Darren Shapland succeeds Susan Barratt, who has served as Interim Non-Executive Chair since 15 January 2026 following the departure of Mark Allen OBE.
The new appointment comes as the company recently revealed that it had seen £10m wiped off its balance sheet due to distribution issues.
Shapland brings 40 years of “extensive” financial, operational, and governance experience within major UK retail, leisure and other consumer businesses, the company said.
He is a former chief financial officer at UK supermarket chain J Sainsbury Plc as well as being CFO at Carpetright Plc and Superdrug.
His previous public board roles include serving as Non-Executive Chair of UK retail chains Topps Tiles and Poundland. He was also formerly a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at each of Ladbrokes and Ferguson.
He currently serves as the Non-Executive Chair of Hollywood Bowl Group and as an independent Non-Executive Director at JD Sports Fashion.
As part of this role he will assume the position of Chair of the Nomination Committee and will be a member of the Remuneration and ESG Committees. As a result of his appointment Barrett will step down as Interim Chair and resumes her role as Senior Independent Director.
Concurrently, Louise Smalley steps down from her role as Interim Senior Independent Director, a position she has held since 15 January 2026, and will continue to serve on the Board as an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
Darren Shapland, said: “AG Barr is a business with a truly unique heritage, powerful brands, and a highly robust financial foundation. I am delighted to be taking over as Chair at such a pivotal time in the Company’s journey. I look forward to working with Euan and Susan, and the rest of the Board and executive leadership team to support the business in achieving its long-term strategic objectives.”
Euan Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer, added:“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.”
