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Graham Mackay

Brewing executive and company builder

By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published · Updated · Last reviewed

Portrait of SABMiller chief executive Graham Mackay at the World Economic Forum on Africa
Graham Mackay at the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2005.: World Economic Forum / Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0; cropped and resized. Resized and converted to WebP for this site.

Graham Mackay joined SAB in 1978 and became chief executive of its London-listed parent in 1999. [2][3]

Biography

Mackay held several senior positions, including executive chairman of the South African beer business. [2]

He became group managing director in 1997. [2][3]

He became chief executive when South African Breweries plc listed in London in 1999. [2][3]

He became executive chairman in 2012 and died on 18 December 2013. [3][4]

Key contributions

Mackay helped build the international group that completed the Miller transaction and became SABMiller. [2][1]

Life and career timeline

  1. Joined South African Breweries. [2]

  2. Became group managing director. [2]

  3. Became chief executive of the London-listed parent. [2]

  4. Became executive chairman. [3]

  5. SABMiller announced his death. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Did Graham Mackay found SAB?

No. He joined in 1978, long after the 1895 founding. [2][1]

What did he build?

He led the expansion and corporate development that produced SABMiller. [2][1]

Was he involved in the AB InBev acquisition?

He died in 2013, before the 2016 transaction. [4][5]

Related people

  • Charles Glass — Brewer credited with Castle Lager and the 1895 founding story of South African Breweries.
  • Richard Rivett-Carnac — Chief executive and business-unit president of South African Breweries.

Associated organisations

Related research

Sources

  1. SABMiller plc, Annual Report 2016, 2016-06-01. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-07. ↩
  2. SABMiller plc, Annual Report 2008, 2008-06-01. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-07. ↩
  3. SABMiller plc, Annual Report 2013, 2013-06-01. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-07. ↩
  4. SABMiller plc, Third quarter trading update, 2014-01-21. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-07. ↩
  5. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Our heritage. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-07. ↩