St Austell Brewery has made two appointments to its senior leadership team, including an HR boss at Wilko.
Kate Price will join the Cornish company from the retail chain in May as its new people director. Ms Price has more than 20 years of experience in the HR sector, including previous roles at Unilever, Molson Coors, and Boots.
Laura McKay has also been promoted internally to the role of marketing and communications director, in a move that sees its marketing and communications teams align under her leadership.
Ms McKay has worked for the business for seven years, most recently in the role of head of marketing for beer and brands.
Chief executive Kevin Georgel, said: “In recent months, we have been considering how to further improve the capability, diversity, and alignment of our executive team to support our growth ambitions for the future. We are therefore delighted to be welcoming our new people director, Kate Price, who will bring a huge amount of expertise and experience to our business when she joins us in May.
“We are also proud to announce Laura McKay as our marketing and communications director. At St Austell Brewery, we are passionate about nurturing talent and providing opportunities for internal progression, so we are pleased to be promoting Laura to this much-deserved senior leadership position.”
St Austell’s latest executive hires follow the appointment of Paul Harbottle as commercial director and the promotion of Andrew Turner to chief operating officer last year.
Last year the pub and brewing group acquired three pubs in Cornwall and Devon, its what were its first transactions for more than two years, as it looks to expand its estate to more than 200 venues.
In November it also secured a minor stake in fellow Cornish firm Harbour Brewing, as part of a distribution deal agreed between the two independent producers.
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