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6th April 2023

Molson Coors hires former Suntory marketing boss

Molson Coors Beverage Company has appointed Hannah Norbury as its new marketing director for Western Europe. 

Hannah joins from food and beverage company Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, the owner of drinks brands including Lucozade, Orangina and Ribena, and was previously head of marketing at GlaxoSmithKline. 

Hannah will sit on Molson Coors’ regional leadership team for Western Europe, led by managing director Phil Whitehead. Her role encompasses oversight of all Molson Coors brands in the UK and Western Europe and she will be responsible for marketing strategy and investment across the portfolio. 

Phil Whitehead, managing director for Western Europe at Molson Coors, said: “Hannah brings a wealth of experience to the team. She will be instrumental in helping us to further harness the power of our award-winning portfolio, from brands like Madrí Excepcional, the UK’s most successful ever new beer launch, Staropramen and Aspall Cyder, to Cobra, Coors and Carling, Britain’s number-one lager. 

“As the beer and brewing industries rebuild after the pandemic and face into new economic challenges, the role of our brands in helping customers to drive sales is ever more important. With Hannah’s strong track record of delivering successful beverage brand campaigns, her experience will be a great asset to our team and our customers.” 

According to data from CGA, Madrí Excepcional delivered the highest ever value sales by an alcohol brand in its first year after launch1 and Carling recently marked 30 years as the UK’s best-selling beer2 

At Suntory, Hannah was instrumental in driving transformational sustainability initiatives including moving Ribena and Lucozade products to packaging that both contained more recycled content and was itself more recyclable. She also oversaw Lucozade’s gender equality campaign – Football is Football – during the Women’s Euros in 2022.  

Hannah said: “Beyond a great brand portfolio, Molson Coors’ genuinely people-first culture really attracted me to the role, and I knew straight away that it’s a business with similar values to my own.  

“I’ve loved seeing first-hand how that values-led culture comes to life both through the brands, with Carling’s work in championing women’s football through its partnership with the Vitality Women’s FA Cup or its support of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), or through the great progress Molson Coors is making against its sustainability goals. This role is a real opportunity to work with an incredibly talented group of people in an exciting industry, with an amazing portfolio of established best sellers and exciting new entrants to the drinks market, all underpinned by a culture that really chimes with my own personal values.” 

ENDS  

About Molson Coors 

For more than two centuries Molson Coors has been brewing beverages that unite people for all of life’s moments. In the UK and Ireland we now have four breweries, with our UK home in the renowned brewing town, Burton upon Trent, and a nearly 300-year-old cider press in Suffolk. 

Molson Coors produces some of the most beloved and iconic beer brands ever made. While the company’s history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle. Our growing beverage portfolio in the UK and Ireland includes Aspall Cyder, Atlantic Pale Ale, Cobra, Madri Excepcional, Pravha, Staropramen and Rekorderlig, alongside popular favourites Coors, Carling – the UK’s number one selling lager, and the UK’s number one selling cask ale – Doom Bar.  

Molson Coors Beverage Company is a publicly traded company that is traded on the New York and Canadian Stock Exchange (TAP). The company’s commitment to raising industry standards and leaving a positive imprint on our employees, consumers, communities and the environment is reflected in Our ImPrint and our 2025 sustainability targets. To learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors.  


For further information, please contact James Yap, Citypress, James.Yapp@citypress.co.uk