Krishnakumar Thirumalai, known as ‘KK’ among beverage industry veterans, will be president of the India and South West Asia business unit of Coca-Cola from Monday.
His elevation follows the sudden exit of Venkatesh Kini, handing the portfolio since 2014. KK, in his mid-50s, is currently the chief executive officer and South West Asia regional director of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling arm of Coke for the region. After joining Coca-Cola in 2004 as a regional manager for eastern India, he moved up to the position of chief operating officer of HCCB in three years, before taking up his current