Stock Spirits Group PLC Directorate Change (2318N)

TIDMSTCK

RNS Number : 2318N

Stock Spirits Group PLC

24 October 2016

24 October 2016

Stock Spirits Group PLC ("Stock Spirits")

Board changes

Stock Spirits, a leading owner and producer of premium branded spirits and liqueurs that are principally sold in Central and Eastern Europe, announces the following changes to its Board:

Tomasz Blawat, Diego Bevilacqua and Mike Butterworth are all joining as independent Non- Executive Directors, while Andrew Cripps is stepping down from the Board and being replaced as Senior Independent Director by John Nicolson. All of these changes will take place with immediate effect.

Tomasz Blawat is currently the CEO of Carlsberg Poland. He was previously CEO of ING in Poland, prior to which he held a number of roles for SAB Miller and Procter and Gamble. Tomasz is a Polish national and also speaks fluent Czech.

Diego Bevilacqua has over 40 years' experience in the food and beverage sector. He has recently been a Senior Advisor to Bain & Company, and previous positions have included Chief Customer and Marketing Officer of Metro AG, and President of Africa, Middle East and Turkey for Unilever. He has served as a Non-Executive Director of both Danisco AS and Pepsi Lipton International.

Mike Butterworth is a Chartered Accountant and was formerly Group Finance Director of Cookson Group plc before commencing a non-executive career in 2012. He is currently the chairman of the Audit Committee for both Johnston Press Plc and St Ives Group, where he is also the Senior Independent Director, and serves on the Board of Cambian Group Plc. Previous roles have included Group Finance Director of Incepta Group plc and Group Financial Controller at BBA Group plc.

Andrew Cripps has been on the Board of Stock Spirits since the company was admitted to the London Stock Exchange in October 2013. He has served as chairman of the Audit Committee since joining the Board, and as Senior Independent Director since November 2015. The new Senior Independent Director will be John Nicolson, who has also served on the Board since the IPO in 2013.

As a result of these changes, the composition of the Board's Committees will now be fully compliant as follows:

-- The Audit Committee will be chaired by Mike Butterworth and its other members will be John Nicolson and Tomasz Blawat.

-- The Remuneration Committee will continue to be chaired by John Nicolson and its other members will be Tomasz Blawat, Diego Bevilacqua and Mike Butterworth.

-- The Nomination Committee will continue to be chaired by David Maloney and its other members will be John Nicolson, Mike Butterworth and Diego Bevilacqua.

   --     The Disclosure Committee will not change. 

David Maloney, Chairman of Stock Spirits, said: "I am delighted to welcome Tomasz, Diego and Mike to the Board. The vast array of industry experience and knowledge that they bring with them will be hugely beneficial as the company continues to develop. The Board are all excited at the prospect of working together for the benefit of Stock's customers, consumers and investors.

I would also like to thank Andrew for all his hard work and commitment since joining the company in 2013. His expertise and counsel have been invaluable. We are also extremely fortunate to have John Nicolson to take the position of Senior Independent Director.

Stock Spirits has seen a lot of change since its IPO three years ago, and these latest appointments should be taken as a clear sign of the Board's unwavering commitment to improving the business. Our team may have evolved but the underlying philosophy remains the same, which is to apply best practice international drinks industry skills to the Central and Eastern European spirits market."

Stock Spirits confirms that no further information is required to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority in relation to the resignation of Andrew Cripps, appointments of Tomasz Blawat, Mike Butterworth, and Diego Bevilacqua as directors of Stock Spirits Group PLC or the appointment of John Nicolson, as Senior Independent Director.

ENDS

For further information:

 
                                       [phone] 
 Stock Spirits Group:                   500 
 Lesley Jackson 
  Powerscourt [phone] 
  Rory Godson 
  Rob Greening 
  Lisa Kavanagh 
  About Stock Spirits Group 
  Stock Spirits is one of Central and Eastern 
  Europe's leading branded spirits and liqueurs 
  businesses, and offers a portfolio of products 
  that are rooted in local and regional heritage. 
  With core operations in Poland, the Czech 
  Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Croatia and Bosnia 
  & Herzegovina, Stock also exports to more 
  than 40 other countries worldwide. Global 
  sales volumes currently total over 100 million 
  litres per year. 
  Stock has state of the art production facilities 
  in Poland and the Czech Republic, and its 
  core brands include products made to long-established 
  recipes such as Stock 84 brandy, Fernet Stock 
  bitters and Limonce, as well as more recent 
  creations like Stock Prestige and Zoladkowa 
  de Luxe vodkas. 
  Stock is listed on the main market of the 
  London Stock Exchange. For the year ended 
  31 December 2015 it delivered total revenue 
  of EUR262.6m and operating profit of EUR41.7m. 
  For further information please visit www.stockspirits.com 
 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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October 24, 2016 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)