Karen Betts, Scottish Whisky Association
By Scott Wright
THE Scotch Whisky Association is on the hunt for a new chief executive after Karen Betts agreed to take up a new role heading a food and drink manufacturers’ body.
Ms Betts, a former diplomat who has led Edinburgh-based SWA since 2017, has been appointed chief executive of the Food & Drink Federation. Her departure comes shortly after the industry toasted a major diplomatic breakthrough, when the US agreed with the UK to suspend tariffs on imports of single malt to the American market.
The 25 per cent tariff, introduced by the Trump administration in October 2019 as part of a long-running trade dispute between the US and European Union (EU) over aircraft subsidies, is believed to have cost the industry more than £600 million in lost exports.