SABMiller hires ex-Centrica corporate affairs director Catherine May

Former Centrica comms chief Catherine May has been named as SABMiller’s director of corporate affairs.

May will join the brewing giant on October 15, replacing Sue Clark, who was promoted to SABMiller’s European MD in April.

May was most recently at Centrica, the owner of British Gas, where she served as corporate affairs director from 2006 until December 2011. She was previously group director of corporate relations at publishing group Reed Elsevier and also worked at comms consultancy Luther Pendragon.

Reporting to executive chairman Graham Mackay, May will assume responsibility for media, investor relations, political affairs, corporate affairs, corporate social responsibility and internal communications. She will also be a member of SABMiller’s executive committee.

Mackay commented: ‘I am very pleased to welcome Catherine to SABMiller, and delighted that we have been able to attract such a high calibre executive.’

‘With her extensive international corporate affairs and communications experience, she will make a great contribution to our performance as one of the world’s leading brewers, leading the strong corporate affairs function built up by Sue Clark, and continuing to develop the critical capabilities which help to grow our business sustainably for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.’

May added: ‘The group has long been admired as a global leader in doing business locally, with strong and sustainable businesses that contribute to their local economies. I am very much looking forward to doing my part in building on its great strengths and proven capabilities.’

May is also a non-executive director of English National Opera and a trustee of the UK National Funding Platform and of the Foundation for World Capitals of Culture.

This article was first published on prweek.com