Irn-Bru maker A.G. Barr has announced the appointment of Mark Allen as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman designate, with effect from 1 July
He will become Chairman next May when John Nicolson steps down from the role after seven years.
The soft drinks maker described Allen as a “highly experienced” director and board member boasting a “long and successful career across multiple sectors”.
After starting his career in the police force, he moved on to a variety of corporate roles, initially with Shell and most recently with Dairy Crest where he was CEO from 2007 to 2019, prior to the business being acquired by Saputo.
Allen has held Non-Executive roles at Howden Joinery Group, Dairy UK and Warburtons, as well as Norcros where he was Chairman from July 2020 until April 2021. He is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Halo Foods.
A.G. Barr, which also owns the Rubicon, Strathmore and Funkin brands, said: “Mark brings a deep understanding of consumer goods to the board, as well as significant public company experience, all of which will be important as A.G. Barr continues to execute its strategy and growth plans.”
Analysts at house broker Shore Capital noted: “With such credentials, we are very pleased to see this appointment, given that Barr is also a great British proprietary brand operating across the industry’s channels.”
A.G. Barr also announced today that Zoe Howorth will join its board as a Non-Executive Director next month. She has had a career spanning a range of roles at P&G, United Biscuits and Coca-Cola, where she spent 16 years, culminating in her role as UK Marketing Director from 2010 to 2013.
A.G. Barr saw its sales and profits slide during 2020 as a result of the pandemic. However, last month the company said that it was on track to meet its annual targets after benefitting from the reopening of the hospitality sector and consumers shifting back towards ‘drink now’ occasions.
