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Prezzo poaches BrewDog Bars boss
James Brown has stepped away from BrewDog Bars after nine years to lead the recovery of Italian restaurant chain Prezzo.
Brown announced on LinkedIn earlier this week that he would be stepping down from his position as CEO of BrewDog Bars, the on-trade arm of Scottish multinational brewer BrewDog.
Brown served as chief of Brewdog Bars for almost two years, having climbed up the ranks since joining the company in 2015. He helped grow the brand from 18 sites to 135 globally during his tenure.
BrewDog recently expanded into Thailand, with plans to open several bars in Bangkok, via a partnership with partnership with Atalanta Hospitality.
Brown thanked BrewDog co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie in the LinkedIn post announcing his departure. Watt, formerly the company’s CEO, stepped down from his role in May after having been at the centre of much controversy for the brand. He now occupies a non-executive role.
Brown also thanked David McDowall, COO and president of the company until 2023, “and the rest of the business for putting their trust in me and for agreeing to do some pretty incredible (sometimes insane) projects over the years”. He remains a shareholder in the company.
He will now take up the mantle as chief executive of Prezzo, an Italian restaurant chain with almost 100 outlets in the UK.
Prezzo, owned by Cain International, collapsed into administration due to the pandemic, but was rescued by current private equity owners for an undisclosed sum.
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