Costa, the coffee business recently acquired by Coca-Cola, has promoted Neil Lake to role of Managing Director of its UK & Ireland business.
Lake joined Costa Coffee in September last year as Retail and Operations Director having previously worked as a Senior Executive for Coles supermarkets in Australia. His career spans across retail operations, store development, merchandise and general management.
Lake will start in his new role on 1 July, replacing Jason Cotta, who is leaving to take up a Chief Executive role having worked for Costa for over eight years.
Dominic Paul, CEO of Costa Coffee, commented: “Neil brings with him extensive strategic and operational experience at a global level, with a strong track record of driving sustainable results.
“Following our recent sale to The Coca Cola Company, this is an incredibly exciting time for Costa Coffee, especially within the UK&I where we are focused on unlocking a new phase of growth and further enhancing our customer experience. Neil is perfectly positioned to lead the UK&I team, leveraging his depth of retail experience and passion for Costa’s customers and team members.”
Lake added: “Costa Coffee is a growing global business and I am excited for the opportunity to work to simplify, invest and grow the UK&I market, focusing on our customer experience, teams, partners and channel innovation.”
Coca-Cola recently set out its plans to accelerate its push into coffee market, which includes introducing ready-to-drink (RTD) Costa products.
