Heineken hires former Merlin Entertainments communications boss as corporate affairs director

Dutch brewer Heineken has hired Merlin Entertainments communications boss James Crampton as its corporate affairs director.

Merlin Entertainments, which operates theme parks Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, hired Crampton as its corporate affairs director in April 2016, overseeing its recent transaction into a private business. Merlin Entertainments ended its six year spell as a public listed company after it agreed to a £5.9 billion takeover by the owners of Lego in one of the biggest European buyouts of recent years.

Before joining Merlin, Crampton worked for spirits giant Diageo in various roles, including international relations director, external communications director, and communications & sustainability director for Diageo Africa.

He will replace Heineken’s David Paterson who has moved within the Heineken Group to take up the role of regional corporate affairs director, Africa Middle East, in January 2020.

James Crampton said: “I’m delighted to be joining Heineken, whose operations and brands I’ve admired for many years. I’ll be joining a respected and high performing team, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the UK to help champion the business and its people, and drive our agenda in an ever more complex and changing environment.”

David Forde, Heineken’s managing director in the UK, commented; “James will be a fantastic addition to the Heineken UK team. He joins the business at an exciting time and will lead a very busy Corporate Affairs agenda. I’m looking forward to welcoming him to the team”.