[7] In 1985, he was promoted to the general manager position of Coca-Cola Turkey and Central Asia, and transferred the headquarters of the company from İzmir to Istanbul.

Three years later, he was appointed president of the company's East Central Europe Division, responsible for 23 countries in a region from the Alps to the Himalayas.

In 1996, Kent was judged guilty of insider trading in civil court in Australia, where he held a senior-level position at Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd., a regional bottler based in Sydney.

Muhtar Kent's rise continued and he was promoted in January 2006, to the newly created position of president of international operations.

He was appointed as a member of the Eminent Persons Group for ASEAN by President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton.

He serves on the boards of Special Olympics International, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst and Emory University.

[14] He serves on the board of directors of The American Turkish Society[15] and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

[18] In December 2016, Coca-Cola announced that Kent would step down as CEO in May 2017, to be replaced by president and COO James Quincey.