Katherine Smart to succeed Barry Axcell as SABMiller

After almost 35 years of service with SABMiller, Professor Barry Axcell, Group Chief Brewer, will retire from the company at the end of July 2012. SABMiller announced on 8 February 2012.

He will be succeeded by Professor Katherine Smart effective 1 June 2012. Ms Smart is the current SABMiller Professor of Brewing Science and the Head of the School of Biosciences at The University of Nottingham.

She has held this post for seven years and founded Brewing Science at the University offering research programmes in malting, yeast genomics, fermentation and flavour. Prof Axcell and Prof Smart jointly developed the MSc in Brewing Science.

Tony van Kralingen, Director Supply Chain and Human Resources at SABMiller, expressed his personal appreciation to Barry Axcell for his distinguished and exceptional service and said: "In Katherine, we are fortunate to gain an outstanding talent. She has a wealth of experience and shares our passion for operational excellence and brewing beers of exceptional quality. Over the last seven years we have built a valuable relationship with her and the University of Nottingham which has helped keep us at the forefront of brewing innovation and technology."