BrewDog co-founder James Watt says the company “won’t leave things at an apology” after former workers highlighted a “climate of fear”.
The firm has made two appointments as it looks to improve its internal culture. Blythe Jack has been appointed chair of the board. She is managing director at TSG consumer partners — slogan ‘We invest in brands you know and love because we love them too’ — which owns 23% of BrewDog.
Meanwhile, industry specialist and craft beer consultant Ren Navarro has been appointed diversity specialist. The company is also looking to appoint a mental health and well being ambassador.
Industry magazine Propel quotes James Watt as saying: “As we begin to take stock from what has been a difficult, but important few days for BrewDog, our focus now is not to allow the dust to settle, but to take action.
“For those ex-employees we clearly let down, we can’t and we won’t leave things at an apology — they spoke up to see change, and we will make that happen. And for the fantastic people currently working at BrewDog, we intend not just to make incremental improvements here, but to build a programme of cultural leadership and development that not only inspires a better culture at BrewDog, but sets an example for our industry.
“We will start by listening. Over the next ten days, we’ll conduct an anonymous staff survey not just exploring the themes laid out in the letter from ex-employees, but painting a comprehensive picture of the BrewDog culture at every level.”
The Punks With Purpose group, which originated by letter from former employees, tweeted: “We are not going away. We want to see the evidence of the change you have publicly committed to.
“Many of us worked for you long enough to have heard you apologise and promise change several times already, so you’ll have to forgive us if we seem skeptical.”
At the weekend, The Times reported that BrewDog’s B-Corp certification was at risk. B-Corp companies meet high standards for their impact on workers, customers, their community, and the environment. B-Lab, which administers the certification, is reviewing BrewDog’s status.
