Nearly 190 members of The Coca-Cola Co.’s global legal team tuned in to a highly anticipated virtual meeting earlier today to hear the first address from their new general counsel, Monica Howard Douglas. Many in attendance hoped that Douglas would answer questions related to the sudden resignation of her predecessor, Bradley Gayton. 

They wanted to know why Gayton had stepped down as GC on April 21, after only eight months on the job, to serve as a consultant to Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey. They wanted to know why Coca-Cola was paying Gayton $12 million over the next year as part of his consulting arrangement. They also were curious about the fate of the bold diversity initiative that Gayton announced earlier this year.