Roberto Goizueta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberto Goizueta
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| Born |
Roberto Críspulo Goizueta Cantera
November 18, 1931 |
| Died | October 18, 1997 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | Cuban |
| Known for | CEO/Chairman of Coca-Cola (1980–1997) |
Roberto Críspulo Goizueta Cantera (born November 18, 1931 – died October 18, 1997) was a very important business leader. He was born in Cuba and later became an American citizen. He was the main boss, called the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of The Coca-Cola Company. He led the company from August 1980 until he passed away in October 1997.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Roberto Goizueta was born on November 18, 1931, in Havana, Cuba. He was the only son of Críspulo Goizueta and Aída Cantera. His grandparents on both sides of his family had moved from Spain to Cuba in the late 1800s. Roberto's mother's father, Marcelo Cantera, owned part of a successful sugar mill. His father, Críspulo, was an architect and real estate investor who later took over the family's sugar business.
Roberto went to Colegio de Belén, a Jesuit school in Havana. He also studied for a year in the United States at Cheshire Academy, a special school in Connecticut. In 1953, he graduated from Yale University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Roberto Goizueta's Career Journey
After finishing college in 1953, Roberto Goizueta went back to Cuba to work in his family's business. A year later, he saw a newspaper ad for a job at the Coca-Cola bottling company in Cuba. He got the job and was soon promoted to be the Chief Technical Director for five Coca-Cola bottling plants in Cuba.
When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and made it a communist state, Roberto and his family were on vacation in Miami. They decided to stay in the United States. After moving to the U.S., Roberto continued to work for The Coca-Cola Company in Miami. He was then moved to Nassau, Bahamas, where he worked as a Chemist for the Caribbean region.
In 1964, Roberto moved to the main Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was just 35 years old, he became the Vice President of Technical Research and Development. He is still the youngest person to ever hold this position at the company. In 1975, he was promoted again to lead the Legal and External Affairs department.
Leading The Coca-Cola Company
In 1979, Roberto received a big surprise: he was chosen to become the President of The Coca-Cola Company. Then, in March 1981, he became the chairman after the previous chairman retired. Roberto stayed in charge of The Coca-Cola Company for 16 years until he passed away in 1997 due to lung cancer. During his time as CEO, the Coca-Cola brand became the most famous trademark in the world.
He introduced several new products and advertising campaigns:
- In 1982, he launched Diet Coke.
- In 1985, he introduced Cherry Coke and the well-known but controversial New Coke.
- He also approved famous advertising slogans like "Coke is it!", "You Can't Beat the Feeling," and "Always Coca-Cola."
In 1982, Goizueta also approved the purchase of Columbia Pictures. This showed that Coca-Cola wanted to grow beyond just selling soft drinks. Roberto Goizueta was also on the Board of Directors for many other companies, including SunTrust Banks, the Ford Motor Company, Sonat Inc, and the Eastman Kodak Company. He was known for his business competition with Roger Enrico, who was the CEO of PepsiCo.
Giving Back: Philanthropy
In 1992, Roberto Goizueta started the Goizueta Foundation. Its main goal is to help educational and charity organizations. The foundation aims to help people and families by giving them chances to learn and improve their lives.
In 1994, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, received a large gift of $10 million from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Because of this, the university's business school was named the Goizueta Business School after Roberto Goizueta. This school offers different business degrees. Emory University has a long history with Coca-Cola. In 1899, Asa Candler, whose brother was a bishop, became a trustee at Emory and gave a lot of money to the university.
In January 1999, after Roberto Goizueta's death, his estate promised another $20 million to Emory University.
Personal Life
Roberto Goizueta was married to Olguita Casteleiro. They had four children together.
Awards and Honors
- 1980 – Roberto Goizueta was named a trustee at Emory University.
- 1985 – He received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- 1994 – Emory University renamed its business school the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School.
- 1996 – Chief Executive magazine named him Chief Executive of the Year.
See also
- List of Cubans
In Spanish: Roberto Goizueta para niños
