Mark Crowther, who was chief executive of the Liberation Group for 11 years, has been appointed chairman of London’s Portobello Brewery.
Mark, 52, brings nearly 30 years of food, drink, and hospitality experience to the business. Having led the original buy-out of the Channel Islands-based Liberation Group, he doubled the scale and profitability of the business through investments and acquisitions, including the Butcombe brewery and pubs business in the West Country. He oversaw the sale of the Liberation Group, resulting in 2.8 times return on investment for his original backers.
Previous industry roles include on-trade managing director for Carlsberg UK and general manager of Diageo’s northern European beer business. He is also a non-executive director with Downing, supporting its London Antic investments.
Portobello Brewery was founded in 2012 by Rob Jenkins and is based in the heart of the world-famous Portobello area of West London. Its award-winning beers include London Pilsner, Notting Helles, London Pale Ale, Market Porter, Stiff Lip IPA, and Star best bitter.
Mark said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as chairman, giving me the opportunity to work with a talented and experienced team at one of London’s leading independent brewing companies.
“Despite the current economic challenges, we are looking forward with excitement to implementing our plans to grow this business in the coming years.”
Rob Jenkins, who is managing director of the brewing division, said: “We are delighted Mark has agreed to join and invest in the company. His wealth of experience in the brewing industry will help support our next chapter of growth.”
Richard Stringer, MD of the fledgling pubs division, added: “Mark’s track record of senior management across various roles is already providing us with valuable insight as we position the business for further expansion.”
