International Beverage has made the decision to reshape the leadership team for its spirits operations.
The restructure will see the Balblair, Old Pulteney and Hankey Bannister brand owner’s longstanding employee – and current UK MD – Malcolm Leask (below), stand down. The revised organisation – and Leask’s departure – are both scheduled to take effect from next month, with “several of” the international spirits leadership team based at InterBev’s headquarters in Scotland.
The “international spirits leadership team”, which will oversee brands including Prakaan Thai single malt whisky, will include Fiona Kennie, who moves up from the scotch whisky portfolio’s marketing director to become global marketing director. Joining Kennie will be Desiree Reid – founder & MD of the recently purchased Cardrona Distillery in New Zealand – in the role of global sales director. Kennie and Reid will report in to ThaiBev’s chief of spirits international, Rahul Colaco, who started in post almost a year ago.
Reid’s position at Cardrona will be assumed by its current CFO, Henry Caulton. She will take the sales reins from Veronica Amago, who started with the Caorunn gin and Larsen cognac owner two years ago but left last month.
Leask started with InterBev in 2008, having previously spent 14 years with Inverhouse Distillers. In a LinkedIn post today (16 September), he did not detail his future plans but noted that he and ThaiBev “part on the very best of terms”.
