Rohan Oza
Born (1971-10-02) October 2, 1971
Livingstone, Zambia
Alma materUniversity of Nottingham
University of Michigan
Occupation(s)Former Chief Marketing Officer at The Coca-Cola Company
Founder at Idea Merchants Capital
Investor

Rohan Oza is an American businessman, investor, and marketing expert behind several large brands. Rohan has been a recurring guest on the television show Shark Tank.

Early life

Oza was born in Zambia in an ethnic Indian family.[1] He studied at Harrow School.[2]

Oza went on to study manufacturing and industrial engineering at Nottingham University.[1] He pivoted to marketing and corporate strategy while at the University of Michigan, where he received his MBA.[1]

Career

Oza began his career in the town of Slough as the manufacturing manager behind Mars' M&M's.[2]

Oza got his start in marketing by advertising Snickers for Mars, Incorporated in Europe. He later was hired as a marketing manager for The Coca-Cola Company.[1]

He has been credited for revitalizing the Sprite brand by signing Kobe Bryant as a spokesperson.[1] Oza also worked with Andy Roddick, Michael Vick, Tom Brady, LeBron James, Jennifer Aniston, Gal Gadot, 50 Cent, Ne-Yo, Rihanna and Madonna as celebrity endorsements.[1][3]

He left Coca-Cola in 2002 to join Glacéau, most famous for their Vitaminwater brand.[1] In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau in an acquisition for $4.2 billion, expanding the company's non-carbonated portfolio.[4] Rohan was appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Coke's still brands, where he stayed until 2009.[1]

As an investor, Oza made an early bet alongside Justin Timberlake on Bai Brands and helped persuade the Dr Pepper Snapple Group to buy the company for $1.7 billion. Additionally, he has backed Smartwater, Bulletproof Coffee and Health-Ade Kombucha.[3][5]

Oza has also been a recurring guest “shark” for ABC’s Shark Tank. He serves as an advisor to Impact Network, a non-profit organization bringing quality education to rural Zambians.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 White, Ronald D. (2015-09-13). "How I Made It: Entrepreneur Rohan Oza focuses on 'better for you' products". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  2. 1 2 Brinded, Lianna (November 6, 2015). "Meet the millionaire 'brand messiah' who went from working in a factory to having 50 Cent and Rihanna on speed dial". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  3. 1 2 "He'd Like to Buy the World Something Other Than a Coke". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  4. ↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Martin, Andrew (2007-05-26). "Coca-Cola Agrees to Buy Vitaminwater". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  5. ↑ "Kombucha Maker Health-Ade Raises $7 Million". Fortune. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  6. ↑ "Rohan Oza Joins Impact Network as Special Advisor". 28 November 2018.
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