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Scott Thomas
Scott Thomas
01:20

Scott Thomas

Coca-Cola

Kennesaw, GA USA

"You’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable."

Career Roadmap

Scott's work combines: Business, Sports, and Working with Others

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Day In The Life

Director of Program Commercialization

I lead commercial strategy for our sports, summer, and holiday initiatives.

My Day to Day

No two days are the same. On any given day, I could be having a high-level conversation with executives to flesh out our planning for the upcoming year. I could be helping my team navigate forecasts for the amount of labels we'll need to produce for a specific promo. I may be helping influence brand strategy for a new innovation or helping to create a sales story. I could also be digging deep into the financials as we submit proposals to our franchisees and bottling partners.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

There are a lot of myths about HBCUs regarding the academic rigor. I don't subscribe to that. The HBCU I attended was instrumental in my career success. I did a lot of research and when I was choosing a school, Florida A&M had the most national merit scholars of any university. So I decided I would attend an HBCU, succeed, dismiss those myths, and become a role model for others.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Electrical and Electronics Engineering

    Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

  • Graduate Degree

    Marketing and Corporate Strategy

    University of Michigan

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

I've taken a lot of twists and turns

  • 1.

    I always knew I wanted to go to an HBCU—I attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and earned my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

  • 2.

    After graduating, I got a job as a software engineer at Dell.

  • 3.

    After working for several years, I wanted to transition more into the business world, so I decided to go to the University of Michigan to earn my MBA in marketing and corporate strategy.

  • 4.

    My education in marketing and corporate strategy set me up nicely for a position in brand management with Procter & Gamble.

  • 5.

    After Procter & Gamble, I moved on to The Clorox Company, where I focused on new product innovation.

  • 6.

    I was rotated to the automotive brands to do brand management for Armor All and STP—these brands had sports relationships, so that’s how I was able to tap into the intersection of business and sports.

  • 7.

    I eventually got the opportunity to join The Coca-Cola Company as a senior marketing manager for commercialization and innovation.

  • 8.

    I’ve been with Coca-Cola for over nine years now and currently work as a director of program commercialization.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Society in general:

    HBCUs aren't the best choice. Why would you go to an HBCU? You're smart enough to go anywhere.

  • How I responded:

    There are a lot of myths about HBCUs regarding the academic rigor. I don't subscribe to that. The HBCU I attended was instrumental in my career success. I did a lot of research and when I was choosing a school, Florida A&M had the most national merit scholars of any university. So I decided I would attend an HBCU, succeed, dismiss those myths, and become a role model for others.

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