial Officer Kathy Waller says the company is responding to health-conscious consumers these days with an expanded product line – “offering beverages for all types of people at all stages of their lives and for a variety of purposes” – and soft drink varieties reformulated with less or no sugar. The expanded product line includes more waters, teas, and juices. Waller says these new options have been in place for a while, though the company was “late” in getting the word out to consumers. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Waller also described the company’s approach to acquiring or developing new products; discussed how to make a 130-year-old company more of a risk-taker and innovator acknowledged that cost-cutting tactics like standardized beverage formulas don’t always work globally; and predicted what the prospects might be for smaller-sized, higher-priced beverage packages.