Wilson, who is currently the group’s European finance director, replaces group CFO Malcolm Wyman, who will retire from the company at the end of August and stand down from the board at the AGM on July 21.
Having joined SABMiller in 2005, Wilson has held a number of senior positions, including senior vice president, market development and strategy at Miller Brewing Company, USA; managing director at SABMiller Russia; and managing director for SABMiller’s central European businesses.
Wilson has 23 years of experience in the global beverage industry and has held a number of senior executive roles outside of SABMiller.
Notable positions include: group finance director and managing director of operations for Highland Distillers; executive chairman of Maxxium; managing director of Orpar SA, the parent company of Remy Cointreau; strategy/finance director for Scottish Courage; and strategy/project director for Scottish & Newcastle.
Wilson becomes deputy chief financial officer of SABMiller with immediate effect, but will retain responsibilities as Finance Director for SABMiller Europe until his replacement is appointed.
Graham Mackay, SABMiller group chief executive said: “In Jamie we are fortunate to gain an outstanding talent, with a considerable breadth of industry experience, acquired both within SABMiller and the wider alcohol beverage sector.
“He combines a unique operational, commercial and financial perspective with a proven track record in the business.
"I believe that his leadership will further enhance the commercial focus of the finance function, ensuring that we leverage value from the range of business capability initiatives that we are progressively implementing throughout the group.”
Malcolm Wyman leaves SABMiller after 25 years of service. He first joined The South African Breweries in 1986 and became chief financial officer in 2001 with responsibility for the group’s finance operations, corporate finance and development, and group strategy.
Following his retirement, Malcolm will continue to provide advice and support to the company, through a consultation agreement.
Mackay said: “We owe Malcolm a deep debt of gratitude for the pivotal role he has played in SABMiller’s transformation from a small regional business into a leading global brewer.
“He has made an outstanding contribution to the significant growth of the group through his leadership of our corporate finance activities, which included the transformational transactions with Miller Brewing Company in the US and the Bavaria Group in South America.
