Beverage maker Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has rejigged its leadership structure to support its next phase of growth.
The company announced several appointments as part of a restructuring of its executive leadership team.
Eric Gorli (pictured) has been named the president of US Refreshment Beverages, responsible for KDP's $9-billion liquid refreshment business, which includes carbonated soft drinks, still beverages, and energy portfolios in the US.
He joined KDP in 2015 and was instrumental in commercialisation efforts across the enterprise, developing the company's pricing, promotional, and growth strategies.
Most recently, he served as the company's chief commercial officer.
Gorli is a seasoned professional with nearly 30 years of experience in the beverage industry, including nearly two decades in The Coca-Cola Company's system across both bottling operations and Coca-Cola North America.
He succeeds Andrew Archambault, who has decided to step down to explore another opportunity outside the company.
Other Appointments
The company has appointed Sean Cronican as its chief customer officer.
He will lead customer-facing teams for all of the company's partnerships in the US, including grocery, mass, club, small format, fountain foodservice and e-commerce.
Cronican joined KDP in 2016 and has held roles across sales and commercial leadership.
He has built and strengthened many of KDP's critical customer relationships. Before joining KDP, Sean spent nearly 20 years with Abbott Nutrition.
Elsewhere, Drew Panayiotou will step in as chief marketing officer, expanding his role to include marketing for both US Refreshment Beverages and US Coffee, along with enterprise marketing services.
With nearly three decades of sales, marketing and general management experience, Panayiotou will accelerate a digital-first marketing approach at KDP, the company noted.
Tim Cofer, chief executive officer of KDP, commented, "We have been intentional about building a deep bench of talent, and we are fortunate to have leaders who are seasoned, forward-thinking and ready to step into these critical roles."
The three leaders will join the existing executive leadership team members and report directly to Cofer.
KDP Energy
KDP has appointed Justin Whitmore to the newly created role of president of KDP Energy.
He will report to Gorli and oversee KDP's energy brand portfolio, including marketing, sales, operations and integration.
The role has been created as the company seeks to seize the growth opportunity in the energy category, where KDP has significantly increased its market share.
The company added that its energy portfolio now generates more than $1 billion in retail sales.
