William Grant appoints commercial director

Spirits producer William Grant & Sons has announced that it has appointed Neil Barker as its new commercial director in the UK.

Part of the William Grant & Sons portfolio (Photo: William Grant & Sons)

Barker comes to the producer of Glenfiddich and Hendrick’s Gin with “extensive” experience at numerous blue chip food and drink companies.

Prior to his latest appointment, Barker held commercial director positions at Birds Eye Foods, General Mills, Fosters Group’s Wine Estates and Southcorp Wines in both the UK and Australia.

Rita Greenwood, managing director at William Grant & Sons UK and Ireland commented: “Neil’s expertise from both within our industry, and further afield, position him perfectly to bring new ideas and practices to our business.

“At William Grant & Sons UK we have committed to an ambitious growth strategy and I am confident that Neil will drive his team forward to achieve great things in 2017, and the future.”

Barker added: “I am delighted to be joining William Grant & Sons UK – one of the leading premium spirits companies in the world – at such an exciting time in the business’s history. We are fortunate in the UK to have a passionate and talented team, and I look forward to further building our relationship with our key trading partners to accelerate future premium category growth.”