By the time he steps down from the board on March 31, Mr Gillies will have chaired the Glasgow-based Scotch whisky distiller for eight years.
Edrington, which also owns the Highland Park single malt brand, said: “During his tenure Edrington has seen sustained growth, with highlights including the opening of the new distillery at The Macallan in 2018 and core revenue rising to over £1 billion.”
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Mr Gillies is being succeeded by Angus Cockburn, whose previous roles have included his time as chief financial officer of temporary power company Aggreko. Mr Cockburn has been a non-executive director of Edrington for more than four years.
Mr McCroskie said: “Crawford has been an outstanding chair, helping to steer the company through a period of significant growth despite volatile trading conditions. The board and executive team are grateful for his dedicated service and the positive impact he has had on Edrington during his tenure. On a personal level I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Crawford and have learned a lot from him.
“Angus has been a great support to the business as a non-executive director for the past four years and we are all delighted to welcome him as chair as Edrington faces into a more challenging trading environment.”
Mr Cockburn is a chartered accountant with an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the IMD Business School in Switzerland and is an honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh.
Edrington noted: “Prior to joining the Edrington board as a non-executive director in September 2020, he had a highly successful career as a CFO, senior finance officer and non-executive director with several major international companies.
“He was chief financial officer of Serco Group plc and, before that, CFO of Aggreko plc. He is currently chair of James Fisher & Sons plc, senior independent director of Ashtead Group plc and a non-executive director of BAE Systems plc.”
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Mr Cockburn said: “It is an honour to be taking over from Crawford as chair of Edrington, a unique business that has such a clear purpose in that it competes globally with some of the world’s best-known brands whilst being owned by a charitable trust, The Robertson Trust, and plays a significant role in Scotland’s economy.
“Crawford leaves the business in good health, and I look forward to supporting the executive team as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
Mr Gillies said: “It has been a privilege to chair Edrington and to witness the growth and resilience of the company and its world-class portfolio of ultra-premium spirits. I have been impressed by the ‘Giving More’ charitable ethos that is at the heart of the unique culture and values demonstrated by its extraordinary people around the world.
“I wish Angus every success in his role as chair of Edrington and know his background as one of the UK’s most experienced CFOs and non-executive directors will be invaluable to Edrington in the coming years.”
In July, Edrington unveiled a 6% rise in underlying annual pre-tax profits to £411 million as core revenues jumped 11% to £1.165 billion.
Mr McCroskie voiced his belief at that stage that Edrington’s results for the 12 months to March 31 were “among the best in the spirits industry”. However, mulling the outlook, he also highlighted his expectations that demand would be adversely affected by economic pressures seen in the second half of the financial year to March 2024.
The chief executive declared in July that the “post-Covid spirits boom” had come to “an abrupt end” during the year to March 31.
And he revealed that Glasgow-based Edrington was consequently planning for lower levels of growth than those seen since the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
