A 34-year veteran of the company, Carlos Pagoaga has been named VP of global community affairs for the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. and president of The Coca-Cola Foundation.
Pagoaga will begin his new duties June 1, succeeding Saadia Madsbjerg. Madsbjerg has served as head of the foundation for three years and is stepping down to pursue other professional opportunities.
Pagoaga currently serves as the foundation’s senior director of circular economy, where he is responsible for directing global recycling initiatives. In his expanded role, Pagoaga will manage all foundation operations, which includes grant making, financial requirements and regulatory compliance for domestic and international philanthropy.
“Carlos has tremendous global experience with the company and will bring a wealth of insights to his expanded role as leader of The Coca-Cola Foundation,” said Bea Perez, EVP and global chief communications, sustainability and strategic partnerships officer at The Coca-Cola Co.
“Carlos will build on the great progress Saadia has made in shaping the strategic direction of the foundation for the future. I thank Saadia for her service and congratulate Carlos on his new role.”
Pagoaga’s appointment is contingent on formal election by the foundation board, which is chaired by Perez.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead The Coca-Cola Foundation and to work with our partners,” Pagoaga said. “I’m deeply proud of the role Coca-Cola plays in the world and of the foundation’s contributions to so many groups and communities.”
Pagoaga joined Coca-Cola in 1990 in Corporate Latin Affairs, where he managed relationships with Latino organizations and elected officials across the United States. He later moved to the company’s North America unit, where he managed multi-cultural communications.
Pagoaga joined the foundation in 2007 and has been responsible for a variety of duties. He has directed multiple large grants, such as Replenish Africa Initiative, Project Last Mile and Atlanta BeltLine.
Pagoaga currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals, trustee for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia and Georgia Advisory Board member for Trust for Public Land.
He previously served as chairman of the National Hispanic Corporate Council, The Latin American Association and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is past Communications Committee chair for the Piedmont Park Conservancy. He was a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute class of 1997 and the Leadership Atlanta class of 2009.
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