The Coca-Cola Company appoints president of Africa operating unit

Luisa Ortega will become president of The Coca-Cola Company's Africa operating unit, overseeing markets across the continent.

Ortega currently serves as president of the company’s central zone in Latin America, which includes Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean.

Ortega replaces Bruno Pietracci, who has been named president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America operating unit. Both changes take effect Feb. 1, 2023. Ortega will relocate to Johannesburg in 2023.

Ortega and Pietracci will report to Henrique Braun, who becomes President, International Development, for Coca-Cola this month. 

Ortega, a native of Spain, joined Coca-Cola in 2019 as vice president and general manager of the South Latin business unit. She was later named deputy president and then president of South Latin. In 2021, she became president of the newly created central zone of the Latin America operating unit. She also serves as chair of the company’s Global Women's Leadership Council.

Prior to Coca-Cola, Ortega worked at SC Johnson for more than 14 years in various roles in Europe, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. She also worked at Endesa, a utility corporation that serves mainly Spain and Portugal.
Ortega has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Universidad Pontificia Comillas and an MBA from the IESE Business School, both in Spain, along with participating in the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.