Francisco Crespo benítez

Biography

Francisco Crespo is Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer of The Coca-ColaCompany.  A 28-year company veteran, Crespo leads the company’s integrated global marketing, corporate strategy, and customer and commercial leadership teams with a clear mandate for driving global growth. Previously he served as President of The Coca-Cola Company’s Mexico business unit based in Mexico City.  In this role, Crespo led the company’s operations across its second-largest global market, including coordinating a seven-year $8.2 billion system investment plan with local Coca-Cola bottlers.  Crespo also has served as President of the South Latin business unit, where he managed company operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay; as Vice President of Operations for the Brazil business unit, where he led the turnaround of the business, promoting one of the most profitable commercial systems in the region; as General Manager in Chile, where he led the strategy to compete and win against price brands; and as Commercial Director of Coca-Cola FEMSA in Buenos Aires, where he developed several programs that later were exported globally, both on value-based relationships for customers, as well as on segmentation, revenue growth management and flawless execution.  He joined the company in 1989 in Ecuador. Crespo has served as President of the Coca-Cola Foundation in Chile; Director of AmCham (American Chamber) in Chile; Vice President of AmCham in Argentina; Director of the Lincoln School Association of the Fulbright Foundation; and as a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.  Crespo also has served as a board member at Embotelladora Andina, a Coca-Cola bottling partner in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and J.R. Lindley, the Coca-Cola bottling partner in Lima, Peru.  He also has served as a board member at Zurich and Zurich Compañía de Seguros, S.A. (Zurich Insurance’s business in Mexico). An Industrial Engineer, Crespo graduated from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. He has also specialized in areas such as Finance, Marketing, Leadership and General Management through several programs in prestigious universities and institutions across the world, including the Harvard Business School General Management Program.

Research Interest

Business