Coca-Cola taps Monster Energy executive for a top role
Rob Gehring, the chief executive of Monster Energy’s Americas business, will depart the energy drink company for a top role with an Atlanta beverage giant.
Coca-Cola announced Friday that Gehring will become president of the company’s North America operating unit, effective Dec. 1.
Gehring will succeed John Murphy, Coca-Cola president and chief financial officer, who has been fulfilling the responsibilities in the interim. Jennifer Mann, who previously led the North America operating unit, stepped down Aug. 1.
“Rob is a transformational leader whose exceptional ability to develop and lead people, combined with his deep operations experience, has made him a trusted partner across our system,” Coca-Cola CEO Henrique Braun said in a news release.
North America is Coke’s largest operating unit, with $19.6 billion in net revenues last year, according to a July investor presentation.
It’s also poised for growth. Earlier this month, Coca-Cola and its bottling partners announced about $10 billion in U.S. infrastructure investments they are collectively planning through 2030.
Gehring, 59, has a history with Coca-Cola.
He began his career working in sales and marketing with the Coca-Cola system in 1992 and “served in roles of increasing responsibility across the United States and Canada,” the release said.
That included more than four years as president of Coca-Cola’s global team that managed its Walmart customer relationship.
Gehring later served as global chief sales officer for the Hershey Co. He also previously was president and CEO of Swire Coca-Cola, a major U.S. bottler for Coca-Cola that serves states in the West.
Gehring became CEO of Monster Energy’s Americas business in February, where he was “part of the leadership team that drove the company’s growth agenda and modernized commercial capabilities,” the release said. Gehring first joined Monster Energy as chief growth officer in 2024.
At the end of 2025, Coca-Cola owned 21% of Monster Beverage Corp., the parent company of Monster Energy, according to the company’s annual report.