The Hindu Business Line : SABMiller CEO visiting India

THE Chief Executive Officer of SABMiller Plc, Mr Graham Mackay, will arrive in the Capital on Thursday for a two-day visit to the country. He is likely to have a series of meetings with senior Government functionaries in the Capital before leaving for Bangalore. He would leave for London on Friday after a brief stopover at Mumbai.

This is Mr Mackay's first visit to India after SABMiller started local operations four years ago. Last year, it acquired 50 per cent stake and management control in Shaw Wallace Breweries in a deal valued at $133 million, which was the biggest in the history of Indian alcoholic beverages market. The joint venture accounts for roughly 36 per cent share of the Indian beer market pegged at around 80 million cases annually.

Mr Mackay's tour will include meetings with top political personalities and bureaucrats. His visit is being accorded importance as SABMiller has identified India as one of the target markets that offers scope for growth. Significantly, over the last three years, SABMiller has already invested Rs 600 crore in India.

Mr Mackay was appointed chief executive of South African Breweries Plc (now SABMiller Plc) in 1999. He has led SAB's rapid global expansion and has been instrumental in some of the biggest corporate deals in recent times, including the acquisition of Miller Brewing Company of US that helped create SABMiller Plc in July 2002.