The Coca-Cola Company elects new director and corporate officer

The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company has announced the election of Thomas S. Gayner as a director. Gayner, the CEO of Markel Group, joins the board effective immediately.

Gayner has served as CEO of Markel Group since the start of the year and was co-CEO from 2016 through 2022. Markel is a holding company with operations in insurance, services and industrial operations.

Gayner joined Markel in 1990 to form Markel Gayner Asset Management, which provided equity investment counsel for Markel as well as outside clients. Prior to Markel, Gayner held roles with Davenport & Co. and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Gayner currently serves as chairman of the board of the Davis Series Mutual Funds and on the boards of Graham Holdings and Markel. He previously served on the boards of Cable One and Colfax Corp. He is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Virginia Retirement System.

Gayner earned a bachelor of science degree in commerce from the University of Virginia.

In other business, the board elected Henrique Braun as a corporate senior vice president.

Braun has served as the company’s President of International Development since the start of the year. The board has now elected him as a corporate senior vice president as well.

Braun oversees the company’s operating units for Latin America; Japan and South Korea; ASEAN and South Pacific; Greater China and Mongolia; Africa; India and Southwest Asia; and Eurasia and Middle East.

Previously, Braun served as President of the Latin America operating unit from 2020 to 2022. Braun joined Coca-Cola in 1996 and progressed through a variety of roles in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University Federal of Rio de Janeiro, a master’s of science degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from Georgia State University.