William Grant & Sons chief executive Søren Hagh has left the company less than two years after taking on the role.

There was no explanation for his departure from the Glenfiddich owner which was confirmed in a ‘termination of appointment’ notice filed to Companies House last Friday.

Just last month he gave an interview to a trade publication in which he spoke in bullish terms about his ambitions for the family-owned business.

“We really believe that single malts are in for a renaissance and we want to be the lighthouse of that movement with our brands,” he said.

“We want the whole category to be successful, but we think we are the right company to take a lead in creating the next big wave for single malt whisky.”

Mr Hagh joined William Grant, which also owns Famous Grouse, from Heineken where he had worked for ten years.

He took up the William Grant post on 1 January 2024, immediately following his departure from the Dutch brewer. He succeeded Glenn Gordon, who stayed on as a non-executive director.

Prior to joining Heineken, Mr Hagh worked with L’Oréal in both marketing and in-market distribution management roles, as well as in marketing for Lego.

In July, William Grant & Sons reported a 30% fall in pre-tax profit to £388m and a 6.5% decline in turnover to £1.834 billion for the year ending 31 December 2024. The figures were in line with market trends.

The company was contacted for comment.

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