Whyte and Mackay tight-lipped after top managers resign

WHYTE and Mackay was at the centre of more speculation last night over reports that a number of senior managers have left the Glasgow-based whisky company.

The company confirmed that three senior managers had resigned in the past couple of months, but declined to provide names "for legal reasons". A spokesman would not give further details, but talk at the company is of further refinancing developments.

Vivien Imerman, the chief executive, has already instigated a clear-out of the boardroom with former directors Brian Megson, Ian Palmer, Alan Mackie and Douglas Reid among those to have left in the past year. They were involved in the 200m management buy-out of the company from Jim Beam Brands in 2001.

The company said it continued to attract a "wealth of talent", including Stewart Lawrie as director of UK and international key accounts from Proctor and Gamble, and James Espey, a well-known and respected figure in the Scotch whisky industry as a senior executive.

In a statement, the company said: "The restructuring process is progressing well and the 50m brand investment programme is bearing fruit.

"We continually look at refinancing options to get the best financial structure in place to ensure the long-term success of the business."