William Watkins, founder and CEO of Radnor Hills, has been elected president of the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA).

William Watkins took over from Paul Graham, GB managing director at Britvic. During his tenure, Graham led the BSDA's involvement 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, is kicking off his tenure as president by calling on the Welsh government "to help unlock the way for an interoperable DRS to support recycling," said BSDA.

Pete Charles, managing director at Red Bull, has been elected as the new vice president of the BSDA, succeeding William.

He commented: “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 DRS, 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."

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