October 22/London/London Stock Exchange Aggregated Regulatory News Service -- SABMiller plc announced that Barry Smith, president, SABMiller Latin America, will be retiring at the end of December 2010.
Smith has served the group for 26 years and has been a member of the SABMiller Executive Committee since 2005, when he was appointed president, SABMiller South America following the completion of the Bavaria transaction. He has been president, SABMiller Latin America since 2007. He originally joined The South African Breweries Limited (SAB Ltd) in 1984 and has held a number of senior positions in the group including marketing director, SAB Ltd in South Africa, managing director Kompania Piwowarska S.A. in Poland, and senior vice president, Market Development and Strategy, Miller Brewing Company, USA.
Smith oversaw the successful integration of Grupo Empresarial Bavaria into the SABMiller group, and under his leadership the Latin American region has grown to become the largest region in the group, with EBITA, turnover and volumes having increased substantially over the five years since completion of the Bavaria transaction. In the year ended March 31, 2010, the region accounted for some 21% of total group beverage volumes, 22% of group revenue, and 31% of group EBITA.
Karl Lippert, currently president of Bavaria S.A. in Colombia, will be appointed as president, SABMiller Latin America, based in Bogota, reporting directly to Graham Mackay, SABMiller chief executive, and will join the SABMiller plc Group Executive Committee, with effect from January 1, 2011.
Lippert has been with the group since 1992 and has extensive experience in the global brewing industry. Prior to his appointment as president of Bavaria in February 2006, Lippert was managing director of Kompania Piwowarska S.A. in Poland, and previously held senior positions as managing director of Dreher in Hungary, sales and distribution director for SABMiller Europe, and various positions within SAB Ltd in South Africa, including general manager, Distribution Services Manager and operations manager.
Commenting on the management changes, Graham Mackay, chief executive, said, "Barry Smith has made an enduring and outstanding contribution to SABMiller over many years, culminating in his inspirational leadership of a vibrant and growing business in Latin America, and the building of a strong management team throughout the region. We will greatly miss Barry's wisdom, wit and passion for the business. I wish Barry and his wife Margie a long and happy retirement.
"I am confident that Karl, an experienced and respected SABMiller manager, will continue to drive our business in the region, and deliver further value enhancing growth. Karl will bring to the Latin America region the same enthusiasm, management and vision with which he has led our business in Colombia over the past four and a half years, to the benefit of our consumers, customers, employees and shareholders."
From the November 1, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition
