The Big Interview: SIBA’s new Chief Executive, Andy Slee

SIBA’s newly appointed Chief Executive Andy Slee is a passionate and outspoken advocate for the brewing and pub sector who has worked in the industry since the 1980s. He will already be a familiar face to many within the sector. And having worked on both the pub and beer side for Bass in the early stages of his career, he went on to work for other big names within both drinks and retail with senior roles at Punch Taverns and Coca-Cola. This eventually lead him towards an end of the market he has always been extremely passionate about both personally and professionally with his appointment as Chairman of Black Sheep Brewery and as a Non-Executive Director at Titanic Brewery, so the move to SIBA seemed a logical one, in an organisation he had always admired and often supported with advice behind the scenes. Since taking the helm at SIBA officially at the start of the year, Andy has been on a whirlwind tour of the country, attending every one of SIBA’s regional meetings and getting to know SIBA members, their concerns and aspirations, better. With the independent brewing sector still experiencing some turbulent times, Andy has hit the ground running with a number of ambitious plans, including the ‘Make it 20%’ campaign, aimed at winning an increase to the Government’s proposed duty differential for draught products, as well as an overall goal of getting SIBA Members’ share of the UK beer market up from 6% to 10%. And as a passionate supporter of cask beer, Andy is determined that SIBA will also be a major force behind the new cross-industry Cask Fresh campaign that hopes to win consumers over when it comes to choosing cask. Independent Brewer’s Editor Caroline Nodder spoke to Andy back in January to hear more about his plans for SIBA and his thoughts on some of the challenges his members are currently facing…

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What is your background and how did you come to work in the brewing sector?

“I started in the industry in the mid-80s at Bass, so I’ve been around for a while. I spent 12 years at Bass, both working on the brewery side and the pub side. I then spent 12 years at Coca Cola, running sales teams as their commercial sales director for all their sales to the on-trade. And then I spent five years at Punch. I was part of the turnaround team at Punch at that time working for Roger Whiteside, who went on to become the Chief Executive at Gregg’s, and at that point, I took the decision to step out of corporate life really, and get involved in a sector that I’ve always been interested in, which is independent brewing. That was when I took up positions at Black Sheep and Titanic, so it’s a sector that’s always interested me, both from a professional point of view and as a consumer. At Punch I spent some time dealing with independent brewers, when Punch Taverns joined Beerflex, so I was on the other side of the table then but I was always inspired by the energy and the enthusiasm and the entrepreneurial spirit that came out of the British independent brewing sector. SIBA was an organisation I had always admired, actually. It was a group of like-minded individuals that want to promote independent brewing and that have achieved some tremendous things over the years.”

When did you take over as SIBA’s CEO and what led you to apply for the role?

“I've actually been helping SIBA out for a while on the commercial side behind the scenes on Beerflex. Helping them develop relationships with some of the customers I know, but very much back-of-house really. And the more I got involved with SIBA, the more I liked what I saw. Not only the challenges, but the opportunities that there are for independent brewers. So when the vacancy came up, it was the logical step.”

How do you see SIBA’s key role within the UK brewing sector?

“The key role is that it's the only truly authentic voice for independent British beer. And its role is promoting our members as a force for good, not just within the beer market, but also within the communities that our members serve across the country.”

SIBA has a very diverse membership, does this make strategising at SIBA more difficult?

What are your priorities in your first few months as CEO?

“Initially, it is meeting as many of our members as possible. So I've been doing that over the last couple of months. And obviously, with my time at Black Sheep, I've got a pretty good understanding of the nuances and the challenges of running bigger independent breweries, having been very close to that for a number of years. But what I need to understand is the challenges behind running a more contemporary brewery or smaller brewery. So that's the first thing, to understand that. One of the things that has come up in the conversations I've had so far, is that there's a number of benefits of SIBA membership that aren't clear to brewers. So that's one of the things I want to focus on is promoting the benefits of SIBA membership both to SIBA members and to prospective SIBA members. We're also about to launch a big new initiative, which is the ‘Make it 20%’ campaign on lower draught duty, to increase the differential on lower draught duty to 20% from the 5% that's been announced. And then I will also be focussing on understanding the implications to brewers of the various Deposit Return Schemes that will impact us all, and helping the wonderful head office team deliver a successful BeerX.”

“It can do. But actually those smaller members I've spoken to, and I've asked them what their challenges are, they say, ‘actually my challenges are that I pay too much tax compared to my mate who runs another business, I've got a problem with access to market, I've got a problem with recruiting and retaining staff, and I've got a big concern about input costs’. So although it is a bit different, those four things affect a big brewery just as much as they affect a small brewery, just in different proportions. So, while the members might think they are different, I would suggest they’ve got a lot more in common than they have differences. All of us have got more in common with each other than any of us has with Diageo. One of the key things will be to emphasise what we do all have in common, and the fact for all of us to be successful we need to accentuate what we all have in common but recognise there will always be differences on certain things.”

SIBA is a democratic organisation, how can members make sure their views are heard by you and the board?

“One way would be to come to regional meetings. I'm just about to do a ‘world tour’ of all SIBA’s regional meetings. I'm going to all of them. And then secondly, if they can't do that, just drop me an email. And if I can't get to the brewery to pick it up personally, then we'll organise a Zoom call so we can have a chat. I've spoken to 30 or so people already. The members of the Executive, the senior management team and members, and I've found every single conversation I've had has been of use. I've picked up something from everybody that I've spoken to, that I actually hadn't thought of, or an idea about something. So I'd encourage people just to talk to me and the team.”

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SIBA’s lobbying work consistently tops the list of member priorities in the annual SIBA Members’ Survey, is this an area you will be heavily involved with?

“The first thing to say is that I have nothing but admiration for what SIBA has achieved in lobbying over the years. The work, particularly that Barry [Barry Watts, SIBA’s Head of Public Affairs & Policy] has done has been outstanding. I have got some experience in that area, I represented Black Sheep with government during my time there so I have an understanding of the issues affecting small brewers. My plan would be to get involved in that where I can add value over and above what Barry is doing. I'll get involved when I need to be.”

Are there any big new initiatives you’re planning this year?

“The big idea that we'll be sharing with the regions and also at the SIBA Board meeting is our aspiration to grow the SIBA member beers’ share of a thriving UK beer market from 6% to 10%. Our American cousins have 14% of the American beer market, and it's worth 25% by value. So there's no reason why SIBA members shouldn't have a 10% market share. And there are three projects we're going to be kicking off to help us achieve that. One is what help we need from government. The second one is putting together a commercial story about why independent brewery beers are the right thing for customers of all sizes - and that includes the pub companies and the supermarkets. And then the third one is what member services should we be offering if we want to grow from 6% to 10% - what help could we provide for those breweries that want to join us on that journey. But we also recognise there are many breweries I've spoken to who have said you know what, I admire your aspiration, but I'm happy where I am. And I've got no problem with that at all, whatever is right for their business. So we're working on plans in all of those areas. And if we need more resources in certain areas, I'm happy to go to the Board and ask for them, obviously with a very well thought through business case.”

Route to market continues to be a huge issue for small independent brewers, what is your view on how SIBA should help address this?

“Members from across the country talk to me about where they believe their access to market is being restricted. I’m a passionate believer in a ‘demand pull’ rather than a ‘supply push’ beer market as I know members’ beers sell well and add to the offer of any pub and bar when they are made available. Members with concerns on access to market should email either Barry [barry.watts@siba.co.uk] or myself [andy.slee@ siba.co.uk] with specific examples of where you believe your access has been hindered.”

Cask ale has been something you have championed in your previous role at Black Sheep, what can SIBA do now to address its accelerating decline?

“Cask beer is an integral part of a vibrant beer portfolio. If you went to the marketing department of any company and said, ‘I’ve come up with a new product, which is fresh, is served in 100% recyclable containers, is consumed fairly close to the point of production so has got really good green credentials and is uniquely British’, then they'd think they’d died and gone to heaven. Yet we already have that in cask beer. And first of all, we have to promote all beer, all beer is important, but cask beer is disproportionately important to SIBA members. So we have to promote these positive aspects of cask to consumers and promote it to younger consumers that aren't aware of those merits. We're working on a cross-industry Cask Fresh campaign and we'll be supporting that through our members. That's being spearheaded by CAMRA, but we're being very active in supporting it just to try and change the dial on attitudes to cask. As part of the research for that campaign, 18-to-24-year-olds were asked, ‘What is the freshest product in a pub?’. And their answer was, ‘bottles of Budweiser’. What that shows to me is what an appalling job the British beer industry has done in communicating something that is unique, that is fantastic, that is uniquely British. It's our fault, as an industry. We need to change that, and that’s what the Cask Fresh project is about. No SIBA member is big enough on their own to create an impact in this area. We've got to do it collectively.”

Energy price rises mean sustainability in brewing has moved from being a ‘nice to have’ to an essential. How will you be approaching this through SIBA?

“It strikes me that a number of the solutions to help members in this area are already out there. The challenge is about how we share that knowledge and information in the most effective way. So for example, Eddie Gadd is doing a really interesting CO2 recapture project [see Independent Brewer’s Winter 2022 edition for full details]. And the great thing with Eddie is he's really happy to share what he's done. So one of the challenges here sharing that kind of best practice as opposed to having to reinvent the wheel. If there are things already out there that are working, how do we share that to a broader forum as quickly as we can? One of the ways we can use which has been quite successful is webinars – this is something the American Brewers Association do really successfully. We can invite people online to a webinar on a particular topic, they can attend live or we can record it and put it online so they can watch it whenever they like. We've got a couple of those coming up, one is on the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, and we've got one planned on the changes we've made to Beerflex, and how that can help people's businesses. And we're looking for other topics so environmental issues and energy savings will no doubt be right up there.”

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Do you think the pandemic has permanently changed consumer attitudes to craft beer in the UK market?

“People are more inclined to support local businesses post pandemic, and particularly those businesses that supported their communities during lockdown. And there’s a really strong franchise for independent brewers’ beers in communities across the land. What we've got to do is create an environment in which that’s allowed to thrive.”

Do you anticipate significant brewery closures within the sector in 2023?

“The economic outlook is challenging for everybody in every sector. And there's no doubt there will be continuing challenges, but it is important not to talk ourselves into a downward spiral. The thing SIBA can do is support our members who are concerned about the future. Napthens, who are the company solicitors, offer a free hour’s advice to SIBA members and there have been a number of brewers ringing up concerned about the future and how they can be helped. Almost inevitably, Napthens say, in almost 100% of cases people ring up about two months too late. So one of the key things is to use that free advice as a SIBA member if you are concerned but take that advice early.”

SIBA members are generally nimble and hugely innovative. Who do you see succeeding in the current market?

“I think those brewers who have got more control over their route to consumer are the ones that I sense are doing best. So they've got retail outlets, whether it's a brewery tap or pub or bar, or they've got a really good website with a good loyal membership base, those are the ones that have really impressed. Those that are doing that are innovative in terms of styles of beer, and don't compromise on quality. It is quite easy when times are tough to compromise on quality. And then there are initiatives like Eddie Gadd’s which are looking at longer term thinking, and are potentially game changing for everybody.”

Who do you most admire in the beer and brewing sector and why?

“I had a really good, informative call with Bob Pease, the Chief Executive of the American Brewers Association, just before Christmas. And the clouds parted a little bit, because there are many similarities in the two markets, and we can share experiences in the two markets. So that gives me confidence that there are other people facing the same challenges as we have. He would definitely be one person I admire, and in fact he is speaking this year at BeerX UK in Liverpool in March. In brewing, I don't want to pick any individual out, but in all the conversations I've had I would come back to that point that I've picked up something from everybody I've spoken to. Everybody has something to contribute, and I admire anyone running an independent brewery in the UK today.”

What interests do you have outside of work?

“I’m married with two kids and live in Stoke on Trent. My main interests outside work are cricket, which I played competitively up until a couple of years ago and football. I have been a season ticket holder at Stoke City for more years than is good for my sanity! I also always have some music on – my tastes are as varied as Joy Division, Julian Cope, Underworld, Sigur Ros and The Fall.”

What do you love most about beer and brewing?

“The people. Simple. The sector attracts a certain type of person. They're a social convivial, friendly, bunch. And I'm still in touch with people that I joined Bass with back in 1987. I'm still in touch with people from every company that I've worked for. It's just a great environment to work in. And if you're in trouble, you know you can pick up the phone to somebody, and somebody will always help you out.”