Europe & Asia: Molson Coors appoints new president and CEO of its EMEA & APAC region

Molson Coors said on January 2 it had named Phil Whitehead, an 18-year veteran of the company and most recently its Managing Director in Western Europe, as the next president and CEO of its EMEA & APAC region, effective Jan 1, 2025.

Prior to his eight-year tenure as Managing Director of Western Europe, Whitehead oversaw Molson Coors’ supply chain functions for 12 European markets.

Above premium brands comprise over 50% of Molson Coors’ EMEA & APAC net brand revenue, and global CEO Gavin Hattersley believes Whitehead is the ideal person to lead this part of the business due to his wide-ranging expertise and ability to drive portfolio transformation.

“Notable among Phil’s accomplishments is the launch of Madri Excepcional, our most successful innovation in many years,” said Hattersley. “He has also overseen many years of growth and achievement including growing above premium brands Staropramen, Pravha and Cobra, and diversifying beyond beer with the acquisition of Aspall Cyder.”

Starting in the UK and Ireland business back in 2006, Whitehead has worked his way up the ranks over his 18-year tenure with the company.

Along with his business success, Hattersley also explained that Whitehead has the necessary leadership skills to lead the EMEA & APAC organization.

“He is an authentic, values-led leader and a real team player,” said Hattersley. “And I am confident Phil will put this strong combination of leadership traits to work to the benefit of our EMEA & APAC business, and all of Molson Coors.”

A former Chair of the British Beer and Pub Association and strong advocate for the beer and hospitality industry in the UK, Whitehead said of his new appointment, “It has been an absolute honour to have led our Western Europe business over the past 8 years. I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with a fantastic local team and alongside great customers and peers as part of our wider brewing industry. I look forward to taking this next step with a company I am incredibly proud has been my home over the past 18 years while continuing to work alongside my EMEA & APAC and global colleagues to drive the successful growth of our business.”

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .