English wine group Chapel Down has revealed that its chair of the board, Martin Glenn, will step down from the role in September.
The company’s largest shareholder, Michael Spencer (below), will assume the position, having been a non-executive director since 2023. Meanwhile, former CEO of soft drinks group Britvic, Simon Litherland, will join the board as a non-executive next month.
Glenn has served as chair for the last five years and “oversaw a major restructuring and refocusing of Chapel Down from a multi category drinks company whose portfolio included craft beer, spirits and significant still wine sales into a premium branded company primarily focused on sparkling wine”, according to the winemaker
Spencer is the founder of inter-broker dealer ICAP, later renamed NEX Group and sold to CME. Litherland led Britvic from 2013 to 2025, stepping down shortly after the business was acquired by Carlsberg Group.
The incoming chair said: “Martin has made an invaluable contribution to Chapel Down, helping guide the business through a period of remarkable progress. I look forward to continuing to build on this momentum.”
The Kent-headquartered business also reported its first-half results today (31 July), with revenue up 11% to GBP7.9m (US$10.6m).
Chapel Down CEO James Pennefather joined the sparkling winemaker in February after the company confirmed the departure of Andrew Carter five months prior.
