Blow for Bass as senior executives depart

Bass Brewers is losing three senior marketers in the final run-up to the decision over the Carlsberg-Tetley merger.

Jenny Ayres, new product development manager, who reports to marketing director Seamus McBride, moves to Britvic to become director of brands for still drinks.

Maurice Newton, senior brand manager on Carling Black Label, is leaving to join United Biscuits as general marketing manager, while Simon Curry, the senior brand manager for Caffrey’s, is joining Mars.

One Bass source says: “It is good news for the individuals and it demonstrates Bass’s ability to create good marketers.

“But we are becoming concerned that blue-chip companies are poaching our personnel. They have a successful couple of years at Bass and then they are being picked to do bigger things. Short of giving them gold bars there is very little we can do.”

The latest round of departures from Bass’s marketing department follows the decision by Steve Langan, ales director, to leave Bass and work for Coke in Brazil, and Dave Carruthers, director of brands for Carling, to join South African Breweries in Johannesburg.

A Bass spokesman denies the departures are connected to the continuing uncertainty over Bass’s takeover of Carlsberg-Tetley. He says: “We have a high-profile marketing department that inevitably puts people in the spotlight. “