A.G. Barr hires ex-Dairy Crest chief as new chairman

Irn-Bru maker A.G. Barr has selected former Dairy Crest CEO Mark Allen as its new chairman.

The listed drinks company said current chairman of seven years, John Nicolson, will stay on as a non-executive director until May next year.

Allen ran Dairy Crest, which makes Cathedral City and Clover butter, for over a decade before it was sold to dairy giant Saputo in 2019.

The firm said Allen, who is non-executive chair at Halo Foods, "brings a deep understanding of consumer goods to the board".

He will take up the chair role from July.

Former Coca Cola UK marketing director, Zoe Howarth, is also joining the A.G. Barr board to chair its ESG committee.

Nicolson said: “I am delighted that both Mark and Zoe will be joining our Board, both of whom bring a wealth of highly relevant experience and I look forward to welcoming them at this exciting time for AG Barr.”

The company, which also owns Rubicon, saw pre-tax profits dip by 12% to £32.8 million last year as the pandemic hit trade.