The Worldwide Brewing Alliance appoints new Chair
The Worldwide Brewing Alliance (WBA) has appointed Emma McClarkin as the new Chair.
McClarkin currently serves as the Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA). She has now begun a two-year term at WBA, filling the role left vacant by Jim McGreevy, the Beer Institute’s (USA) former President and CEO and the WBA’s former Chair.
Prior to joining the BBPA in 2019, McClarkin served as a British Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands for 10 years. In that time, she also served as Vice President of the European Parliament Beer Club. She has also held posts including Chairman of the Commonwealth Forum and Director of Global Policy for the Sports Integrity Global Alliance and is currently a Non-Executive Director of The Federation Against Copyright Theft, Hampshire Cricket and the Ivors Academy, and is a Trusted Advisor to the Department of International Trade. In 2022, Emma received an OBE for services to the UK’s beer and pub industry throughout the pandemic.
Since her appointment at BBPA, she has helped secure support for brewers and pubs as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic as well as major changes to the UK excise duty regime to incentivize the consumption of lower strength drinks.
The WBA is a global community of brewers and brewing trade associations from around the world, representing more than 80% of global beer production.