Bradley Gayton
Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Coca-Cola
Bradley M. Gayton joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2020 as senior vice president and general counsel, overseeing all legal and security functions.
Previously, Gayton served as group vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel at Ford Motor Company where he managed a team of over 600 people across more than 20 countries with responsibility for the company’s litigation, tax, compliance, corporate and intellectual property efforts as well as company facilities and real estate. He advised the company’s board of directors and senior management on a wide range of legal issues and oversaw its General Auditor’s Office.
Gayton joined the company in 1991 and held a number of positions across the organization before being named General Counsel and elected a Ford Motor Company officer in 2016. The following year, Gayton was named Chief Administrative Officer which added responsibility over Ford Land and Corporate Services.
An outspoken corporate leader, Gayton is widely considered a leading advocate for advancements in legal technology, diversity and inclusion and equal justice for low-income citizens. After sponsoring the creation of the Legal Alliance of Women, Gayton instituted a number of initiatives impacting the hiring and career development process of his team as well as outside counsel. He also created the Ford Law Career Academy, a program that aims to add greater diversity to talent pipelines for future generations by introducing minority high school students to careers in law.
Gayton is a native of Syracuse, N.Y. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Previously, Gayton served as group vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel at Ford Motor Company where he managed a team of over 600 people across more than 20 countries with responsibility for the company’s litigation, tax, compliance, corporate and intellectual property efforts as well as company facilities and real estate. He advised the company’s board of directors and senior management on a wide range of legal issues and oversaw its General Auditor’s Office.
Gayton joined the company in 1991 and held a number of positions across the organization before being named General Counsel and elected a Ford Motor Company officer in 2016. The following year, Gayton was named Chief Administrative Officer which added responsibility over Ford Land and Corporate Services.
An outspoken corporate leader, Gayton is widely considered a leading advocate for advancements in legal technology, diversity and inclusion and equal justice for low-income citizens. After sponsoring the creation of the Legal Alliance of Women, Gayton instituted a number of initiatives impacting the hiring and career development process of his team as well as outside counsel. He also created the Ford Law Career Academy, a program that aims to add greater diversity to talent pipelines for future generations by introducing minority high school students to careers in law.
Gayton is a native of Syracuse, N.Y. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.