Roberto Críspulo Goizueta Cantera (November 18, 1931 – October 18, 1997) was a Cuban-born American business executive who served as the chairman, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Coca-Cola Company from August 1980 until his death in October 1997.

Early life

Goizueta was born on November 18, 1931, in Havana, Cuba. He was the only son of Críspulo Goizueta and Aída Cantera. His grandparents on both sides of his family had emigrated from the Basque Country to Cuba in the late 19th century. His mother's father, Marcelo Cantera, owned a portion of a profitable, local sugar mill. His father, Críspulo, was an architect and a real estate investor who inherited Cantera's sugar interests. Goizueta attended Colegio de Belén in Havana, a Jesuit secondary school and later studied for a year in the United States at the Cheshire Academy, a preparatory school in Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1953.

Goizueta also sat on the boards of directors for various companies, including SunTrust Banks, the Ford Motor Company, Sonat Inc and the Eastman Kodak Company. He was well known for his business rivalry with fellow businessman Roger Enrico, CEO of PepsiCo, during his tenure as Coke's CEO.

Philanthropy

Roberto Goizueta established the Goizueta Foundation, with a goal to support educational and charity institutions in 1992. "The purpose of the Goizueta Foundation is to assist organizations that empower individuals and families through educational opportunities to improve the quality of their lives."

In 1994, after a $10 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Board of Trustees at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, named its business school after Roberto Goizueta. The school grants BBAs, MBAs, and PhDs in business. Emory University has an extensive history with Coca-Cola. In 1899, Methodist Bishop Warren Candler's brother Asa Candler was elected to Emory's Board of Trustees and was a generous patron of the university.

In January 1999, the estate of Goizueta pledged $20 million to Emory University.

Personal life

Goizueta married Olguita Casteleiro in Havana, Cuba.

Awards and honors

  • 1980 – Goizueta named an Emory University trustee
  • 1985 – Goizueta receives the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
  • 1994 – Emory University changes the name of its business school to the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School
  • 1996 – Chief Executive magazine names him Chief Executive of the Year

See also

  • List of Cubans

References

Further reading

  • The Roberto Goizueta Foundation Website
  • Goizueta Business School