Susanne Brady-Lusk

Susanne Brady-Lusk is the Vice President and General Manager of Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages. Susanne has 13 years of experience in the Coca-Cola system as Key Accounts Manager, Area Sales Manager, Houston Market Unit Director of Small Stores, and Vice President of West Texas Market Unit.

Susanne began her career 32 years ago at Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) in New Orleans as a key account/small store manager. While it was a step back for her in terms of pay and managerial responsibility, it ultimately turned out to be a giant leap forward. She began her career at CCE, servicing 18 different accounts ranging from national accounts to large local accounts, then being promoted to an Area Sales and Merchandising Manager, in New Orleans, Thibodeaux, and New Iberia.

In her current role, she oversees more than half of the business for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages which includes 13 facilities and 3,500 associates.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic and severe weather issues that resulted in a high number of employee illnesses and labor shortages, for two years in a row, under Susanne’s leadership, the company has produced record-breaking sales. With her team banning together, they pushed through with success in the midst of the pandemic, the preparation of six hurricanes, and the lowest temperatures the region experienced in decades.

Susanne holds an MBA and has taught several Harvard Business School classes to their associates on transformational leadership. She believes it is the role of every leader to develop talent and to build future leaders for their company. One of the highlights of her position is to help employees grow and move up within the organization, seeing employees start at mid-level positions and move up the ranks to oversee millions in sales.

Two areas are important to Susanne. The first is ensuring that employees have the tools and understanding of the path they need to follow to be effective leaders within the organization. Her desire is to help build the next generation of leaders for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages who will also protect the great brand. The second is Inclusion & Diversity. She is a driving force within the company to help create a culture where they seek out a diverse workforce.

Sustainability is also an important initiative for the company, and its efforts to support the community have been recognized by Keep Texas Beautiful, the Houston Texans, and the Houston Astros. Susanne’s community involvement includes the Network of Executive Women, the Executive Women’s Partnership of Houston, the Boys & Girls Club, and serving as Board Chairperson for the Special Olympics Texas.