Scottish&Newcastle 'coup' as Brian Stewart is crowned C&C's new chairman

Published on Thursday 18 February 2010 19:41

SIR Brian Stewart is to be the next chairman of C&C – completing a remarkable "takeover" of the Irish drinks group's management by ex-bosses of the former Scottish & Newcastle brewing group.

• Sir Brian Stewart

C&C, which acquired top Scottish lager brand Tennent's last summer in an expansion drive, said yesterday that Stewart had been appointed an independent non-executive director and chairman-designate from 9 March.

The Irish group called him "an international businessman with a lifetime's experience in the drinks industry". Stewart, aged 64, is also a former chairman of Edinburgh-based life assurer Standard Life, helping steer the company towards demutualisation.

He will also continue to chair the board of Miller Group, the privately owned Scottish housing and construction business.

Stewart, once chief executive and then chairman of S&N, which was sold to Heineken of Holland and Carlsberg of Denmark in early 2008, will be appointed chairman at C&C's annual meeting on 5 August to replace the retiring Tony O'Brien.

O'Brien said of Stewart yesterday: "With his vast knowledge and experience of the long alcoholic drinks sector, coupled with his valuable trade connections, he is well equipped to provide astute strategic leadership of the board, and is the ideal person to lead the next phase of C&C's development."

Stewart said the company had developed real growth opportunities and "clearly has exciting potential".

O'Brien served 20 years as chief executive before spending eight years as non-executive chairman of C&C.

Stewart joins leading former S&N executives on the C&C board including chief executive John Dunsmore, who was a long-term operational director and short-term chief executive of the Scottish brewer.

Other former senior S&N executives at C&C are Stephen Glancey, group chief operating officer, and Kenny Neison, strategy director.

Dunsmore, Glancey and Neison joined the Irish group in late 2008 following overtures from institutional investors.

Stewart and Dunsmore, the latter only S&N chief executive for about three months after the departure of Tony Froggatt, spearheaded the talks that eventually led to the sale of S&N for 7.8bn. That ended some 260 years of trading by S&N as an independent company.

Ironically, C&C's flagship Magners cider business goes head-to-head with Heineken's Bulmers in the UK market, absorbed as part of the Dutch group's acquisition of S&N's British business.

Carlsberg got the Scottish brewer's other assets, including the Russian business.

Tennent's, made at Glasgow's Wellpark brewery, which already sponsors the Scotland football team, recently announced sponsorship of Rangers and Celtic football clubs from this summer, taking over from current sponsor Carling.

It is believed C&C sees its future as overseas expansion, particularly in the UK, and that it hopes Stewart's experience and contacts will help in this.

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