Coke Makes Significant Management Changes.
Minnick Gets New Role.
Two Bottler Executives Join Company.
Implications Abound.

Coca-Cola Co makes major management changes with significant implications, including possible first signs of long-term succession framework evolving. Biggest change on surface is move of Asia chief Mary Minnick to newly-created post of head of marketing, strategy and innovation. CMO Chuck Fruit and innovation chief Danny Strickland will report to her. Also, CCE Europe head Dominique Reiniche moves from bottler to head of western Europe at Coke; current Coke Europe head Sandy Allan retires. Company also brings on board other bottling executive, Muhtar Kent, CEO of Istanbul-based bottler Efes.

Facts/structure. Minnick. With 21 years at Coke, she takes on major new role overseeing "marketing, innovation and strategic growth paths." Reporting to her, in addition to Fruit and Strickland, will be head of strategy to be named. New groups. Europe chief Allan retires, and company re-aligns structure of Europe/Asia business. New European Union group will be run by CCE's Reiniche. She leaves CCE May 1 for new Coke job. Coke forms two other new units. One is North Asia/Eurasia/Middle East, which will include China, Japan, Russia, eastern Europe, etc. Kent -- who has worked for company/bottlers since 1978 -- will run this. Third new unit is Southeast Asia/Pacific Rim which will include India, Australia, Philippines. Coke executive Patrick Siewert, who has run east/south Asia, will head up this new group. Reporting. Minnick, Reiniche, Kent and Siewert all report directly to chairman/CEO Neville Isdell.

Analysis Coke. Minnick is regarded as one of top marketing talents at Coke. Plus, one ingredient company executive gives her "high marks" on innovation. In this job, she will face opportunities/challenges re leadership. One senior executive notes: "Mary's job is the big one. We need to be more consumer oriented again." Succession. Sources suggest these management moves also set in place start of Isdell's long-term succession planning. These sources say names to watch at this juncture, for future possible upward trajectories, include: Minnick; Irial Finan, who oversees company's bottling investments; Don Knauss, who runs North America; CFO Gary Fayard; and "possibly Kent and Reiniche." President. These changes decrease number of Isdell's direct reports. But some observers nonetheless suggest Coke may down the road appoint international president reporting to Isdell, possibly from inside company.

Analysis CCE. With Reiniche leaving, CCE says it will begin "internal search" with successor to be named in "next few months from CCE's operating team." CCE statement says in her new role, she will make "significant contributions to the Coca-Cola system which will continue to benefit CCE in Europe." Some analysts/observers puzzle over CCE taking "next few months" for internal search to replace Reiniche. That raises speculation -- and only speculation -- that "another shoe will drop," says one, explaining that "there could be other management or structural changes" ahead for CCE.