THE Institute of Directors has turned to a former drinks industry marketing guru as its next director-general.

Miles Templeman, 56, who will take on the £250,000-a-year post when George Cox steps down next month after five years in the role, is best known for his 11 years as managing director of the Whitbread Beer Company. Mr Templeman was credited with turning Stella Artois into the UK’s biggest-selling premium beer.

He went on to become chief executive of Bulmers, the cidermaker, at a time when it was reeling from a series of profit warnings and a botched international expansion. The turnaround strategy that he put in place inspired Scottish & Newcastle to pay £278 million for Bulmers.

Since then he has built up a portfolio of non-executive directorships, as well as being part-time executive chairman of Eldridge Pope, the troubled pub operator. He is chairman of the Yo! Sushi chain and sits on the board of Shepherd Neame, the brewer, and Melrose, the investment firm. Mr Templeman said the IoD was keen for him to continue with a small number of such roles, as they gave him a good insight into business issues.

Mr Cox, an engineer by training and a former UK head of Unisys, the American IT corporation, is widely seen as having moved the IoD away from its earlier position as a doctrinaire, right-wing, pressure group into an organisation more likely to have its voice heard at Westminster.

Mr Templeman said he supported the institute’s neutral approach to politics, and that his initial focus would be building on some of the key areas developed by his predecessor.

MILES OF JOBS

Family: Married with three grown-up children

Home: Surrey

Hobbies: golf, music

Education: MA Economics, Cambridge

Career highlights: md, Threshers; md, Whitbread Beer Company; chief executive, Bulmers; executive chairman, Eldridge Pope