International Beverage unveils new global spirits leadership team as UK MD Malcolm Leask departs 

UK – International Beverage, the international arm of ThaiBev, has announced a reshaped international spirits senior leadership team while confirming the departure of UK managing director Malcolm Leask.  

Leask, who joined International Beverage in 2008 after 14 years at Inverhouse Distillers, will leave at the end of September. 

Beginning in October, the enhanced leadership team will report directly to the chief of spirits international based in Thailand. The restructure is designed to strengthen the group’s global growth strategy across its increasingly diverse spirits portfolio. 

As part of the changes, Fiona Kennie has been promoted to global marketing director, following her appointment as marketing director for the Scotch portfolio last year.  

She will continue to work closely with Alan Mitchell, operations director for the Scotch business, who oversees maturation, blending and bottling at Airdrie and the company’s five distilleries across Scotland. 

Cardrona Distillery founder and MD Desiree Reid will transition to the position of global sales director before the end of 2025, after two years within the senior leadership team following the 2023 acquisition of the New Zealand-based distillery. Henry Caulton, Cardrona Distillery CFO, will take over from Reid as acting MD. 

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Dokhelar will continue in his role as managing director of Larsen Cognac in France, a post he assumed in 2024. The reshaped leadership team will guide International Beverage’s portfolio, which spans single malt whisky brands in Scotland, Larsen Cognac in France, Cardrona Distillery spirits in New Zealand, and Thai spirits including Phraya Rum and Prakaan, Thailand’s first single malt whisky. 

HR director Sam Kirk thanked Leask for his decades of service, noting his role in expanding International Beverage’s brands globally.  

Kirk also highlighted recent investments in talent, including the appointment of Sarah Burgess as master of whisky creation and the hiring of nearly 80 new recruits in Scotland and worldwide during 2025. 

For the nine months ending June 2025, ThaiBev reported revenue of Bt258.62bn (US$8.15bn), down 0.4% year on year. Revenue from the spirits arm was flat at Bt92.78bn (US$1.05B), while EBITDA slipped 5.4% to Bt22.16bn (US$251.5M). 

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