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Simpson joined BrewDog in 2012 as its first ever finance director

BrewDog’s head of global business development Neil Simpson has joined former CEO James Watt in standing down.

Simpson joined BrewDog in 2012 as its first ever finance director, and became global business development director in 2018. He held a seat on the brewer’s board of directors.

A BrewDog spokesperson said: “Following James Watt’s recent decision to step down as CEO, global business development director Neil Simpson has also decided to step down after 12 years to pursue new business ventures.

“We thank Neil for his service and wish him all the best for the future.”

Prior to his appointment at BrewDog, Simpson worked for accountancy firm Ritson Smith, where he advised BrewDog from shortly after its launch in 2007.

He is a qualified chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.

In 2020, he briefly stepped into the role of interim chief financial officer prior to the appointment of Neil McCallum.

McCallum was subsequently replaced as BrewDog CFO by James Taylor in October 2023.

During Simpson’s time at BrewDog, revenues have grown from under £20m to £321m in 2023.

Read More: What’s next for BrewDog as CEO James Watt steps back?

Last month, the Aberdeenshire brewer announced its chief operating officer James Arrow was to take over the running of day-to-day operations, with Watt stepping back into a non-executive role to “concentrate on his other projects and interests”.

BrewDog is yet to confirm a replacement for Simpson, or Arrow as COO.