Contact: Cassandra Mickens, Coca-Cola UNITED
CassandraMickens@ccbcu.com
For Immediate Release
Coca-Cola UNITED Appoints Leaders to New Executive Roles
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 30, 2026) – Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. (UNITED) today announced the following executive appointments approved by its Board of Directors, effective Aug. 1, 2026:
- Hafiz Chandiwala – President and Chief Administrative Officer
- Susanne Hall – Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer
- Crawford Jones – Senior Vice President, Sales Operations and Commercial Capabilities
- Beeland Nielsen – Senior Vice President, Commercial
Coca-Cola UNITED, headquartered in Birmingham, is the second largest privately held company in Alabama and one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the U.S., with more than 10,000 associates across the southeast and revenues of more than $4 billion.
“These leadership transitions represent a thoughtful investment in our future and position us for continued success,” said Coca-Cola UNITED CEO Mike Suco. “We are grateful for the knowledge and experience Hafiz, Susanne, Crawford and Beeland will bring to their new roles.”
Hafiz Chandiwala has been appointed President and Chief Administrative Officer. He will continue overseeing the company’s finance, human resources, legal, information technology, aviation and capital investment functions. He will also provide oversight for supply chain operations, expanding his leadership across administrative and operational areas of the business. Based in Birmingham, he will report directly to the CEO. Chandiwala joined Coca-Cola UNITED in 2001 as Corporate Controller and has served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer.
Susanne Hall has been appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer. Hall will lead Coca-Cola UNITED’s enterprise strategy and commercial organization, with responsibility for long-term strategic planning, sales, revenue growth management, customer strategy, commercial operations and on-premise sales and operations. Based in Atlanta, she will report directly to the CEO. Hall joined Coca-Cola UNITED in 2015 as Vice President of Transition and Integration and has served as West Region Vice President and Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.
Crawford Jones has been appointed Senior Vice President, Sales Operations and Commercial Capabilities. In this role, he will provide enterprise-level leadership over all region sales operations and commercial capabilities, working collaboratively across sales, commercial supply chain, finance and Coca-Cola system partners. Based in Atlanta, he will report directly to the CEO. Jones joined Coca-Cola UNITED in 2007 and currently serves as Vice President, East Region.
Beeland Nielsen has been appointed Senior Vice President, Commercial. He will assume responsibility for channel, brand and customer strategy; national retail sales; revenue growth; marketing; category insights; space planning; and commercial operations. Based in Birmingham, he will report directly to the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer. Nielsen joined UNITED in 2011 and currently serves as Vice President, Commercial Capabilities and Chief Information Officer.
Petra Romano has been appointed to succeed Nielsen as Vice President and Chief Information Officer effective Oct. 1, 2026. Romano currently serves as Chief Transformation Officer at Coke One North America (CONA) Services, an Atlanta-based information technology and business services company jointly owned by the largest North American Coca-Cola bottlers, including Coca-Cola UNITED. In her new role, she will be responsible for information technology strategy and business solutions and sales force automation. Romano, who will report directly to the President and Chief Administrative Officer, will be based in Birmingham.
“We are excited to welcome Petra to our UNITED family,” Suco said. “Her experience and leadership will be an asset as we continue to leverage technology to support our associates and strengthen our operations.”
The following additional leadership appointments will become effective Jan. 1, 2027, as part of Coca-Cola UNITED’s ongoing succession planning:
- Grant Rafield – Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer
- Larry Pritchett – Vice President, Manufacturing Operations and Asset Lifecycle
Grant Rafield has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, succeeding Mike Lurker, who will retire at the end of this year. Reporting directly to the President and Chief Administrative Officer, he will oversee all areas of supply chain, including warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, product fulfillment, engineering and quality assurance. Based in Birmingham, Rafield joined Coca-Cola UNITED in 2015 and currently serves as Vice President, Manufacturing Operations. He will begin transitioning into his new role in August.
Larry Pritchett has been appointed Vice President, Manufacturing Operations and Asset Lifecycle, succeeding Rafield. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, he will assume responsibility of manufacturing, quality and systems compliance, engineering, fleet and facilities. Based in Birmingham, Pritchett joined Coca-Cola UNITED in 2009 and currently serves as Corporate Senior Director, Asset Lifecycle and Reliability. He will begin transitioning into his new role in August.
“Grant and Larry understand our business, our people and our commitment to operational excellence,” Suco said. “They will build on Mike’s outstanding leadership and help us continue delivering high-quality products and service our customers and consumers expect.”
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About Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.
Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. (UNITED), founded in 1902 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is among the largest bottlers and distributors of Coke products in the U.S. Now with its fifth generation of family working in the business, Coca-Cola UNITED has more than 10,000 associates located in more than 50 facilities across six southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee). Historically significant franchises in our Coca-Cola UNITED family include Chattanooga, the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler; Atlanta, home of the worldwide Coca-Cola System; and Columbus, Georgia, development site of the original Coca-Cola formula.
Coca-Cola UNITED is engaged in the production, marketing, and distribution of a diverse portfolio of leading sparkling (Coca-Cola®, Diet Coke®, Coke Zero Sugar®, Dr Pepper®, Sprite® and Fanta®) and still (smartwater®, vitaminwater®, Dasani®, POWERADE®, BODYARMOR®, Fairlife®, Gold Peak®, Monster® and Minute Maid®) non-alcoholic brands under exclusive franchise agreements principally with The Coca-Cola Company®, Keurig Dr Pepper® and Monster Energy Company®.
For more than 120 years, Coca-Cola UNITED has remained true to its foundational core values of Quality, Excellence, Integrity and Respect. Local relationships, personalized customer service and strong community engagement have been the foundation of our business for more than a century. Each year, millions of dollars are invested in our local communities, supporting education, community development, sustainability and nonprofit organizations that empower and impact those in need. Learn more at cocacolaunited.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
