Scottish Courage picks Tony McGrath as UK chief
Scottish Courage has appointed Tony McGrath as UK marketing director, following the promotion of Colin Wood to strategy director.
McGrath, who is currently managing director of Scottish Brewers, the company’s trade sales arm, will be responsible for overseeing the marketing of all Scottish Courage’s brands including Beck’s, Foster’s, Kronenbourg and McEwan’s.
He will head a team of about 40 people and will report to chairman Graham Kendrick.
McGrath joined Scottish Courage’s holding company Scottish & Newcastle as a graduate trainee in 1978 and later worked as marketing manager for the McEwan’s brand.
In 1986 he took up an international management role at Pepsi Cola International before becoming managing director of Häagen-Dazs Northern Europe. He returned to S&N in 1995 as corporate affairs director and was appointed managing director of Scottish Brewers a year later.
McGrath says: “I hope to put the many lessons I have learned about pleasing customers and running a team to good use across our great brand portfolio.”
Colin Wood, who joined Scottish Courage as marketing director three years ago, will be responsible for overseeing the brewer’s international strategy following the company’s announcement last month that it is to concentrate on building its beer brands.
A major restructuring programme, which includes the axing of 1,300 jobs, will enable Britain’s largest brewer to reposition itself as a global company and promote its brands overseas.
