Chance for a better future
I was a member of the British Beer & Pub Association council for a number of years and I heard the news of the departure of the chief executive, Rob Hayward, with mixed feelings. The job is very difficult and largely thankless.
Rob was hard working and committed, and had managed the organisation through 10 years of change and challenges. He and his team had achieved much. And change at the top of the BBPA at this critical time is, to say the least, not ideal timing.
However, change has been needed. The current challenges that the industry faces are very serious and a grave threat to its long-term prosperity.
A different, more proactive approach from the industry's leading body over the past few years would have eased the position faced today. It is debatable how much of the responsibility rests with the chief executive and how much with the senior industry leaders on the management committee who guide and direct him and his team. Past leaders have not always provided united and effective direction, and in some cases perhaps simply not enough time. On occasion, it would appear that personal or corporate interests have compromised the cogency and strength of the BBPA message to Government and opinion-formers.
Anyway, now is the time to learn from the past and seize the opportunity for fundamental change. The current board clearly has a determination to change things. There appear to be three ways forward:
- Firstly, hire a new chief executive, make some relatively minor changes and press on. Unfortunately, more of the same is unlikely to work. The problems lie deeper, and the solution must be more comprehensive.
- Secondly, allow the BBPA to split into its subsidiary prime interest groups of international and regional brewers, and managed and tenanted pubcos, with some weaker over-arching body. This option has its advocates.
But greater fragmentation is certainly not the answer when the industry is already having enough difficulty getting a clear and credible message across. The commercial
link between pub and brewer may not be as close as it was, but in the minds of the UK's key opinion-formers and, indeed, the industry's own customers and staff, the two remain synonymous — and, frankly, that is the audience that counts.
- The third option is to do the exact opposite — rebuild and strengthen the BBPA and significantly broaden its constituency within the sector, and its credibility in wider society.
This will be the most difficult, but in my view it is the only option. The BBPA must not be seen as dominated by the vested interest of big brewers or, more recently, big pubcos. It needs to work much more closely with all the other important organisations in the sector and present a position that is in the best interests of what its name suggests -beer and pubs as a category.
This means it must conduct more open and rational debates on the key issues, be more even-handed, and provide a well-considered and inspiring vision for the healthy future of the sector. It must command much wider respect; it must lead with confidence
and with a passion for beer and pubs.
What does this mean in practice? The leadership must be improved — the chief executive should have the remit, capability and authority to lead. He or she must be actively supported by an expanded board with a range of skills from both inside and outside the industry — not just those who work for the largest companies.
It is important that they commit sufficient time to really make a difference, perhaps one day a week to start with, dropping to two days a month once the immediate issues have been resolved. Given these are busy people, and to ensure a range of fresh ideas, the tenure should normally be no more than two consecutive years. It will be important to include one or two directors from close partner bodies such as the BII, ALMR, Camra, Siba, IBD, APPBG and others.
There should be much wider consultation with the council of all BBPA members so they are more actively engaged. The measure of success will be when new members wish to join.
The BBPA's culture and ethos should change so that it will be completely unacceptable to push policies that suit a particular interest group, but are not evidently in the interest of the sector as a whole. This will require policy formulation to be debated openly and thoroughly, with a wide level of high-quality inputs from different groups so the final conclusion carries a broad mandate and authority, and has been tested by intense scrutiny.It is likely that special interest groups will form to argue their cases,
but the mark of success for the new BBPA will come when they have provided a forum that allows all views to be aired and a consensus then emerges because everyone recognises the over-arching big picture. It would be really helpful if issues such as minimum pricing on alcohol, the role of alcohol in society, alcohol and health, how to attract a new generation of pub-goers and new licensees were properly debated — the BBPA should act as a catalyst, with conferences, forums and research projects to move thinking on.
Finally, funding must be fairly spread and affordable, particularly in the current tough business environment. It should also be structured so that notice periods for withdrawal are longer to avoid larger companies bringing pressure to bear by threatening their withdrawal.
This will not be easy — but where there's a will there's a way. There are many add-on services that could be revenue-generating, but, most importantly, if companies start seeing success and added benefits, they will want to support, and new companies
to join.
The cosy club of the old Brewers' Society spectacularly failed when it had little influence on the ill-conceived Beer Orders - and huge numbers of people in the industry suffered as a result. The BBPA has done better, but still doesn't serve the
industry sufficiently well. The board can now grab the chance to provide a new vision, not just for the hardworking staff within the BBPA, but for the tens of thousands of licensees, brewery staff and suppliers who are crying out for a strong industry champion.
Rupert Thompson is the former chief executive of Refresh UK and currently a consultant and investor in the leisure sector.
Contact ehcreg.gubzcfba@gnyxgnyx.arg
