Spooner quits Africa post – and Guinness

Julian Spooner, Guinness Africa’s operations director and a former UK marketing director, is quitting the drinks giant.

Spooner was Guinness Brewing’s marketing director for Great Britain for three years in the Nineties.

He moved to become operations director for Africa and the Middle East in October 1998. The job, which covers more than 40 markets and 20 local breweries, is widely regarded as one of the biggest in the worldwide brewing industry.

The Africa division is being reorganised and Spooner may not be directly replaced, according to a Guinness spokesman.

As UK chief, Spooner was responsible for the introduction of the relatively successful Guinness Extra Cold, as well as Enigma, which was subsequently discontinued.

Spooner was on annual leave as Marketing Week went to press.