Lauren Carrol will continue to look after marketing, while taking on responsibility for people, digital, ecommerce, bars, and the US and German markets.
BrewDog has promoted its CMO to chief operating officer, taking on additional responsibilities for people, digital, ecommerce, bars, and the US and German markets alongside overseeing the brand’s marketing activity.
Lauren Carrol took on the role of chief marketing officer at the brand in December 2022, having worked at the business since 2018. Carrol was the first CMO since the exit of Jon Evans in January 2019, just three months after taking on the role.
Shortly after his stint at BrewDog, Evans, who is now chief customer officer at ad effectiveness consultancy System1, told Marketing Week the brewer was not ready for a CMO at that time.
Carrol’s new role as chief operating officer sees the marketing function remain under her remit, while greatly expanding her other areas of responsibility. A spokesperson for BrewDog said the operating chief role sees her oversee marketing, people, digital, ecommerce, and the brand’s bars business, as well as the US and German markets. It has not indicated it will be replacing the role of CMO.
Her promotion comes alongside a wider leadership reshuffle at BrewDog. The brewer yesterday (10 March) named its second CEO in less than a year, after James Arrow, who took on the top role in May 2024, stepped down “for personal reasons”.
BrewDog brings back CMO role as CEO promises to create ‘new type of business’
Arrow had succeeded founder James Watt as CEO, who held the post for over 17 years. Prior to that role, Arrow held the chief operating officer role between 2023 and 2024. This role previously existed alongside the CMO role, which was held by Carrol.
Arrow’s successor is James Taylor, who joined the company as its chief financial officer in 2023. His previous experience includes being CFO of the Mayborn Group, the owner of baby brand Tommee Tippee, and finance roles at hair care brand GHD and property business Tishman Speyer.
In BrewDog’s latest annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023, pre-tax losses almost doubled versus the year prior, to £59.2m. The brand has not made a pre-tax profit since 2019.
