Julian Grocock, former managing director of East Midlands pub group Tynemill — which also owns the Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham — takes up his new post on 20 August determined to reinforce SIBA’s position as the professional voice of quality brewing.
He said: “I have a passion for British beer and I’m dedicated to its survival and to the prosperity of its individual champions. Now is the time for SIBA to demonstrate that it speaks for the independent brewing sector with a powerful voice and to show that it has a coherent and cohesive plan for the development of the beer industry.

“SIBA is an integral part of the burgeoning movement for good food and local produce and its members offer affordable quality for all drinkers, especially with its Direct Delivery Scheme that gives local brewers the opportunity to send their beers direct to pubs owned by multiple chains and to supermarkets.”

Mr Grocock, 53, began his working life as a history teacher at Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, and became a director of Tynemill in 1985. He was operations director from 1996 before being promoted to MD in 2002. He took voluntary redundancy during a reorganisation last year.

SIBA has 400 brewing members, ranging from long-established regional companies to small-to-medium-sized local operations set up over the past 30 years.