Whyte & Mackay names John Beard CEO

Whyte & Mackay has appointed Bacardi Brown Forman CEO John Beard as its new chief executive officer with a brief to accelerate the firm’s domestic and international expansion plans.

Beard joined the whisky and spirits company after spending 19 years at Bacardi and its associated companies.
At Bacardi he held a variety of sales, marketing and general management roles, including UK sales director, before taking up the post of regional director for Eastern Europe, which included looking after the travel retail sector for the firm.

He has spent the last three years leading Bacardi Brown Forman in the UK.

Beard replaces Ashwin Malik who is returning to India, with his family, after spending almost two years in Scotland helping to build the business after it was bought by Indian entrepreneur Dr Vijay Mallya in 2007.

Beard’s appointment follows the appointment in January of Nick Garland as global sales and marketing director. He joined the company from Beam Global.