How Coca-Cola Consolidated develops next-generation leaders

Meet Christine Motherwell, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Coca-Cola Consolidated, Charlotte's local Coca-Cola bottler — and the largest in the U.S.

• After 20+ years with Coca-Cola, Christine is responsible for the People Strategy, where she supports teammates at every stage of their career and oversees HR functions like Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition and Employee & Labor Relations.

Why it's important: With more than 17,000 teammates across 14 states and Washington D.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated is dedicated to developing next-generation leaders.

And Christine — and her team — are here to help. 🙌

"In order to empower our teammates to unlock their potential," she says, "I work with many functions across Coca-Cola Consolidated to offer a wide range of learning experiences and resources."

How it's done:

• Leadership comes from within through Accelerated Leadership Development programs that select high-potential talent across five levels of leadership to participate in experiences that prepare them for future senior-level and above roles.
• The Foundation of Leadership program for the 1,600 "Critical Middle" leaders overseeing front-line teammates helps cultivate their readiness to manage operations across the organization's territories.
• The Aspiring Leader program, which is open to all teammates, offers an online journey that builds and develops their core skills and competencies. Plus, they can hone even more skills through specialized experiential learning centers.
• The HOPE scholarship program supports eligible teammates and their immediate family members in pursuing higher education, including a two- or four-year college degree, license or certification — all to promote personal and professional development.

Here's what else: Coca-Cola Consolidated offers an Applied Learning Internship at the Charlotte headquarters, welcoming 35 interns from 21 schools in 2023.

Plus, there's the HBCU S.O.A.R Program, where HBCU students get $1,000 in scholarship funds and engage in a weeklong program with hands-on experience to build business acumen.

In other words: Coca-Cola Consolidated is all about growth.

These programs were designed and executed based on its leadership competency model to develop skill sets critical to success in future leadership.

• The impact: Increased talent mobility and retention of top talent.

Coca-Cola Consolidated considers itself to be a learning organization that empowers teammates with experiences and resources — and a pathway for career progression, thanks to the help of leaders like Christine.

Explore available career opportunities.