AG Barr taps Darren Shapland for chair
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Tuesday 01 Sep 2026
(Sharecast News) - Drinks business AG Barr announced on Tuesday that Darren Shapland has joined the board as independent non‑executive director and chair, effective immediately, succeeding Susan Barratt, who had been serving as interim chair since January.
AG Barr said Shapland brings four decades of financial, operational and governance experience across major UK retail and consumer businesses. He currently chairs Hollywood Bowl and sits on the board of JD Sports Fashion, with previous roles including chair positions at Topps Tiles and Poundland, and non‑executive posts at Ladbrokes and Ferguson.
With his appointment, Barratt returns to her role as senior independent director, while Louise Smalley steps down as interim SID and continues as a non‑executive director and chair of the group's remuneration committee.
Chief executive Euan Sutherland said: "On behalf of the entire team, I want to thank Susan for her exceptionally steady leadership as Interim Chair over the past few months, and I am very pleased that the business will continue to benefit from her deep commercial insight.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Darren to AG Barr. His wealth of consumer, commercial, and financial expertise will be invaluable as we continue to drive long-term value for our shareholders, build our brand momentum, and execute our growth strategy."
As of 0945 BST, AG Barr shares were up 0.57% at 599.41p.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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