Roberto Goizueta - The guide who brought glory to Coca Cola

Regarded as the talented captain who steers the Coca Cola boat in the race with arch-rival Pepsi, Roberto Goizueta is always loyal to his brand. His name has always been associated with one of the most famous brands in the world.

Fast and steady will beat slow and steady

Surely all of us have heard the story "Modern day Tortoise and Rabbit" by leader Roberto Goizueta summed up when confronting the most formidable opponent - Pepsi

What is the lesson to be learned from that modern parable?

Lesson one: slow and steady wins the race

Lesson two: fast and steady will win over slow and steady

Lesson three: instead of them opposing (or competing) with each other, they begin to find ways to solve the situation, which together will achieve much better results.

The competitive race of Coca Cola and Pepsi as everyone saw it was a race with no end, but Roberto took the race to another turn. Goizueta decided not to compete with Pepsi but instead to find a way to capture market share. People will easily find Coca Cola whenever they need to drink. Coca Cola decided to invest in coca cola vending machines on every street corner. Sales skyrocketed and so far Pepsi has been unable to keep up.

Coca Cola Group is present in 200 countries around the world, with nearly 30,000 employees working day and night. And the number of business people or exclusive distribution agents enjoying direct commissions of Coca Cola is up to hundreds of thousands of people. Coca Cola is always proud, no matter where bottled, in any country, the taste and quality of the beverage remains the same. The name Coca Cola has long been considered an American symbol. Coca Cola is also the most famous brand in the world when every second, 11,200 people drink this brown beverage.

Success begins with stability

For Coca Cola to have the success it is today, an important part is thanks to the talent and dedication of Roberto Goizueta. He was born into a family of sugarcane farmers in Cuba. The difficult life made Goizueta determined to improve his English through watching movies and books.

In 1954, after graduating from the prestigious Yale University in the US with a degree in chemical engineering, Roberto Goizueta returned home and began his career in the family company.

His life began to change when Roberto Goizueta was accepted to work at the branch of Coca Cola in Cuba. In 1961, Roberto Goizueta decided to leave the country to go to the US to find luck when he had only 100 shares of Coca Cola in hand. Stepping to the US, Roberto Goizueta still works at Coca Cola but only at a branch in Florida. Thanks to his efforts and determination, less than 2 years later, Roberto Goizueta was appointed to the management position of this branch. In 1963, he officially took over the position of laboratory manager of Coca Cola Corporation. Trusting this talented man, Coca Cola's management appointed Roberto Goizueta and another engineer the exclusive right to memorize the secret recipe of the company's soft drink.

Goizueta's reputation really became known when he was noticed and trusted by then Coca Cola CEO Robert Woodenff. Goizueta was appointed vice president of this company in 1979. In 1981, Roberto Goizueta officially assumed the CEO position of Coca Cola. During his tenure, Roberto Goizueta turned the number one icon of American culture and business into a money-making machine with annual sales of up to $19 billion.

"No one loves Coca Cola more than Roberto Goizueta. He is a great director and a simple, likable person."

This is Warren Buffet's comment when talking about Roberto Goizueta, not a favor for him, but actually a very simple and likable Roberto in real life. Therefore, his demeanor is more like a researcher than a businessman.

Roberto Goizueta is also the father of the "Green Strategy" (reducing the number of canned Coca Cola soft drinks to protect the environment). This strategy is still very successful today. Coca Cola has strongly invaded the two traditional markets of Pepsi, India and Russia.

Goizueta has always been active with philanthropy, he is one of the founding members of America's largest charitable organization Points of Light. He is also a person who is dedicated to his work as well as to shareholders and cares about the policy of respecting talents and protecting the interests of employees.

According to Roberto Goizueta, one of the secrets that paved the way for the growth in stock value is the name Coca Cola. At the time Goizueta sat in the CEO chair, Coca Cola's business was really tragic, while soft drinks faced stiff competition from Pepsi and some other beverage companies. At that time, Coca Cola tried its best to increase its market share by 0.1% while its other business areas such as wine and non-carbonated beverages were extremely stagnant. However, in just a short time at the helm, Roberto Goizueta has done a miracle with a spectacular comeback for Coca Cola Corporation. Coca-Cola's value on the stock market increased sharply from $4 billion to $150 billion. Roberto Goizueta himself also joined the club of billionaires in the world. Roberto Goizueta owns nearly 16 million shares of Coca Cola worth over $1 billion. These shares made Roberto Goizueta one of the first billionaires in the US to own shares worth more than $1 billion. Martin Romm, a famous financial expert in the US, said: "Nearly 20 years at Coca Cola, Roberto Goizueta has done more than anyone could hope to do in 1000 years".

Goizueta decided not to compete with Pepsi but instead to find a way to capture market share. He asked the staff and learned that the average American drinks 14 ounces of water every day, while they only drink 2 ounces of Coke/day/person. Obviously the competition is not only Pepsi but also water, tea, coffee, milk and juices. People will easily find Coca Cola whenever they need to drink. And since then, he has invested in coca cola vending machines on every street corner. Sales skyrocketed and so far Pepsi has been unable to keep up. Goizueta's most important idea is that "fast and steady" will always beat "slow and steady".

Despite leaving, the desire to win the absolute victory in the competition with Pepsi was still fulfilled by the successor CEO of Roberto Goizueta, Douglas Ivester. Currently, both Coca Cola and Pepsi spend 2 billion USD per year on product promotion campaigns in the market. Recently, both of these giants have entered a large-scale price war and perhaps, the war is still protracted.

Roberto Goizueta is also the father of the "Green Strategy" (reducing the number of canned Coca Cola soft drinks to protect the environment). This strategy is still very successful today. Coca Cola has strongly invaded the two traditional markets of Pepsi, India and Russia. Not only that, this talented CEO of Coca Cola is always immersed in the company's marketing activities. With many new and convincing advertising strategies such as "Coke Is It!", Roberto Goizueta has been very successful in doubling sales in the US and continues to receive good news from the world market.

Unlike the American CEOs with shiny hair and shiny clothes, this late CEO of Coca Cola has a gentle, simple and seemingly unremarkable appearance. His hair was cut high, his clothes were modest, and he looked more like a researcher. But in reality, Roberto Goizueta is already one of the most successful CEOs in history. "Roberto is a man unmatched in talent, vision and compassion", James B. Williams , president and CEO of Sun Trust Bank, a member of the Board of Directors of Coca Cola, said, "and the benefits he created are not only for Coca Cola but also for the whole of America. Roberto was my best friend and neighbour. I miss him so much."

With Goizueta, he spent his life passionately devoted to establishing an impact on people. He was a man of wisdom, wide vision and rich in charity. "If success is not judged by what we move forward, but by what we leave behind", Roberto Goizueta deserves to be one of the successful business leaders best of the world. His sudden passing has left the world with infinite grief, but the lessons he imparted to the world will live on forever.