Romanian head at Coca-Cola HBC

Coca-Cola HBC, the soft drinks bottler, has appointed a Romanian manager to lead its Romanian-based operations, although the general manager position had always been filled by foreign nationals before.

Calin Dragan, who has been working with Coca-Cola Bevande Italy in the last two years, will take over his new position on January 1, 2005. “This decision reflects the trust that the Athens-based managing team puts in the Romanian management. At this point, the company’s Romanian management is made up of Romanians only,” said Mugurel Radulescu, communications manager with Coca-Cola HBC Romania.

The new general manager could not be contacted by press time.

Calin Dragan has been working for Coca-Cola for 11 years and started as warehouse supervisor, in Timisoara.

The former general manager, Alexis Sacre, was promoted to the position of regional manager for Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Belarus. He had been selected to run Coca-Cola HBC Romania’s operations in 2002, coming from the same position at the company’s Bulgarian subsidiary.

Coca-Cola HBC, subsidiary of a Greek group, is one of Romania’s main soft drinks bottlers. The company has some 2,800 employees and owns eight plants in Bucharest, Ploiesti, Timisoara, Iasi, Vatra Dornei (where three plants are located). Sales amounted to 195 million euros last year, up 45% from 2002, with gross profit worth 18 million euros, double the level logged in 2002.
georgiana.stavarache@zf.ro