Greene King has appointed Clair Preston-Beer as its next CEO, making her the first woman to lead the UK brewer and pub-group in its 227-year history.
Preston-Beer, the company’s chief digital and commercial officer, will take the helm in March.
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She will succeed Nick Mackenzie, who is stepping down at the end of February after nearly eight years in the role.
Mackenzie has “overseen a transformational period” and will remain on the board of Greene King to support the handover, the group said in a statement.
Under his leadership, the owner of Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale was taken private by CK Asset Holdings in 2019.
CK Asset executive committee member Gerald Ma said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Nick for his outstanding contribution to Greene King during what has been a challenging period for our industry and pubs.”
Preston-Beer joined Greene King in 2020 as managing director of its pubs division. She was promoted to chief operating officer in 2024 and took on her current commercial and digital brief earlier this year.
Before joining Greene King, she spent 16 years at Costa Coffee owner Whitbread.
“Clair has a fundamental understanding of our business and has played a significant role in shaping Greene King’s progress in her leadership roles to-date,” Ma added.
In May, the group sold its Old Speckled Hen brand family to Spain’s SA Damm for an undisclosed sum, marking Greene King’s exit from supplying UK supermarkets and off-trade retail in order to focus production on its own pub estate and the wider UK on-premise.
On her appointment, Preston-Beer said: “We have an ambitious strategy in place that is focused on growing share in a challenging environment. We will continue to strengthen our core brands and ensure our digital services become central to the everyday experience of our valued customers.”
