Young’s non-executive chair to step down in 2024

Young’s has announced that non-executive chairman Steve Goodyear is to stand down from his role and retire from the board following the company’s annual general meeting in July 2024. 

As a result, he will be succeeded as non-executive chairman by Steve Cooke. 

The board, which has planned “carefully” for Goodyear’s succession and overseen Simon Dodd assume the CEO role last July, agrees that “next year is the right time for him to step down”. 

Goodyear has served as non-executive chairman of the company since July 2017, as he previously was chief executive from 2003 to July 2016 at the brewery.   

Over his time at Young’s, Goodyear oversaw the transformation of the company into a “premium, individual and differentiated” managed house operator of pubs with rooms. 

He originally joined the company in 1995, having previously worked in a number of senior positions across the industry for over 20 years.

Cooke will join the board as a non-executive director on 1 November 2023, before transitioning to non-executive chairman in July 2024 after the company’s 2024 AGM. 

He is currently the senior partner at Slaughter and May, and has a wealth of corporate experience, having joined the firm in 1982 before heading its M&A practice from 2001 to 2016. 

He has advised companies in the consumer, leisure, media and retail sectors, and will bring “invaluable” experience and an external perspective to the board. He will retire from Slaughter and May on 30 April 2024.

Goodyear said: “Steve Cooke is an exceptional corporate lawyer with an excellent reputation who has risen to senior partner at one of the most admired law firms in the world. 

“He will bring a strong and valuable external perspective to the board, and I’m delighted that, with the full support of the board, he will be joining Young’s as a non-executive director in November before taking over as chairman in July 2024.”