Singapore – Multinational beverage company Coca-Cola has named Matthias Blume as its vice president of marketing for ASEAN and South Pacific, where he will be leading the company’s marketing and brand initiatives across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands and serve on the company’s senior leadership team in the region.

Blume is a seasoned marketer with 24 years of international marketing experience including 21 years at Coca-Cola and three years at Danone. He has held local, regional, and global roles in a range of markets across Asia, North America and Europe.

He was previously the frontline director for Coca-Cola’s ASEAN & South Pacific operating unit, based in Singapore. Previously, he was the sparkling director for the company’s ASEAN business unit. He has a detailed knowledge of the company’s business across the region and has driven growth and innovation across the company’s stills and sparkling beverage brands.

He was also at the forefront of the company’s introduction of a prominent “Recycle Me” call-out across all its packs as well as the move across Southeast Asia to switch its iconic Sprite brand to clear, transparent bottles which are easier to recycle.

Claudia Lorenzo, president, for ASEAN and South Pacific, said, “Matthias brings a tremendous passion for marketing and people plus a superb knowledge of our bottling system. He also brings a combination of consumer centricity, marketing curiosity and business acumen – strengths that we need and value deeply in our marketing organisation.”