BrewDog has appointed Andy Shaw (pictured) to the newly created role of CEO Beer. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having served 14 years in various senior roles at Red Bull, most recently as managing director of Red Bull UK. Previous roles include MD of Spain and Portugal, and sSales and marketing manager for Europe.
At BrewDog, Andy will be responsible for the global sales and marketing of beer. The role of CEO Beer was created in order to provide additional senior strategic leadership as BrewDog enters a period of accelerated growth domestically and internationally.
Last year saw the release of the ‘The BrewDog Blueprint’, a business manifesto packed with more than 30 initiatives that reflect the brewery’s commitment to evolving its beers and business, as well as how it supports its global community and industry in 2019 and beyond.
In August, the brewery announced its half-year trading results, showing total revenue at £78 million, up by 55% against the same time last year. Revenue in the brewery’s bar division was also up by 92%, and its UK retail sales had grown by 83%, compared with 2017 half-year results.
The brewery’s flagship beer, Punk IPA, has been the best-selling craft beer in the UK off-trade for the last three years, and currently five of the top ten best-selling craft beers in the UK off-trade are BrewDog products.
Phenomenal growth
The company’s phenomenal growth has been powered by its Equity for Punks crowdfunding initiative. In October, the brewery closed its fifth crowdfunding round as the world’s most successful equity crowdfunding raise, having secured £26.2m in investment over the previous 12 months.
The Aberdeenshire brewer is continuing that mission into 2019, with more bars due to open in the UK and further afield throughout the year. Cities include Hull, Inverurie, Peterhead and Dalston, as well as Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Hamburg, Toronto and Paris internationally.
BrewDog co-founder, James Watt, said: “Andy’s impressive track record for championing a strategic, global vision is what makes him such an exciting addition to the BrewDog crew. His experience in working in a vibrant, bold, business, famed for pushing the envelope, is exactly what we need as we enter hyperdrive on our global vision.
“Our mission remains exactly the same it was on day one — to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as we are. Andy will be pivotal in ensuring we fulfil this over the coming years.”
Shaw added: “BrewDog’s feats over the last decade are a direct result of a culture of innovation and fearlessness. When many in the industry doubted and scoffed, James and Martin remained clear-eyed and determined to change the world of beer for the better.
“I’ve been impressed by them for the last ten years and I simply could not pass up the opportunity to join such a dynamic team in the next phase of growth. I couldn’t be more delighted at the chance to take BrewDog to new audiences, new territories, and ultimately to new heights.”
