BrewDog names new MD of bars business
Scotland's largest independent brewery BrewDog has named David McDowall as the new managing director of bars, as the company looks to continue the growth of the division.
McDowall joins from Scottish leisure firm G1 Group where he was group operations director for six years, with responsibility for more than 50 sites and a team of 50,000 employees.
His new role sees him tasked with growing the UK bar division, which currently consists of 18 sites, of which 10 were launched last year. The company said it aims to accelerate this rate of growth in 2015, with plans to launch new sites in Brighton, Dalston and Glasgow Merchant City in the coming months.
BrewDog also has seven international bars in Tokyo, São Paulo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Florence, Bologna and Helsinki, while new venues in Barcelona and Berlin are in the pipeline.
Commenting on the appointment, BrewDog co-founder James Watt said: "It's great to welcome such a powerhouse of the Scottish hospitality industry into the BrewDog fold. David has a killer business head and awesome strategic experience of growing a hugely successful bar division.
"We want to ensure that we can satisfy the thirst of our loyal craft beer community by opening more kickass bars, and ensuring that each and every one delivers an amazing BrewDog experience every time."
McDowall added: "I have witnessed BrewDog's phenomenal growth over the last few years and I'm thrilled to be joining such a vibrant business that is committed to doing things differently. The whole team lives and breathes craft beer, and their dedication and passion to the craft beer revolution is infectious. I can't wait to get cracking and to grow this unique bar division."
