Overview
- Balat succeeds Luis Felipe Avellar, who led the Mexico operation since 2023.
- Born in Tampico, Balat most recently ran Coca-Cola’s Latin America Zone Center from Costa Rica, overseeing 32 countries.
- He will coordinate with the eight bottling partners that together account for roughly 2% of Mexico’s GDP and about 1.7 million jobs.
- Company leaders have flagged a softer Mexican market and expect an initial hit from the higher IEPS on sugar-sweetened beverages, which rises to 3.08 pesos per liter in 2026.
- Balat says his priorities include transformation, sustainability and inclusive growth, drawing on past work integrating Jugos del Valle and leading the global ‘World Without Waste’ program.