About Muhtar Kent
At Coca-Cola's 2019 annual shareholders meeting, outgoing Chairman Muhtar Kent responded to activist Ray Rogers' allegations of human rights abuses at Coca-Cola facilities in Latin America and elsewhere by stating that "nothing could be further from the truth of those allegations" and that "there's just no ground to any of those allegations." Kent said the company sees "eye to eye with all our bottlers related to issues of adhering to the highest standards of human rights," but noted that bottlers are "independent companies run by independent leadership teams" and that "not everything can be dictated to bottlers." He said the company would continue to work with activists to "influence" and "bring matters to a better place."
In a 2018 CNBC interview, Kent described the global business environment as characterized by "volatility, volatility, volatility, and more unknowns," adding that "running a global business is just getting tougher and harder" due to socio-political dynamics. He said he was a "realistic optimist" that the US-China trade dispute would be resolved "for the benefit of both countries and the world." Kent also said that while Coca-Cola is "the quintessential American brand," the company is "so local" in China, noting that its ownership includes Chinese state-owned and Chinese enterprise partners.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Muhtar Kent's recent appearances.
Browse all interviews →
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
D
Dean0:23
Today I am delighted to be able to present to you an incredible example of a global leader, Mr. Muhtar Kent. When I think of the year 2011, I'm going to remember three achievements in my faculty: one is our AACSB accreditation, which as you know we've plastered all over the walls; the MIT Sloan agreement that is allowing our students to attend in their second year of the MBA program if they choose; and three, that Muhtar came and gave a speech to our students. I hope that you took a look at his CV. I'm not going to go through every single position he's held, but there are a few things I want to highlight in Mr. Kent's illustrious career at Coca-Cola. One is when he started at Coca-Cola in 1978, he started by riding trucks around various places in the United States, learning the business from the bottom up, learning about marketing, distribution, logistics. I have students so often come to me and say, 'I want to be in market research, I'm not really interested in sales, I don't want to take that job that is going to require me to go all over Anatolia.' Wrong! You want to learn the business from the bottom up, and certainly Mr. Kent's background shows that he learned the business from the bottom up. I was asked to speak in English, so in my hometown in Turkey, I'm going to share with you some thoughts in English this morning, and then we'll also hopefully have a dialogue, an intellectually stimulating Q&A at the end.
M
Muhtar Kent2:30
Thank you, Dean, for that kind introduction. Much too kind than I deserve. I want to thank also Gu Saban, my friend for more than 35 years. I've been married for 33, and both my wife Dina and I have been friends with Gular before we were married. Güler Saban, founding president of Saban University, rector, Parare, and all faculty and all students. It's a great pleasure to be here with you this morning at this very fine university. When I think of how far Saban University in such a short time has come, it's impossible not to be impressed. In just over a decade, I think 1999 was the first year, this incredible institution has become not only one of the top educational establishments in Turkey but indeed also for the area around Turkey as well as the world. It's a great tribute to the administration, to the faculty, to the alumni, and of course to each and every one of you here this morning. The fact that this institution attracts the best and brightest minds today from Turkey and around the world will, I know, serve everyone for years to come. So as our world today continues to become more interconnected by the minute, what we need more and more in the business world at least are minds, managers, associates who can connect, navigate, and also thrive and grow in this very fast-paced, very dynamic, complicated, volatile global environment. So 2011 GDP is expected to grow around 3%, it's been revised down, but emerging and developing economies like Turkey, like other countries of Eurasia, Latin America, Asia, are going to probably grow around 5% while the developed ones will be growing around 1.7 to 1.8%.
D
Dean5:08
I kind of want to know as an educator, what message would you have for us? You're talking about a connected world, a globalized world. So what three top tips would you give to educators in fostering those qualities in young people?
M
Muhtar Kent5:25
Well, the first message I'd give is make sure that you are not disillusioned by what's happening in the world. There are tremendous opportunities in the world. Yes, the world is a difficult place today, yes there's a lot of conflict, yes there's a lot of macroeconomic turmoil. But look around you, in Western Europe so much grief at the moment, but the world is a fantastic place full of opportunity. Don't be afraid. Secondly, build relationships. Find the way to build relationships. I think all of you here are under one roof, studying on a great campus. Make sure you keep these relationships you have with each other, keep them strong and vibrant, because one of the things I have found in my life is that wherever I've gone, the relationships I had when I was at school, at university, early in my career, I've kept, fostered, and nurtured, and they will be great assets, one of the greatest soft assets for you. And thirdly, diversity. The power of diversity is going to be very unique in our world. I'm happy that here on campus you've got faculty representatives from different countries, some exchange students, and I would urge you to continue building on that. And then finally, again, education is just the beginning of how we are wired, but the key is bringing that down to practicality. Always try to relate every day to how things can help you in a practical way.
Thank you. We've been friends for 35 years, not giving away any secrets. Before my wife and I got married, all three of us were great friends. We go back a long time, and it's great to be here at this wonderful university. I thank you all for listening. Good luck to all of you. Enjoyed being with you. Thank you.
