BrewDog co-founder James Watt quits as chief executive to 'dedicate more time to other business interests'

He will be succeeded by James Arrow, currently the Ellon firm’s chief operating officer, as part of a succession plan put in place last year. Watt will stay on the BrewDog board in the role of “captain and co-founder” and remains a major shareholder in the business.

He set up the Aberdeenshire beer-maker in 2007 along with co-founder Martin Dickie, However, Watt was mired in controversy in 2021 when he was accused by former workers in an open letter of having a “culture of fear” within the business.

Allan Leighton, BrewDog chairman, said: “James Watt spoke to me last year about continuing to play a role with the business while freeing up time to concentrate on his other projects and interests. We subsequently put in place a succession plan by recruiting James Arrow as COO and strengthening the wider senior leadership team.”

Arrow joined the brewer from Boots Opticians, where he was managing director, in September 2023. Prior to that he spent a decade at Dixons Carphone in a variety of senior roles including e-commerce, trading, operations, sales and transformation.

Leighton added: “James Watt, alongside Martin Dickie, created this great business from a garage in Fraserburgh. Few have accomplished what he has. From very humble beginnings under his leadership BrewDog has grown to become the world’s leading craft brewer, employing 2530 people across its head office, four breweries and over 120 bars. I am especially pleased he will continue to offer his insight, creative genius and energy to the board.”

Watt said: “I want to thank all the incredible people who have helped Martin and me create this unique business. I have loved co-founding this amazing business and leading it for the last 17 years. I am excited to take a bit of time off, to travel, to spend more time with my family and friends. I am also looking forward to being able to dedicate some more time to my other business interests.”

Arrow added: “James and Martin have created a fantastic business. I am looking forward to building on their achievements.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This should be a cautionary tale to bad bosses. If you slash workers’ pay and conditions you will be called out in public and your business will suffer. BrewDog’s success has been built on the back of its workforce. They deserve to be valued properly. My message to the new CEO is simple - pay your staff the real living wage.”

Last year, Watt put up £5 million of his own money in a bid to find the next billion-dollar company. Using a new investment model where members of the public can also back the chosen companies, Watt’s initiative aimed to create the next generation of “unicorns”, following in the footsteps of his beer business which achieved the landmark $1 billion unicorn valuation in 2017.