Shane Grant - BA, BCom

University of Auckland alumnus Shane Grant graduated from The University of Auckland in 1997. He is based at the headquarters for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, USA in the role of Global Brand Director for Coca-Cola.

Shane arrived in the US after being promoted through various roles within The Coca-Cola Company in Australasia. In Australia he drove the flavours portfolio (Fanta and Sprite) to record double digit growth and led the Coca-Cola Brand back to strong growth. Shane was then assigned to lead the Sparkling beverages business unit in New Zealand, where he established New Zealand as the Global lead test market for The Coca-Cola Company. Shane began his career with Unilever where he held his first customer development and brand management positions. In his last two years with Unilever, he led Rexona – the #1 deodorant brand in Australia and New Zealand.

In his current role, Shane is responsible for the Global business results on the Coca-Cola brand. He leads the development and deployment of Global growth strategies for the Brand, developing world class brand communication and delivering market winning innovation with key markets around the world.

Words of advice for students? "Study broadly. There is plenty of time to specialise. Marketing means being passionate about people and what drives them, but also being a strategist and a business manager, broad business understanding is absolutely critical."