Coca-Cola's Lisa Chang to Step Down After Seven Years
Lisa Chang has announced her departure from the position of Global Chief People Officer at Coca-Cola following a tenure of seven years.
Taking to LinkedIn to reflect on her time overseeing the people and culture function at Coca-Cola, Lisa describes the experience as "one of the great privileges" of her career. Her decision to leave comes in the wake of a planned transition in the chief executive role.
The position will be filled by Tapaswee Chandele, who currently holds the title of Senior Vice President and executive assistant to the President and Chief Financial Officer. Tapaswee is set to assume the Global Chief People Officer responsibilities from 1 May 2026.
To facilitate a seamless handover, Lisa will continue her association with the organisation until the end of 2026 in a senior advisory capacity. She will also take up a position on the board of the Coca-Cola Foundation.
A long-standing company employee
Tapaswee joined Coca-Cola in 2001 as a management trainee. Her career has since encompassed a variety of human resources and talent development positions spanning multiple countries including India, South Africa and the US, where she has maintained her base since 2017.
As Senior Vice President of Global Talent, Development and HR System Partnerships, she oversaw the organisation's international talent strategy. During this period, she formed part of Lisa's leadership team.
Lisa says: "I'm pleased that the Global CPO role is passing to Tapaswee Chandele, a 25-year Coca-Cola veteran and exceptional leader who has been part of my leadership team for several years.
"Developing strong successors is one of the most important responsibilities of leadership, and Tapaswee is ready for this moment."
Changes in the executive suite
Through her LinkedIn post, Lisa expressed being "deeply grateful" for her period working alongside former CEO James Quincey. James, who became chief executive in 2017, concluded his time in the role in March 2026.
Speaking to CNBC, James explained his rationale for stepping aside was to position the company optimally for its forthcoming phase of transformation. He said: "In a pre-AI, a pre-gen-AI mode, we made a lot of progress. But now there's a huge new shift coming along."
He continued: "My job is also to think who's the best team to put on the field to get the next wave done. And I concluded that it was time to put someone else on the field for the next wave of growth."
Henrique Braun, previously serving as Chief Operating Officer, has succeeded him in the role. With a career at Coca-Cola spanning more than three decades, Henrique received unanimous backing from the company's board for the chief executive position, owing to his international expertise and extensive connections within the organisation.
Upon his appointment, Henrique said: "I'm honoured to take on this new role and have tremendous appreciation for everything James has done to lead the company.
"I will focus on continuing the momentum we've built with our system. We'll work to unlock future growth in partnership with our bottlers. I'm excited about the future of our business and see huge opportunities in a fast-changing global market."
According to Lisa, this shift in leadership represents "the right time for me to step into the next chapter of my own career".