Pepperdine University announced last week that former Coca-Cola executive Dr. Deryck J. Van Rensburg has been named dean of its Graziadio School of Business and Management and will assume his new role on Nov. 1.
Van Rensburg comes to Pepperdine with 32 years of international business experience with both the Coca-Cola Company and Unilever PLC, where he held international positions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Greece, Romania, Belgium and South Africa. He most recently served as president of global ventures for Coca-Cola, where he was responsible for analyzing beverage trends in both domestic and international markets, incubating internal innovation and sourcing external growth. Also with Coca-Cola, Van Rensburg led the Southeast Europe and Gulf Division and served as president of the German and Nordic Division.
“Deryck brings a wealth of real-world corporate experience and business acumen to the Graziadio School and the University,” Pepperdine Provost Rick R. Marrs wrote in a release. “We look forward to working with him as he transitions from the corporate world to the world of academia.”
Van Resnburg will succeed the business school’s current dean, Dr. David M. Smith, who served in leadership roles at Pepperdine for over a decade. Smith will assist in Van Rensburg’s transition.
Van Resnburg and his family plan to relocate to the Los Angeles area in the fall.