Douglas Daft joined the Coca-Cola Company in 1969 in the Sydney, Australia office. He subsequently held various positions, residing in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Atlanta USA.

He was appointed president and COO in 1999 and was elected chairman, board of directors and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company in February, 2000. He served in these capacities until retiring in 2004.

He has served as a director of Keurig Green Mountain Coffee, McGraw Hill, Suntrust, Sistema-Hals and Wal-Mart. He was a member of the European Advisory Council of NM Rothschild and is a member of the Advisory Board of Longreach Inc, a Japan based PE group.

He received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of New England and a post-graduate Diploma in Administration from the University of New South Wales. He holds honorary doctorates from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and from the University of New South Wales.

In the June 2005 Queens Birthday honours, he was made a Companion in the Order of Australia, AC.