Welsh water brand Radnor Hills founder and CEO William Watkins has been elected the new president of the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA).
Watkins was appointed at the trade body’s AGM on 11 June, taking over from Britvic GB managing director Paul Graham, who in his time as president, led the BSDA in its role as a founder-member of Circularity Scotland, a scheme administrator for Scotland’s since-delayed deposit return scheme (DRS).
Watkins, who has been vice president of the BDSA since 2020 and was promoted to chief executive at Radnor Hills earlier this month, is kicking off his tenure as president by calling on the Welsh government to help unlock the way for a DRS to support recycling.
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Red Bull managing director Pete Charles has been elected to replace Watkins as BDSA vice president.
Watkins said: “I am delighted to be elected as the new president of this important organisation. It is such a crucial time for the industry as we head towards setting up a deposit return scheme, along with retailers and alcohol producers, to deliver a realistic and practical system to return and recycle our containers in a more sustainable way.
“I aim to continue the fine work of Paul and past BSDA presidents by making further progress on a wide range of issues affecting and involving soft drinks, particularly those related to reducing litter and increasing recycling.”
