Leendert is the vice president and general manager at Coca-Cola European Partners in Great Britain, a post he has held since 2014. A native of the Netherlands, Leendert was educated at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He joined Coca-Cola from Young’s Seafood Ltd, where he was chief executive officer. Prior to that, Leendert was the UK managing director and chief marketing officer of its parent company, Findus Group. Earlier in his career, Leendert spent 15 years at Procter & Gamble in senior (marketing) positions, including leading their Global Household Cleaners business. Leendert was President of the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) until January 2019. He is president of the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA). In addition, Leendert was elected a member of the newly-established Food & Drinks Sector Council by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The council is a formal industry partnership with Government to create a more productive and sustainable food and drink sector.