AG Barr, the owner of brands such as Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Boost, has strengthened its commercial operations by making three appointments.
In newly created roles, reporting to Chief Commercial Officer, Dino Labbate, the company has hired Clara Shand as Managing Director of Out of Home and International; Kieran McGrath as Managing Director of Digital, Innovation and Commercial Growth; and James Quemby as Sales Director of Retail.
Shand has joined AG Barr from Magners-owner C&C Group, where she spent 12 years in commercial roles, most recently as Director of Strategy and Planning. McGrath has over a decade of brand and retail experience from his previous commercial roles at Heineken, Britvic and most recently, pub company Stonegate. Meanwhile, Quemby has previously worked for Britvic, Red Star Brands, and Burton’s Biscuits.
All three roles will sit alongside existing Marketing Director Lucy Henderson and Sales Director Paul Barker.
“The upweighting of the commercial function, combined with the experience of the current team, reflects both AG Barr’s ambitious growth plans, while also simplifying its operating model,” the company said.
Earlier this month, AG Barr revealed that it is in discussions with a potential buyer for its Strathmore bottled water brand as part of a restructuring that will also see it integrate its Funkin cocktail unit, acquired a decade ago, into its wider drinks operation.
Analysts noted that the efficiency drive will support AG Barr’s strategy to rebuild margins, which have been under pressure in recent years due to a series of trading challenges and cost hikes.
The group’s revenues rose 5.1% to £420.4m over the year to 25 January 2025, while adjusted pre-tax profits grew 15.8% to £58.5m. The performance was driven by Rubicon and continued growth from Irn-Bru, with distribution gains and new product launches playing a key role.
