Alcohol industry watchdog the Portman Group has appointed three new members to its Independent Complaints Panel (ICP): Karen Betts, Matt Barwell and Richard Schofield.
Karen Betts is Chief Executive of the Food & Drink Federation and former CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association. Prior to that, she held several posts in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Cabinet Office. A lawyer, before joining government, Betts was also an Adviser to the Government’s Board of Trade. She received an OBE in 2022 for services to international trade.
Matt Barwell has extensive experience in marketing, corporate affairs and sustainability for three of the world’s leading FMCG businesses, Mars, Diageo and Britvic, and currently serves as a board advisor for Accenture. He is a member of the ASA Council and a non-executive director for several private-equity-backed FMCG businesses.
Richard Schofield is a senior civil servant and former Chief Planning Inspector for England, with considerable experience of chairing public inquiries. He is also an independent complaints assessor for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, a Panel Chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and sits on the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Membership and Ethics Committee.
The Panel is chaired by Rachel Childs, and new members are carefully recruited to represent a cross-section of society with a balance of experience and expertise in key areas such as licensing, public health, children’s services and law.
The ICP is independent from the Portman Group and considers complaints relating to the naming, packaging, promotion and sponsorship of alcoholic drinks based on the Portman Group’s Codes of Practice. The Panel meets several times a year to consider these complaints and decide whether they are upheld or not upheld based on evidence.
