AG Barr boss Roger White will step down from his CEO role and retire from the Cumbernauld-based soft drinks giant in the next 12 months, at a date “mutually agreed” with the company’s board.
The board has started a formal succession process, including an external search, to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
One of the UK’s longest-serving chief execs, 58-year-old White has been in the post since 2004. His departure will follow that of Robin Barr, a great-grandson of the company’s founder, who retired in May from his non-executive director role. Barr had been with the business for 62 years, including a 31-year stint as chairman.
Current chairman Mark Allen said White had supported the transformation of AG Barr from a regional soft drinks business into “a highly successful multi-beverage, branded company that has delivered significant value to shareholders, stakeholders and employees”.
White commented: “It has been a privilege and pleasure to lead the business for over two decades and now the time is right to plan for my succession and to ensure the continued success of the business. I would like to pay tribute to everyone across the whole organisation who make AG Barr a very special place with amazing brands.”
News of White’s resignation came as AG Barr posted half-year results which revealed a one-third growth in revenue to £210m.
The growth, Barr said, reflected underlying brand momentum and was helped by higher pricing early in the year and the heatwave in June.
The postponement of Scotland’s deposit return scheme until October 2025 has given the company a more stable and certain consumer environment, it added. This will enable it to speed up its innovation plans, with a number of brand launches planned for the second half of this year.
