• April 19, 2007

Mary Minnick, who left Coca-Cola after being passed over in her bid for the No. 2 there, has joined Lion Capital, a London-based leveraged buyout firm.

Lyndon Lea, a partner of Lion Capital, said in a statement yesterday, "[Minnick] brings to Lion an exceptional breadth of experience, having successfully managed several functional areas within consumer businesses and operated in a variety of geographies and markets. She is one of the most accomplished operating executives within the consumer branded goods industry, and her experience will be extremely complementary and valuable to our firm."

Minnick will not work with Lion's soft drink operation, which includes Schweppes and Orangina drinks, according to a report in the Financial Times.

She left Coke on Feb. 28 after 23 years with the company. Most recently, she was EVP/president of marketing, strategy and innovation at Coke, responsible for strategic planning, marketing, new product development, product quality, global advertising, media, packaging and equipment worldwide.