Dr. Helene Gayle, an expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues, has been nominated to Coca-Cola’s Board of Directors, the beverage giant said Friday.
Dr. Gayle, 57, is president and chief executive officer of CARE, the Atlanta-based humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting poverty. She worked for 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control and also directed programs on HIV/AIDS and other health issues for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
She will stand for election at Coca-Cola’s annual meeting in April.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Gayle also serves on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. In addition, she is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Helene brings a global mindset and a deep understanding of health and humanitarian issues to our Company,” Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola, said in a statement. “Her expertise and insight will be invaluable as we continue to expand our global initiatives around sustainability and women.”
Coca-Cola announced Thursday that the company’s former president, Don Keough, and former SunTrust leader Jimmy Williams, would be retiring from the board.
