Executive Search to Board Effectiveness: A Decade of Leadership Impact at Adnams

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Sept2024 Adnamsghostfamilyfullframe Ant0079 Photocredit Anthonycullen

Our Client

Adnams plc – a 150-year-old Southwold-based brewer, distiller and hospitality business.

The Brief

Adnams appointed Pure Executive to lead a national search for a permanent Chief Financial Officer, a pivotal role in supporting the next phase of the organisation’s journey.

The CFO appointment was central to strengthening financial resilience, embedding greater commerciality across the business and providing confident, credible leadership at Board level.

The successful candidate needed to combine:

  • Strategic and operational financial leadership.
  • Experience in manufacturing-led and asset-intensive environments.
  • Strong credibility with shareholders, banks and external stakeholders.
  • A leadership style aligned with Adnams’ values, culture and heritage.

The Context: Board Transition and Strategic Reset

The CFO search followed a period of significant leadership and board transition.

In July 2024, Adnams’ CFO, Jenny Hanlon, was promoted to Chief Executive Officer, marking an important moment of internal succession and continuity. During this period, Pure Executive supported Jenny and the Board through the appointment of an Interim Funding Director.

During this phase, the Board implemented a simplified business strategy, including:

  • A strategic asset disposal programme.
  • Rigorous cost and cash management.
  • Strengthened banking and funding relationships.

The Board was then able to appoint a permanent CFO to support the next stage of Adnams’ journey.

The Search Process

Pure Executive led a rigorous and inclusive national search for a CFO, focusing on senior finance leaders across the UK drinks, food and FMCG manufacturing sectors, while also considering adjacent consumer and hospitality businesses of comparable scale and complexity.

A core objective was to deliver a balanced shortlist that reflected Adnams’ culture and values, brought fresh perspective to the Board, and identified an effective leader of change capable of winning hearts and minds.

Combining detailed market mapping and targeted headhunting with robust assessment of technical capability, leadership style and cultural alignment, the search was led by Executive Director Jodie Woodrow in close partnership with Jenny Hanlon and the Board, underpinned by ongoing dialogue and a trusted relationship developed over several years.

The Outcome

Andy Driscoll was appointed as Chief Financial Officer, starting in September 2025.

Andy brought a compelling blend of experience and fit, including:

  • Providing commercial insight across the organisation to deliver step change at pace.
  • Board-level CFO experience across FMCG manufacturing and logistics, including Kettle Foods, Valeo Snackfoods and Constellation Cold Logistics.
  • A strong track record in funding, restructuring and bank relationship management.
  • Extensive experience in shareholder and board engagement.
  • Deloitte-trained with strong technical foundations.

His appointment provides Adnams with the financial leadership, credibility and partnership required to support the organisation’s long-term ambitions.

A Decade of Board and Leadership Impact

Pure Executive has worked alongside Adnams for over a decade, first being engaged in 2014 to support a range of managerial, leadership and board-level appointments.

Over time, this work has evolved in line with the needs of the business and Adnams’ leadership journey. What began as executive and leadership search has developed into a broad, integrated advisory relationship, supporting Adnams across multiple phases of growth, transition and renewal.

This has included:

Board Composition, Governance and Succession

  • Appointment of Simon Townsend (January 2023) and Sacha Berendji (February 2023) as Independent Non-Executive Directors.
  • Simon Townsend’s subsequent promotion to Acting Chair in September 2024.

Executive Succession and C-Suite Appointments

  • Appointment of Jenny Hanlon as Chief Financial Officer in 2020.
  • CEO succession search led by Lynn Walters, resulting in Jenny’s promotion to Chief Executive Officer in 2024.
  • Appointment of Andy Driscoll as Chief Financial Officer in 2025.

Interim and Transition Support at Board Level

  • Appointment of an Interim Funding Director to provide stability and expertise during a period of financial and strategic transition.

Leadership Capability and Development

  • Design and delivery of a bespoke Leadership Development Programme in 2014, led by Lynn Walters, strengthening leadership effectiveness across the senior team.

Organisational Capability and Management Recruitment

Alongside this board and executive work, Adnams has also partnered with the wider Pure Resourcing Solutions Group to recruit a range of junior and middle-management roles across the organisation.

This has enabled Adnams to build capability beneath the executive team and Board, strengthening functional leadership and operational delivery while maintaining alignment with the organisation’s culture and strategic direction.

By combining Pure Executive’s board-level expertise with Pure’s wider management recruitment capability, Adnams has benefited from:

  • Consistency in leadership expectations across the organisation.
  • Scalable recruitment support during periods of change.
  • A joined-up, end-to-end approach to building organisational capability through a single trusted partner.

Summary

Andy Driscoll’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer represents the latest step in a carefully sequenced leadership and board journey at Adnams.

Over more than a decade, Pure Executive and the wider Pure Resourcing Solutions Group have supported Adnams across executive search, board composition, succession planning, interim leadership, leadership development and management recruitment — ensuring continuity where it matters and evolution where it is required.

Client Testimonial

Jenny Hanlon, Chief Executive Officer, Adnams

“I’ve worked with Pure and Pure Executive for many years, having placed me in a role over 17 years ago and more latterly the CFO role and the CEO role at Adnams. From a candidate perspective their insight, attention to detail and coaching was immensely supportive and balanced.

As an employer, the Pure Executive team have worked with the Adnams business in numerous hires, including two senior appointments very recently. Their candidate profiling and deep understanding of both the individuals and the business was invaluable. I genuinely do not know another firm that compares in this regard. Their national reach and ability to find people who truly fit sets them apart.”