He died peacefully this morning (December 18), with his family at his side. The board has appointed acting chairman John Manser as chairman with immediate effect, and has appointed Guy Elliott as senior independent director in succession to John Manser.
On behalf of the board of SABMiller, Manser said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Graham’s wife and family. Graham was one of the most inspirational and successful leaders in international business by any measure. Everyone in the SABMiller family has been blessed by his vision, his loyalty, and his friendship during his 35 years with the group. He will be deeply missed. The board has every confidence that under Alan Clark's leadership, we will continue to build on Graham's legacy, and fulfil his vision to make SABMiller the most admired company in the global beer industry.”
The board will make a further announcement in due course about the appointment of a chairman to succeed John Manser for the longer term, but it is expected that to facilitate succession planning and to allow an appropriate period of familiarisation and handover, John Manser will defer his previously expected retirement date for approximately one year to July 2015.
