Northern Monk sales team hires

Alex Minett (l) and Nick Brown have joined as commercial director and off-trade controller respectively

Leeds brewer Northern Monk has hired former Red Bull off-trade channel director Alex Minett to be its new commercial director.

It has also appointed former Haribo executive Nick Brown as its off-trade controller.

The pair took up their roles at the brewer last month.

Minett replaces Martin Monro, who joined Scottish brewery Vault City earlier this year, while Brown replaces Will Dixon, who has departed for ice cream maker Mackie’s.

Minett brought 22 years of drinks sector experience to Northern Monk, including seven years at “one of the world’s most prominent and forward-thinking drinks brands”, Northern Monk said.

In his role as commercial director, Minett will head up commercial channels including on and off-trade, export and e-commerce.

He will also be responsible for overseeing Northern Monk’s three venues – Leeds Refectory, Manchester Refectory and The Northern Market Leeds – as well as delivering on its plans for new venues across the UK.

Brown, meanwhile, came with “15 years worth of experience in the fmcg sector”, including 10 years at Haribo. Here he held several roles including sales operations manager and national account manager for Tesco and Asda.

Minett and Brown brought a “wealth of experience from two of the UK’s most recognisable brands”, said Northern Monk co-founder and managing director Russell Bisset.

The two hires would “significantly enhance our on-trade and off-trade teams”, Bisset added.

Northern Monk was founded by Bisset and Brian Dickson in 2013. Its beers are sold in Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Earlier this year, the brewer announced it was to invest £500k to increase capacity at its main brewing site in Holbeck, Leeds by a fifth.