Coca-Cola, innovating for success in the Japanese market

Dear member

We are glad to invite you to a special edition of the Marketing Committee to be held at Institut Français in cooperation with the French Chamber of Commerce CCIFJ).

Mr. Khalil Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Coca-Cola Japan Company, will give a talk about his company’s marketing strategy and its adaptation to the Japanese market.

The Japan beverage market is world-renowned for being one of the most competitive in the world. Japanese consumers expect beverage players to delight them with new products, and they are very prone to try and give them a chance. Customers also expect a continuous stream of innovation to sustain engagement and profitable sales. To thrive in such a competitive market, Coca-Cola Japan Company and the Coca-Cola Japan bottlers had to develop a unique innovation ‘muscle’ that remains to this date unique in The Coca-Cola Company. How does such a large company plan, execute more than 100 new product launches a year in the Japan market? How is the model sustainable?

About the speaker

Khalil Younes has been residing in Tokyo for just more than one year. He has led an international career with local, regional and global responsibilities in General management and Marketing. Before rejoining The Coca-Cola Company in Japan, he has served for 5 years as SVP Sales, Marketing and Innovation and member of the Executive Committee of the Carlsberg Group in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prior to this, Khalil spent 15 years with The Coca-Cola Company. Khalil is a French citizen. He gained his undergraduate degree at Rouen Business School in France and his MBA at Harvard Business School in Boston, MA.