Deepak Senthil succeeds outgoing managing director of Coca-Cola Sri Lanka

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (CCBSL) recently bade farewell to outgoing Managing Director Mayank Arora, who will be proceeding as General Manager to Coca-Cola’s Bangladesh office with effect from 1st July 2022. During his successful stint in Sri Lanka for the past five-and-a-half years, Mayank was able to establish and strengthen partnerships effectively and efficiently navigating through the highly complex landscape in the region. Under Mayank’s leadership, CCBSL received various accolades and recognitions within and beyond the system, including ‘Coca-Cola South West Asia (SWA) Bottler of the Year 2020’.

One of Mayank’s key challenges during his tenure here was managing the impact of the pandemic on the company whilst reaching out to help local communities in need. As Sri Lanka grappled with COVID-19, CCBSL swiftly adapted to the changing situation, prioritizing the health, safety and job security of its employees and partners, whilst complying with all national health and safety guidelines with zero job losses and no reduction in salaries, while extending annual increments and incentives. Disinfection programmes and distribution of essential packs were conducted in the local community by the company to limit the spread of the pandemic.

Coca-Cola’s Sri Lanka operation has consistently gained value market share each year for the past five years under his leadership, underscored by a strong culture of continuous improvement in efficiency and productivity, successfully positioning Sri Lanka as one of the best performing markets in the Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group (BIG).

Consolidating the success achieved by the company thus far, Deepak Senthil will take CCBSL through to its next phase of operational growth and sustainability milestones. He counts a 20-year career at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) across Sales, RGM, Trade Marketing, Category Management and Zonal leadership. Prior to this, he was Vice President for Winning at Point of Sale (W@POS) at HCCB and a key leader in driving business turnaround strategies and projects. He has also helped to design commercial strategies, including the redesign and rollout of commercial execution based on new ways of working across the network. His sound professional experience will have a positive impact on the company’s progress going forward.