Heineken director to take on Admiral CEO role

Heineken director Chris Jowsey is set to take on the chief executive role at Admiral Taverns next month, succeeding Kevin Georgel.

In April, Georgel announced his intention to leave the pub group to take up the chief executive role at Cornish brewery St Austell following the retirement of James Staughton.

Jowsey is currently director of Heineken's on trade business in the UK. He has held a variety of strategic and commercial roles at Heineken since he first joined the business in 2003, having overseen the growth and expansion of Star Pubs & Bars, the leased and tenanted pub company of Heineken in the UK. He is also a non-executive director with T&R Theakston brewery.

Admiral Taverns chairman Tom Ward said: "Chris not only brings with him over 18 years of wider industry expertise but an in-depth knowledge and passion for the leased and tenanted pub sector. His career path at Heineken is impressive and his clear ambition, experience and understanding of the sector will be invaluable in leading the company through the next stage of its growth and development."

Jowsey added: "I'm looking forward to working with my new colleagues, the board and our investors to build on this impressive growth trajectory, championing the valuable role that pubs can play in their local communities and cementing Admiral's reputation as a leading operator in the sector."

Admiral operates a approximately 800 predominantly wet-led community pubs in the UK. Hedge fund Cerberus sold the pub firm in 2017 for £220m to US investment fund Proprium Capital Partners and C&C Group.

Admiral Taverns sale completed >>