Curle is youngest ever to take Edrington hot seat

EDRINGTON Group, owner of The Macallan, Famous Grouse, Highland Park and Cutty Sark whisky brands, has unveiled its youngest ever chief executive, with the appointment of operations director Ian Curle to the top spot.

Curle, 41, who has been with the company 16 years, will succeed Ian Good as chief executive when he becomes executive chairman at the start of the new financial year in April 2004.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Good said that Curle’s extensive experience in financial and operational matters had singled him out as the best candidate.

Industry insiders had speculated that the job could have gone to any of Edrington’s top three executives, including marketing director Barry Jackson, group finance director Richard Hunter and Curle.

Good said: "Ian has been part of the management team for a number of years, he knows the business and the ethos of the company and that is very important."

Curle joined Edrington from accountancy firm Arthur Andersen in 1986 and was appointed operations director in 1997, where he held ultimate responsibility for the running of Edrington’s five distilleries: Highland Park, The Macallan, Glenrothes, Tamdhu and Scotland’s oldest distillery, Glenturret.

He is widely regarded as one of the major players in the transformation of the group in the last decade, and played a pivotal role in the integration of Highland Distillers, which was acquired for 601 million in November 1999.

Curle said that it was a great honour to be heading up a company he knows and loves.

He added: "This appointment is really all about continuity and building the brands. We are investing record amounts in developing our four key brands and I believe we have considerable scope to grow further."

He will assume the role of deputy chief executive with immediate effect, working closely with Good.

Based in Glasgow, Edrington employees 850 people and has a turnover of 201 million. Last year it recorded pre-tax profits of 49.5m.

As part of its strategy to focus attention on its four key whiskies, in April it disposed of its Glengoyne distillery at Dumgoyne near Glasgow to rival company Ian Macleod and sold its Bunnahabhain and Black Bottle brands to Burn Stewart Distillers.