Guinness axes customer chief role
Guinness UDV GB is scrapping the role of customer marketing director. Incumbent Laurence Clube is expected to be found an alternative role in the company.
Clube was appointed to the new role a year ago, to provide category management expertise to brand teams and customers. His role is being phased out as part of a restructure of the trade marketing division, which will see it move from being brand-led to channel-led.
Clube reports to Guinness UDV GB managing director Don Goulding. His role is described as “complementary” to that of Guinness UDV GB marketing director Syl Saller, whose role is unaffected by the changes.
A Guinness UDV GB spokesman says Clube will oversee the transition to the new structure until the end of June. As part of the changes, Guinness UDV GB Morgan Furze commercial director Jonathan Stordy will become managing director for focus customers. Guinness UDV GB Brands commercial director Tony Mair will become managing director for channel customers. Both will report to Goulding.
The focus customers management team will deal with the largest pub chains and multiple retailers, while the channel customers team will handle smaller clients.
Major Guinness UDV customers appear unimpressed with the change. One calls the move “shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic”. Another says: “The volume of work is so great, I don’t think the new structure is workable. I give it nine months.”
