ATLANTA (AP) — Drink maker The Coca-Cola Co. said its board has elected former Chicago mayor Richard Daley as a new member effective immediately.
Daley will also serve on the board's committee on directors and corporate governance.
Coca-Cola said Daley's expertise in public policy, business and community growth will help the company's development. Daley was the longest-serving mayor in Chicago, in office from 1989 to 2011. He was an Illinois state senator from 1972 to 1980.
Daley, 69, currently serves of counsel at the corporate law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and is the managing principal of the investment and advisory firm Tur Partners LLC.
Coca-Cola also announced Thursday that its general counsel, Geoffrey Kelly, a senior vice president, is retiring after more than 42 years with the company. Another member of the company's legal division, Bernhard Goepelt, is succeeding Kelly, effective Thursday, though Kelly will remain as senior vice president during a transition period through February.
Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta, is the world's largest beverage maker with products such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dasani and Minute Maid sold worldwide.
Coca-Cola shares rose 61 cents to $66.87 by mid-afternoon.
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