Blood was appointed to the top position at Scottish & Newcastle in December 2007 and retained the job following the acquisition of the company by Heineken in April 2008. He had joined S&N as a graduate trainee in 1988, holding a number of marketing and strategy positions in both the beer and pub retail divisions.
Heineken said it will shortly announce a replacement for Blood, but in the interim the business will be overseen by Heineken's head of Western Europe Didier Debrosse.