Top dog at BrewDog to replace Simon Longbottom as boss of Stonegate
One of BrewDog’s top bosses is leaving the brewer to head one of the country’s largest pub chains, Stonegate.
David McDowall, BrewDog’s president and chief operating officer, is to take up the reins at the Slug & Lettuce chain, it was first reported by Sky News.
Stonegate, which operates 4,500 pubs across the country, confirmed that its CEO Simon Longbottom would exit his role at the end of February 2023.
Stonegate’s longest-serving boss is exiting the Popworld operator to “pursue interests abroad” but will remain as a shareholder and work with founder Ian Payne on the handover of his role.
Stonegate had risen from “a challenger brand to an industry leader in just eight years,” Longbottom said on Wednesday, describing his stint at the chain as “an amazing journey.”
Last year, momentum for Scottish brewer and pub operator to make its market debut in London went cool, with BrewDog boss James Watt suggesting the firm could look at floating in 2023.
The firm has faced negative headlines recently, after being slammed for launching a “disingenuous” ‘anti-sponsorship’ campaign for the Qatar World Cup, donating profits to charities but continuing to show the tournament, CityA.M. reported earlier this week.