Coca-Cola System veteran retires, new finance leadership named at Coke Florida

After a career spanning more than 40 years and including 34 years with the Coca-Cola System, Duane Still will retire from his position as senior vice president and chief financial officer, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) on July 1, 2022.

Still joined Coke Florida as CFO in May 2019 after retiring from CSM Bakery Solutions. Before joining CSM Bakery Solutions, Still spent over 30 years with the Coca-Cola System, including multiple North America and international operating unit CFO roles, culminating with the CFO role of the North America Group, a $21 billion operating unit of the Coca-Cola Company. Still began his professional career after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, working with Deloitte where he became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

“Serving as the CFO of Coke Florida and as a member of the executive leadership team these past few years has truly been a highlight of my career,” Still said in the announcement. “I’m honored and extremely proud to have played a role in Coke Florida’s story and its recent extraordinary success, and I’m thrilled with the team and capabilities that we’ve built to ensure that Coke Florida continues that success in the future.”

Troy Taylor, Coke Florida’s chairman and CEO, added in the announcement, “While we are wishing Duane the best in his retirement, we thank him for the significant contributions he has made to our recent and future success while at Coke Florida. He has built a talented team here at Coke Florida and we will continue to benefit from his leadership with the team that is in place. Duane’s leadership is one of the reasons Coke Florida was recently named a US Best Managed Company. I also want to recognize the great contributions Duane has made across the Coca-Cola system as he has truly made the system better.”

With Still’s retirement, Coke Florida has named Paul Pheffer, vice president, finance and controller, as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective July 1.

Joining Coke Florida in 2017 as controller, Pheffer served as interim CFO in early 2019 during a period of transition. He joined Coke Florida from CNH Industrial, where he held positions of increasing responsibility culminating with his last position as controller for the North American parts and service business. Prior to joining CNH, Pheffer also worked at GE Healthcare, Protiviti, and Snap-on Tools after beginning his career at Arthur Andersen. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor, and he graduated with a degree in accounting and corporate finance from Ball State University.

Pheffer added in the announcement, “Since starting my Coke Florida journey in 2017, I have been privileged to serve in a variety of roles that have allowed me to develop and grow. Being able to learn from an industry veteran such as Duane has been invaluable. Duane was just honored as a Tampa Bay CFO Honoree of the Year – that is indicative of the caliber of experience and expertise that I have been able to learn from. I am honored to be named the next CFO of Coke Florida and to have the opportunity to lead the outstanding Coke Florida Finance team. I look forward to playing a part in continuing Coke Florida’s success story, leading the outstanding Finance Team that we have in place, and to building on the capabilities we have developed since Coke Florida’s inception.”

Taylor added in the announcement, “Paul is an experienced finance leader who is well positioned to take Coke Florida and our Finance team into our next chapter of growth. These movements are simply steps in the Coke Florida succession plan which intentionally identifies and prepares leaders to progress and ensures a smooth transition for our business. Paul is known and respected across the organization, and we are excited to welcome him to the CFO role and to the Coke Florida executive leadership team. Through a very thoughtful process, Paul and Duane have been formally preparing for this transition for over a year.”

With Paul Pheffer moving to the CFO role, Coke Florida has named Diane Coppola, controller effective July 1. “Diane is uniquely qualified to take on our Controller role and was identified as a successor in 2021,” Still added.

Coppola joined Coke Florida in 2018 as senior manager, internal controls and was promoted to assistant controller in 2021. Prior to joining Coke Florida, she developed her financial career in various public accounting practices, including Clark, Schafer Hackett & Co., PWC and EY. Coppola is a Certified Public Accountant and is a graduate of Rutgers University.