The Beer Academy Board:

Directors:
Mark Dorber
(Bio coming soon)

Simon Jackson
Simon entered the Brewing Industry as a Production Graduate Trainee with Grand Metropolitans Brewing Division. In 1991 he moved into commercial roles firstly as an On Trade Business Unit Director and then latterly after the acquisition of Courage by Scottish and Newcastle, as Regional Managing Director for the West of England and Wales. In 2003 he was appointed Production Director at Berkshire Brewery and in 2004 joined Scottish and Newcastle's UK Leadership Team as UK Manufacturing Director. He was appointed as Executive Director of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling in 2006.

Andy Tighe
(Bio coming soon)

Paul Nunny
Chief Executive of Cask Marque (www.cask.marque.co.uk), formed to improve the quality of cask ale and to promote its values. Contributor to a wide range of journals on the subject of cask ale quality. Former Director of Adnams & co . plc. Chartered Accountant by profession.

George Philliskirk
After completing a Ph.D on yeast research at Birmingham University's Brewing School in the mid-70's, George has spent almost all his working life in the brewing industry and before joining the Beer Academy in 2004 he was Head of the Technical Dept. for Carlsberg UK. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing and a past Chairman of the Board of Examiners of the Institute of Brewing and an external examiner for the Brewing degrees at Heriot-Watt University. He lectures for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, the Beer Academy and the Scandinavian Brewing School and frequently presents beer tastings in the media, most notably on the Richard and Judy Show, Sky and various radio programmes as well as at the BBC's Good Food Show where he is introduced to the audience as 'The Beer Doctor'!

Rupert Ponsonby
Rupert is a director of R&R Teamwork, a PR and marketing company specializing in the drinks market. He has worked with a wide range of breweries as well as with The National Hop Association of England and with British maltsters. He is also a Cotswold barley and wheat farmer.

Roger Putman
(Bio coming soon)

Nigel Sadler
(Bio coming soon)

Rupert Thompson
Rupert has a background in pub management and beer marketing. He was previously Brand Director for a major brewer and a leading Regional before founding and becoming Chief Executive of Refresh Group Ltd which brewed and marketed a range of beers including Wychwood and Brakspear and was sold to Marstons plc in 2008. He currently consults and invests in the drinks market.

Secretary: Martyn Moore

Beer Academy HQ Contacts: Dan Cannas and Natalie Michel.

If you would like to make an enquiry about the Beer Academy please do not hesitate to contact Dan or Natalie.
By Phone: +44 (0)207 290 6087 / +44 (0)207 290 6084
By Email: dan.cannas@beeracademy.co.uk/natalie.michel@ibd.org.uk

The Beer Academy's relationship with the Institute of Brewing & Distilling:

In 2007 the Beer Academy became an arm of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD), an educational charity delivering education and training to professional brewers and distillers worldwide. This arrangement has enabled the Academy to extend its reach and utilize the internationally recognized training and qualifications organization of the IBD which, in turn, is benefiting from the opportunity to interface with beer retailers and the hospitality sector as well as beer consumers and the public.

Beautiful Beer announces support for the Beer Academy

The BBPA's Beautiful Beer Campaign has today announced a new partnership with the Institute for Brewing & Distilling to offer funding and support for the Beer Academy. The new funding, totalling some £50,000, will be spent on providing support to enable more people to attend the Beer Academy's popular Foundation Course which is designed for those involved in brewing and the licensed trade. The courses will help all those who want to know more about the exciting tastes, styles and flavours of beer and how great beer is good business. It will also help those who would like their pub to achieve the Beautiful Beer Platinum award - the ultimate accolade given to a licensee for delivering an outstanding 'beer experience' in their pub. The funding comes as the Beer Academy launches its new website, www.beeracademy.co.uk, offering a greatly improved communication portal for the Academy which was part funded by a further grant of £10,000 from the BBPA. Mark Hastings, on behalf of Beautiful Beer, comments, "We're delighted to be working with the Beer Academy. In these difficult times quality and passion count. It is vital to ensure our customers enjoy the best possible beer and pub experience. These courses will help provide that added value." Simon Jackson, on behalf of the Beer Academy adds, "We very much welcome this initiative, as cross-industry collaboration clearly demonstrates our commitment to good training and excellent service standards and presentation. The Beer Academy has trained over 2,500 people in the last four years and has received great feedback from delegates and employers. In the current economic climate that the beer and pub sectors are experiencing now is a vital time to focus on training that will give people a real competitive edge and build staff commitment and selling effectiveness. We are delighted that the BBPA support allows us to take the Beer Academy to the next stage in its growth, and our ambition is to encourage all those in the beer and pub industries to gain a Beer Academy qualification in just the same way as all those involved in the wine and spirits sectors aspire to a qualification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust''. Ends

CONTACT: Mark Hastings, Director of Communications
Tel: 020 7627 9151
Mobile: 0788 418 1794

Neil Williams, Communications Manager
Tel: 020 7627 9156
Mobile: 07974 249 779
www.beerandpub.com

Simon Jackson, the Beer Academy
Tel: 020 7499 8144
Mobile: 07831 313154
www.beeracademy.co.uk

Notes to editors: The British Beer and Pub Association is the UK's leading organisation representing the brewing and pub sector. Its members account for 98% of the beer brewed in the UK and own nearly two thirds of Britain's 57,000 pubs. The Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) is a not for profit educational charity with a worldwide membership of 4000 industry professionals. It is the single largest supplier of professional qualifications to the global brewing and distilling industries. The Beer Academy was founded in 2003 with the support of the UK brewing and pub companies. It merged with the IBD in 2007 and is run as an independent subsidiary specifically focussed on engendering a wider understanding of, and enthusiasm for, the wide range and diversity of beer styles. Its customers are brewers, retailers and the general public. The Beer Academy offers a selection of courses including its popular Foundation Course, its Beer and Food matching course and a wide range of short courses and tutored tastings.