Arca Continental, S. A. B. de C. V. announced that Francisco “Pancho” Garza Egloff has opted to retire effective on January 1, 2019 after an outstanding record of nearly 16 years as CEO. Arturo Gutierrez, currently Deputy CEO, will be named Arca Continental´s CEO, effective January 1, 2019. In a meeting held on August 22, 2018, Arca Continental’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the leadership transition, which is part of the institutional succession plan designed to ensure the long-term continuity and growth of the company. During Garza Egloff´s tenure, Arca Continental profitably doubled its sales every five years, supported by strong organic growth and constant geographical and business expansion. As a result, Arca Continental was transformed from a regional player in Mexico to an international company with operations in five countries in the Americas. In addition, Arca Continental became the first Latin American Coca-Cola bottler to operate in the United States, primarily in Texas and parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico. Starting January 1, 2019, Garza Egloff will continue as a member of Arca Continental’s Board of Directors and serve as Vice Chairman of the Food and Snacks Board, seeking to drive growth in this business segment. Arturo Gutierrez has been with Arca Continental for more than 17 years, holding various executive positions, including Executive Vice President of Operations; Secretary of the Board of Directors; Head of the Mexico Beverages Division; Vice President of Human Resources; and Vice President of Planning and General Counsel. He also holds positions on several international industry councils. He oversaw the operational merger process of Embotelladoras Arca and Grupo Continental and most recently, in his current role as Deputy CEO, he led the integration of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages with Arca Continental.