Coca-Cola’s Elaine Maher on Forest Gump, The Verve and occasion-led buying

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Elaine Maher, Associate Director for Alcohol Ready-to-Drink at CCEP

Name: Elaine Maher

Job title: Associate director alcohol ready to drink

Company: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP)

What was your first job? My first job was working as a waitress in our local village pub. It taught me a huge amount about people, hard work and staying calm under pressure. It was a fast-paced environment where you had to think on your feet, deliver great service and build rapport quickly, all skills that have stayed with me throughout my career.

What’s been your worst job interview? The worst interviews are always the ones you invest the most in, those roles you prepare for meticulously, get excited about and can really picture yourself in and then don’t get. It’s that combination of effort, anticipation and hope that makes the rejection sting a little more.

But in hindsight, those are also the experiences that teach you the most about resilience and about trusting that the right opportunity does come around.

What was the first music single you bought? My first ever single was Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve, so peak ’90s! I thought I was incredibly cool buying it and honestly it still holds up.

“Building alcohol ready-to-drinks inside a big company has been a ride and watching it take off is the most satisfying part”

How do you describe your job to your friends? I get to sell some of the best spirits in the world, paired with the most recognised and loved mixers on the planet, all packaged together in a super convenient can format. It means retailers can offer the perfect drink solutions for any occasion, whether it’s a night in, a party or a last-minute pick‑me‑up.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing the whole machine come together – great spirits, iconic mixers and a brilliant team – so people can enjoy better drinks with zero fuss. Building alcohol ready-to-drinks inside a big company has been a ride and watching it take off is the most satisfying part.

What is the least rewarding part? One of the less rewarding parts of the role is the amount of time spent on necessary but administrative or process heavy tasks that can take me away from the more strategic, creative and consumer-focused work I enjoy most. It’s part of the job but not the part that inspires me.

What is your motto in life? High performance, healthy balance.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? Have one full month off a year to really have the time to travel and explore countries and cultures far and wide.

Jack Daniels Coca Cola

Do you have any phobias? No, which is probably to my detriment as I would love to be on a show like I’m a Celeb.

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? If I could change one thing, it would be encouraging buyers to think beyond the boundaries of their own categories and consider the broader shopper mission.

By taking a more occasion-led approach, we could create solutions that span multiple categories and better reflect how consumers shop today.

There is now significant fluidity across beverage choices, with hosts increasingly looking to cater for a wide variety of tastes and moments. Shifting from a ‘category-first’ to an ‘occasion-first’ mindset would enable more cross-category solutions that better meet shopper needs, drive incremental value and grow the total basket, not just the single category.

This change would unlock stronger collaboration, more relevant shopper experiences and bigger commercial opportunities for both retailers and suppliers.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? Music. It immediately makes me happy. My Spotify feed is very eclectic – anything from Fleetwood Mac to Sam Fender. I’m also currently loving Olivia Dean (along with the rest of the UK).

What animal most reflects your personality? I’ve never really thought about this before, but the animal that probably fits me best is a labrador. They are known for being open and straightforward, what you see is what you get, which I think suits my personality.

And, if my family lab Ruby is anything to go by, they’re always hungry… which definitely applies to me too!

What’s your favourite film and why? Feels like a bit of a cliché but I love Forrest Gump, I must have watched it over 100 times and I never get bored.

I think anything Tom Hanks does is brilliant, but this film stands out because so much happens in it that it almost feels like watching several films in one. It’s also full of great lessons about love, friendship and overcoming adversity.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? My partner and I are renovating a Grade II listed farm in Somerset, which keeps us pretty busy. It sits on a few acres of land, so we hired a company to trim everything back as it had all gone a bit wild. Progress was slower than I’d hoped and they kept disappearing, so I decided to call around to see if anyone else was available.

Unfortunately, I only ended up calling the same gardener (in fairness, I’d never met him and he has two work numbers) and told him how disappointed we were with our current gardener and that we wanted someone else to come and give it a go. Mortified doesn’t cover it when he explained he was actually the one already working on our land and apologised that we were disappointed.

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Emma Grede would be a dream person to work with because I think our working styles would align well. As the co-founder of Good American, a founding partner of Skims and a regular on Shark Tank, she’s known for being very direct and honest in her communication, which I really value.

She also has a fast-paced, action-oriented approach to business and brings a lot of energy and positivity to what she does. I also admire that she encourages people to speak up, share ideas and take initiative, which creates a really collaborative environment.

What would your death row meal be? I’m a big foodie and like to try new things, but I think my last meal would be super basic and I’d go with a strong staple that wouldn’t disappoint. With that in mind, a good spag bol and garlic bread, probably washed down with a gin and slim (quite uncouth I know!) would be my choice.