Professor Salvatore Welcomes Coca-Cola HBC to “Made in Italy” Class

Coca Cola HBC

On Thursday, January 28th, Professor Antonella Salvatore welcomed representatives of Coca Cola HBC Italia to her class “Made in Italy: the Italian Business Environment.” The speakers were Santolo Sepe, Organizational Development and Employer Branding Manager, Irene Maccabruni, Senior Talent Acquisition and Identification Manager, and Gianluca Pansa, Talent Acquisition Specialist. Coca-Cola HBC is the main bottler and distributor of The Coca-Cola Company in Italy. Coca-Cola HBC is also the leader in the production and distribution of soft drinks in the country.

After Professor Salvatore introduced the guests online, Santolo Sepe took the floor and explained the structure behind the so-called “Coca-Cola system.” Coca-Cola works through multiple, interconnected channels. The system is built on two elements: the company and the bottlers. The company is in charge of the production of the concentrates, which are sent to the authorized bottlers. Bottlers distribute the final product to local selling points and customers.

Sepe also spoke about the goals of Coca-Cola. “Coca-Cola’s objective is to grow and delight every customer.” Coca-Cola accomplishes this through several initiatives aimed at both the creation of safe spaces for its workers and environmental sustainability. For instance, Coca-Cola started a sustainability mission that strives to attain a “zero-waste world,” with the support of the United Nations. Furthermore, Coca-Cola works for the enrichment of communities. The company has recently donated money in support of several communities and organizations that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Irene Maccabruni mentioned the opportunities that working for Coca-Cola can provide to both recent graduates and current employees. She then moved on to speak about the qualities that Coca-Cola looks for in future employees. Among them, she particularly stressed the importance of both being motivated and thinking outside the box. Gianluca Pansa highlighted the importance of soft skills and leadership abilities when it comes to securing a position within Coca-Cola. Santolo Sepe mentioned team working and the capacity to bring innovation into the system as important assets for a candidate.