Daft: Bids adieu

Atlanta, Feb. 20 (Reuters): Coca-Cola CEO Doug Daft, who has been dogged by government probes, disappointing sales and an anaemic stock price, will retire at the end of 2004, the world’s largest soft-drink maker said on Thursday.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola said president and chief operating officer Steve Heyer, who in December took control of operations in the huge North American market, would be a strong internal candidate to take over as chairman and chief executive.

Sluggish sales of Coke’s soft drinks and other products, particularly in the number one market of North America, taxed Daft’s tenure as CEO and kept a lid on the stock price he had been hired to revive.

Investors and analysts gave the news a mixed reception.

“I think that fresh blood will really be good for the company,” said Ted Parrish, co-manager of the Henssler Equity Fund of nearby Marietta, Georgia.

“It’s been the same old boring Coke for quite a while. They need to shake it up a bit and see if they still have the fizz,” said Parrish, who does not own any Coca-Cola share.

“This is a real surprise,” said Knox Fuqua, fund manager at the $20-million AAM Equity Fund, who said Coca-Cola was probably his biggest holding. “I don’t want to see Coke go through another management change. I felt they had turned the corner.”

Company officials expressed confidence in Heyer, who “has made a lot of important contributions to this company,” Coke board member Jimmy Williams said in a conference call. “We feel good about him,” he added.

Williams said the impending departure of Daft, an Australian with more than 30 years of service in the company, was unrelated to federal probes into allegations that the soft-drink maker improperly inflated earnings and engaged in other corporate wrongdoing.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the US justice department began investigating the soft-drink maker last year after a former Coke employee accused the company of fraud in lawsuits against the company.

Daft said in a statement released by the company that the unexpected retirement was consistent with his own wishes. Another Coke board member said Daft had informed senior company officials of his desire to retire at the end of 2004.

The change of guard comes four years after Coca-Cola ushered Daft into the top job with much fanfare following the resignation of former chairman and CEO Douglas Ivester.

Daft formally took the reins at Coca-Cola on February 17, 2000. Under Daft, Coca-Cola cut thousands of jobs in a series of restructurings designed to decentralise operations and make its business more efficient and prosperous in its more than 200 markets around the world.

Several veteran managers, including former president and COO Jack Stahl, left the company during the Daft era, prompting questions about Daft’s ability to get along with others.