Andy Wood
Areas of Interest
BusinessHonorary Award
Honorary Doctor of Business Administration, 2010Biography
Andy Wood is Chief Executive of the highly prestigious Suffolk brewer Adnams. He has been with the brewery for 14 years, playing a key role in making it one of the most environmentally friendly businesses in the UK.
Not only content with gaining an Executive Master of Business Administration degree, he went on to achieve a Doctor of Business Administration award for which he studied part time at Cranfield University for four years.
Andy Wood's first job was at Norwich Union now Aviva, one of Britain's largest insurance companies, where he undertook a variety of roles in customer service, purchasing, IT and sales management. He joined Adnams Brewery in 1996 with responsibility for developing its customer service and supply chain operations. He joined the Board of Adnams in 2000 and became managing director in 2006. He became the Chief Executive in 2010 and is the only non-family member to get the top job there in modern times.
One of the outstanding changes that he helped to introduce to Adnams was the replacement of the one-hundred year old brewing system with one that has outstandingly green credentials providing dramatic energy and water savings. Through this eco-efficient investment Adnams is the first brewery in the UK to make carbon neutral beer, and as a result the business has won many environmental awards.
Andy has co-authored a book on Lean and Green Manufacturing in 2013 and the work received a Shingo Award in the same year.
He is also Chairman of a wealth management company and professor in Corporate Leadership at the University of East Anglia.
Citation
"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Andy Wood for the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration.
Andy Wood has an enviable job on many fronts.
He is Chief Executive of the highly prestigious Suffolk brewer Adnams, a successful company he has been involved with for 14 years and has played a key role in making it one of the most environmentally friendly businesses in the UK.
A self-effacing man, Andy Wood has worked hard to gain the skills he has acquired to establish his hugely effective management career. He is a firm believer in both higher education and postgraduate study. Not only content with gaining an Executive Master of Business Administration degree, he went on to achieve a Doctor of Business Administration award for which he studied part time at Cranfield University for four years. He describes the work for his DBA as like 'having two jobs' but despite the effort and time he is happy that he is now has the high level research and management skills he believes are essential to do his job to the best of his ability.
An example to all business school students today, he saw his qualifications as a skill-building route to his career dream in management in a successful company.
Andy Wood's first job was at Norwich Union now Aviva, one of Britain's largest insurance companies, where he undertook a variety of roles in customer service, purchasing, IT and sales management. However he wanted to work for a company that 'made things' and possessed the ethical credentials that he valued and this led him to Adnams Brewery.
He joined the brewery in 1996 with responsibility for developing its customer service and supply chain operations. He joined the Board in 2000 and became managing director in 2006. He became the Chief Executive earlier this year and is the only non-family member to get the top job there in modern times.
Andy Wood takes his management roles very seriously but is very relaxed in his manner, always keeping a positive outlook on his work and on the future. He has a very strong green ethos regarding his company and passionately believes that he can make even more changes to the way that the business is run.
One of the outstanding changes that he helped to introduce to Adnams was the replacement of the one-hundred year old brewing system with one that has outstandingly green credentials providing dramatic energy and water savings. Through this eco-efficient investment Adnams is the first brewery in the UK to make carbon neutral beer, and as a result the business has won many environmental awards.
His own personal enthusiasm for green policies spreads to all of the other employees at the brewery, local schools and to visitors at The Crown Hotel in Southwold, the home of Adnams, who can now enjoy the benefit of re-cycled wool blankets (as an alternative to patio-heaters) to keep themselves warm outside on cooler evenings.
As if his responsibilities at Adnams do not keep him busy enough, he is also the Chairman of a drugs and alcohol harm reduction charity and regularly takes lectures on the subject at a number of top business schools throughout the UK.
We are delighted to recognise Andy Wood's unique approach to management which has helped to create a £50m business that students from around the world should deem worthy of very close study.
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Andy for the award of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa."