American beverage firm The Coca-Cola Company announced Monday that the president of its Latin America group, Alfredo Rivera, will be appointed as the president of Coca-Cola North America. The move comes as the current occupant of the post, James L. “Jim” Dinkins, prepares to retire after working for the company for more than three decades.

“Alfredo has had a remarkable career in Latin America, which is made up of a large number of highly complex and diverse markets,” Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said in a company press release. “Alfredo has built a networked organization that is positioning our business to emerge stronger from the current pandemic. He is a strong successor for the top role in our flagship North America market, where he will build on the great process we’ve seen under Jim’s leadership.”

Rivera, a native of Honduras, has worked for Coca-Cola for 23 years. He joined the company’s Central America and Caribbean Division as a district manager for Guatemala and El Salvador. He occupied various senior roles in Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico prior to becoming the president of the firm’s Latin Center business unit. Before joining the soft drink giant, Rivera held roles at two independent Coca-Cola bottlers. 

The change goes into effect immediately. As president of Coca-Cola North America, he will report to president and chief operating officer Brian Smith.

Dinkins joined Coca-Cola in 1988 and has worked in a wide variety of positions, including sales, marketing, operations, strategic planning, sports marketing, franchise leadership, and general management. He became president of the North America business in 2018. The outgoing president will remain a senior advisor to the company until his retirement in February 2021.