Keurig Dr Pepper picks Russ Torres to lead future Global Coffee Co
Torres, currently President and Chief Operating Officer of Kimberly-Clark, joins Keurig Dr Pepper on November 3 and will run the coffee unit ahead of next year's planned split
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Keurig Dr Pepper has named Russ Torres as Chief Executive Officer of its Coffee Operating Unit, putting him in line to lead Global Coffee Co. once the company separates its coffee and beverage businesses. The split is targeted for early 2027.
Torres currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. He joins Keurig Dr Pepper on November 3, 2026, and will report to Chief Executive Officer Tim Cofer, who is set to become CEO of the Beverage Co. once the separation is complete.
Upon separation, Global Coffee Co. is expected to generate about $16 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 25,000 people.
The hire fills in a piece of the breakup plan Keurig Dr Pepper laid out alongside other portfolio moves, including the sale of its Chobani stake, which unwound a prior acquisition. Naming a dedicated CEO for the coffee business more than a year before the targeted split suggests the separation timeline is firm enough to justify an external hire and a formal reporting line, with Torres leaving a COO post at Kimberly-Clark for the role. It also settles who runs each business after the split, with Cofer confirmed for Beverage Co. What remains unresolved is how the roughly $16 billion coffee unit will be capitalized and valued once it stands on its own.