Muhtar Kent
 | This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (September 2008) |
Muhtar Kent | |
|---|---|
 Muhtar Kent at the World Economic Forum | |
| Born | Muhtar A. Kent 1952 |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company |
Muhtar Kent (born in 1952), is a Turkish American businessman, who is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Coca-Cola Company. He was appointed to assume the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Company in 2008.
Early life
Muhtar Kent was born 1952 in New York City, New York, USA where his father, Necdet Kent, was the Turkish consul-general (the elder Kent has been called "the Turkish Schindler" for having risked his life to save Jews during World War II). After completing high school at Tarsus American College in Mersin, Turkey in 1971, Muhtar Kent went to the United Kingdom to study at the University of Hull; he graduated in 1978 from the Department of Economics. Subsequently, Kent enrolled in the graduate program in administrative sciences at the City University, London and earned a master's degree in business administration from the Cass Business School of that university.
Muhtar Kent returned then to Turkey for active military duty. Following his military service, he returned with a thousand dollars in his pocket to the United States, where he lived with his uncle in New York city.
Professional career
Muhtar Kent found a job at The Coca-Cola Company through a newspaper ad. He toured the country in trucks to sell Coca-Cola, and thereby learned its distribution, marketing and logistics systems.
In 1985, he was promoted to the general manager position of Coca-Cola Turkey and Central Asia, and transferred the headquarters of the company from Izmir to Istanbul. Three years later, he was appointed vice president of Coca-Cola International, responsible for 23 countries in a region from the Alps to the Himalayas. Living in Vienna, Austria, he served at this post until 1995.
From 1989 to 1995, he served as president of the Company’s East Central Europe Division during which he was responsible for 23 countries.
Promoted further, Muhtar Kent became in 1995 managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil-Europe. In two years, he increased the turnover of the company about 50%, which covered bottling operations in 12 European countries.
In 1999, he left the Coca-Cola Company after 20 years of service. Returning to Turkey, Muhtar Kent assumed the post of top executive of Efes Beverage Group at Anadolu Group, the largest local shareholder of the Coca-Cola franchise in Turkey and one of Europe's largest international beverage businesses. He extended the company's territory from the Adriatic to China.
In May 2005, he rejoined Coca-Cola after almost 6 years and was appointed president and chief operating officer of the company’s North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group, a position reporting directly to chairman and chief executive officer Neville Isdell. Muhtar Kent's rise continued and he was promoted in January 2006, the newly-created position of president of International Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for all operations outside of North America, and all group presidents outside of North America reported to him.
His successful career took him finally to the summit of the Coca-Cola Company, which named him chairman and chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2008.[1]
He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
Compensation
While CEO of Coca-Cola in 2008, Muhtar Kent's earnings totalled $19,628,585, which included a base salary of $1,100,000, a cash bonus of $4,500,000, stocks granted of $2,999,975, and options granted of $10,280,428.[2]
Kent is a member of the Bilderberg Group[3].
Personal life
He is married to Defne Kent, daughter of an internationally renowned Turkish jurist Prof. İlhan Lütem. The couple has two children, Selin and Cem, both live in New York City. Muhtar Kent is, by his mother Sevim, a descendant of Madra family from Turkish town of Ayvalık, which is located on the Aegean coast. He is a member of Galatasaray Sports Club.[4]
Legacy
In November 2005, the New York based American Sephardi Federation and The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation honored his father Necdet Kent with a posthumous recognition for saving the life of Jews during his duty as the Turkish deputy consul-general in Marseille, France in World War II. Muhtar Kent received the award for his father, who died in 2002.[5] Muhtar Kent discussed his father's efforts on the Charlie Rose show on June 9, 2009.
Kent's boss in France, Abassador Behic Erkin encouraged all members of the Turkish legation to do all that was possible to save Jews having some familial connection with Turkey or the Ottoman Empire. They worked night and day risking their careers as this was not sanctioned by their governement in Ankara. At times they even risked their lives. In Ambassador and a Mentsch: The story of a Turkish Diplomat in Vichy France, Arnold Reisman estimates that over 3000 were thus saved. [6]
References
- ^ Ad hoc news
- ^ 2008 CEO Compensation for Muhtar Kent, Equilar.com
- ^ [1]
- ^ Galatasaray Sports Club Official Website
- ^ Turkish diplomats honored in New York at The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation website
- ^ Reisman Arnold Ambassador and a Mentsch: The story of a Turkish Diplomat in Vichy France (Charleston SC: CreateSpace, Forthcoming June 2010)