Reinventing the strategy experience

The Challenge

In 2008 Miller Brands, the UK subsidiary of global brewer SABMiller, was at a key juncture in its evolution. A European reshuffle had seen the old MD transfer to SABMiller’s Hungarian business and Nick Miller had just been promoted to the top job at Miller Brands from his previous role as Sales Director.

Only established in 2005 and after three years focus on successfully building brands such as Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft in the UK, the young company needed to establish its long term commercial viability. And Miller, who had been sales director of the business since it started in 2005, had to establish leadership of an executive team who had been his peers, and build on the entrepreneurial culture, ethos and behaviours that would enable Miller Brands to maximize its potential as a standalone business within SAB’s portfolio.

To meet the challenge, Nick and the board appreciated that the company needed to adopt a different approach to strategy making. Crucially, Miller wanted to create stronger consensus for change among the board, knowing that only with their full backing could the company achieve its stretching new commercial objectives.

The sense of expectation that comes with a new leadership role means that “you have to be bold and determined,” says Miller, but the team realised they couldn’t effect the required change on their own, and so called in Cognosis to help.