Terrez Thompson, The Coca-Cola Company

Terrez Thompson is the vice president of global supplier diversity for The Coca-Cola Company. She is responsible for formulating policies, practices, and strategic initiatives that are designed to engage minority, women, and veteran-owned firms as strategic business partners. Its mission is to maximize procurement opportunities with diverse suppliers that mirror the consumers that make up their global customer base.

Thompson’s success stems from serving as an associate for more than 25 years. She cites three factors that women should use to guide their success, “We must be brave enough to fail … as this failure creates new opportunity for innovation. We must focus on the strategic, not just the tactical, to ensure that our actions are purpose-driven, disciplined, and ultimately successful. We must embrace our company’s core values and principles and use them as guidance in all of our decision-making.”