Douglas Ivester was appointed as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 of Coca-Cola Company after the death of Mr. Roberto Goizueta

Roberto Goizueta

Roberto Críspulo Goizueta was Chairman, Director, and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company from August 1980 until his death in October 1997....

. He retired on February 17, 2000.

Biography

Melvin Douglas Ivester was born in New Holland, Georgia

New Holland, Georgia

New Holland, Georgia is a mill village located approximately two miles north-east of Gainesville, Georgia, and is in Hall County, Georgia. New Holland was constructed by the Pacolet Manufacturing Company in the 1890s and consisted of several hundred homes for workers in the Pacolet Cotton Mill. A...

. He attended New Holland Elementary School, where he met Kay Grindle in the third grade. He grew up to marry her. He attended North Hall High School and went on to the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

, where he earned a degree in accounting, graduating with honors in 1969. His first job out of college was working with the accounting firm of Ernst and Whinney. In 1979 he joined Coca-Cola, and in 1981 he became a vice-president with the company. Among other awards and honors, he received the Horatio Alger Award. "Never let your memories be greater than your dreams" is one of his famous sayings.