Coca-Cola HBC Hungary appoints new General Manager

Following his international appointment, László Békefi will continue his career as Coffee Business Director of the Coca-Cola HBC Group which covers 29 countries from the 1^st of December 2024.  As of the same date Ágnes Kovács is taking over the duties of the General Manager role of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary.  The professional comes from outside the company and has extensive industry experience as well as she has taken a seat on the boards of several domestic and international corporations.

László Békefi, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary continues his professional career in the Coca-Cola HBC Group operating in 29 countries from the 1^st of December 2024. In his new assignment, as Coffee Business Director, he will be responsible for the development of the coffee portfolio of the parent company and the strategic management of the two premium quality coffee brands also available in Hungary – Costa Coffee and Caffè Vergnano.

László Békefi joined Coca-Cola HBC Hungary in 2003 as a career entrant in the company's management internship program, and over the years he gradually deepened his commercial knowledge, becoming not only an experienced leader, but also an industry-recognized professional. In 2019, he returned from Poland where he worked as a Country Sales Director to take over the leadership of the Hungarian organization. In the nearly six years since his appointment, the Hungarian subsidiary has achieved record revenue, sales volume, and profit results. Under his leadership, the flagship brands manufactured and distributed by Coca-Cola HBC Hungary earned record market share, and the company's products can now be found in more than two-thirds of Hungarian households.

The management of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary has been taken over by Ágnes Kovács from the 1^st of December 2024. The professional with more than 25 years of experience has gained extensive knowledge in the fields of strategic management, sales, and marketing at several leading FMCG companies. She is an experienced senior executive who has held leading international positions at multinational corporations such as Mondelēz International, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, or Mars. Ágnes is no stranger to the soft drinks market: between 2017 and 2021, she was the CEO of Eckes Granini in Hungary, where she carried out a major transformation, strengthened the company's positions and elevated its key brands to market leaders. Due to her local results and achievements, she was advanced to take a seat in the board of Eckes Granini Group where as the Group Chief Marketing and Innovation Manager she has driven brand equity and innovation across multiple markets. Ágnes has arrived at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary from Zooplus SE, the Europe-leading pet food platform, where as Vice President of Exclusive Brands she was responsible for a portfolio of EUR 650 million and managed 30 brands and more than 2,000 products.