Brian Dyson

Early life and career

Brian G. Dyson was born on September 7, 1935, in Argentina's Santa Fe Province. He earned his BA from Facultad de Ciencias Económicas at the University of Buenos Aires and later attended Harvard Business School. His Coca-Cola career started in Venezuela in 1959, and he worked for many years in South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. In 1978, he was named president of Coca-Cola United States, the company's U.S. soft drink division.

By 1983, he was president of Coca-Cola North America, responsible for the entire North America portfolio. In 1986, he became president and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE). He served as a Senior Consultant to The Coca-Cola Company from January 1992 to October 1993, retired in 1994, but remained active as a consultant. In August 2001, he came out of retirement to accept the position of vice chairman and COO of The Coca-Cola Company.

Dyson was the individual responsible for changing old Coke's name and then eventually restoring it. He was a member of the advisory board of Linley Capital, served as a director of Audits & Surveys Worldwide Inc. from May 1995, chaired the board of PlusPharma from August 2004, and was president of Chatham International Corp. from December 1993. An author of short stories, he published the novel "Pepper in the Blood" in 1996.