Kingsland Drinks names new managing director
Kingsland Drinks Group has named Sarah Baldwin as its new CEO, with the Purity Soft Drinks CEO due to take the helm of the Manchester-based business this April. The post Kingsland Drinks names new managing director appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Kingsland Drinks Group has named Sarah Baldwin as its new CEO, with the Purity Soft Drinks CEO due to take the helm of the Manchester-based business this April.
Baldwin will succeed, Ed Baker, who joined Kingsland Drinks Group as finance director in 2013 and oversaw the company's transition to an employee-owned model in 2021, left the company, and indeed the drinks sector as a whole, in November 2024.
Kingsland Drinks Group chairman Andy Sagar commented: "Sarah’s extensive experience in drinks and the wider FMCG [Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] industry will play a considerable role in the coming years as we continue to build our position as a competitive full-service drinks company."
"We cater for every part of the drinks industry, from UK high street retailers and the national on trade, to global brands requiring a production and packing partner and challenger brands wishing to scale," Sagar continued. "We are confident that Sarah’s expertise and vision will continue to drive our company forward and help us deliver our long-term company vision – to build a better drinks industry and society."
Kingsland Drinks partners with more than 40 wine producers, ranging from Ukraine's Bolgrad Winery to French wine powerhouse Barton & Guestier. In recent years, the company has increasingly focused on alternative packaging, such as bag-in-box and cans, as well as the emerging ready-to-drink (RTD) and no and low alcohol categories.
Baldwin, a long-standing board member and executive council member of the British Soft Drinks Association who spent six years as Purity Soft Drinks CEO and previously held high positions with Gü Puds, Arla Foods and Asda, said of her new role: "I’m joining a talented and well-developed team in a unique business at an exciting time. I very much embrace the opportunity to embark on this new chapter at Kingsland Drinks Group and be part of how the firm grows in the long term."
Baldwin will succeed, Ed Baker, who joined Kingsland Drinks Group as finance director in 2013 and oversaw the company's transition to an employee-owned model in 2021, left the company, and indeed the drinks sector as a whole, in November 2024.
Kingsland Drinks Group chairman Andy Sagar commented: "Sarah’s extensive experience in drinks and the wider FMCG [Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] industry will play a considerable role in the coming years as we continue to build our position as a competitive full-service drinks company."
"We cater for every part of the drinks industry, from UK high street retailers and the national on trade, to global brands requiring a production and packing partner and challenger brands wishing to scale," Sagar continued. "We are confident that Sarah’s expertise and vision will continue to drive our company forward and help us deliver our long-term company vision – to build a better drinks industry and society."
Kingsland Drinks partners with more than 40 wine producers, ranging from Ukraine's Bolgrad Winery to French wine powerhouse Barton & Guestier. In recent years, the company has increasingly focused on alternative packaging, such as bag-in-box and cans, as well as the emerging ready-to-drink (RTD) and no and low alcohol categories.
Baldwin, a long-standing board member and executive council member of the British Soft Drinks Association who spent six years as Purity Soft Drinks CEO and previously held high positions with Gü Puds, Arla Foods and Asda, said of her new role: "I’m joining a talented and well-developed team in a unique business at an exciting time. I very much embrace the opportunity to embark on this new chapter at Kingsland Drinks Group and be part of how the firm grows in the long term." 
