Prominent Scottish businessman and former Whyte & Mackay chief Michael Lunn has died at the age of 80 following a short illness.

Mr Lunn finished his lengthy business career at Wolfcraig Distillers, where he was a founding partner alongside his son Jamie Lunn, business partner John Moore and renowned master blenders Richard Paterson and Ian Macmillan. He worked up until the day before he passed away.

He was with Whyte & Mackay for 17 years up to 1995, latterly as chairman and chief executive. He thereafter held senior management positions at the NHS, Paramount, Unwins Wine Group, Bernard Matthew Farms, Scottish Enterprise, and Tiso.

He joined the founding team of Wolfcraig Distillers in 2020, reuniting with his former Whyte & Mackay colleague Mr Paterson. Mr Paterson described Mr Lunn as a "man on a mission".

“We met back in 1978, when he was Whyte & Mackay’s marketing director," he said. "He was young, energetic, and full of drive with a relentless passion to succeed, determined to make his mark.

“This attitude would never leave him. It is truly remarkable that even in his 80th year he was able to join us for our weekly board meeting in his final days; his passionate drive was still very much in evidence.

"Michael was clearly still a man on a mission to bring the same success to Wolfcraig as he had done for the brands of Whyte & Mackay. He will be greatly missed, but his spirit will always be with us."

Mr Lunn's son Jamie added: "The fact that my dad was in the boardroom room right up until the day before he passed showed his passion and desire to help make the Wolfcraig vision a reality. His expertise, kindness and sharp wit will be greatly missed by the whole team.

“He always made time to speak to everybody collectively and individually and always offered his support. I will miss our Thursday board meetings, but will miss him more deeply on a personal level.

“We will continue to push the business forward and make our vision a reality. Thank you for everything, dad".

Mr Lunn is survived by his wife Jennifer, his children; Stuart, Victoria, Jamie and Alex, along with his 10 grandchildren.

Boss of Edinburgh-based Scotch Malt Whisky Society quits role

 

The managing director of Artisanal Spirits Company, owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, is stepping down from the role.

David Ridley, who steered the company through its stock market flotation in 2021, will be succeeded by finance director Andrew Dane.

Capricorn directors resign as board bows to shareholder pressure

 

Five board members at Capricorn Energy including chief executive Simon Thomson have resigned with immediate effect and two more will follow as the group announced it will postpone the vote on its controversial merger with Isreal's NewMed Energy.

The move comes after weeks of mounting shareholder pressure led by activist investor Palliser Capital, one of Edinburgh-based Capricorn's biggest shareholders. The hedge fund, which claimed to have support from investors controlling roughly 40 per cent of Capricorn's issued share capital, had accused the board of "brazen disregard" in its pursuit of the NewMed deal.

Sign up for free: You can now get the briefing sent direct to your email inbox twice-daily, and Business Week for the seven-day round-up on Sunday 👇

The Herald: