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Andy Taylor\/ True North<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nBrewdog co-founder Martin Dickie has left the Scottish craft beer giant, saying that he took the decision for personal reasons.<\/p>\n Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based firm with James Watt in 2007, recently launched his own medicinal cannabis business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year Mr Watt stepped down<\/a> from his role as CEO of the company and said he would move to a newly-created position of “captain and co-founder”.<\/p>\n Brewdog announced last month that it was closing 10 bars across the UK<\/a>, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen, due to what it described as “ongoing industry challenges”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A spokesperson said these challenges included rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brewdog CEO James Taylor described Mr Dickie’s contributions to the company as “immeasurable”. <\/p>\n He added: “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”<\/p>\n In recent years Mr Dickie had helped oversee Brewdog’s expansion into the spirits and cocktail market.<\/p>\n He said his decision to leave, which will not result in any changes to the company’s leadership team, had been a difficult one.<\/p>\n “After over two decades in the brewing and distilling arena sadly for personal reasons it’s time for me to leave the industry that I love deeply and hopefully had a positive impact in,” he said.<\/p>\n “Leaving Brewdog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The company is known for its craft beers and IPAs and has breweries and pubs across the globe, including 71 in the the UK, of which 17 are in Scotland.<\/p>\n It also has bars in Dubai, the US and Australia.<\/p>\n In 2021 former workers used an open letter to highlight what they said was a “culture of fear” within the business and “toxic attitudes” to junior staff.<\/p>\n The following year several ex-Brewdog staff accused founder and former CEO Watt of inappropriate behaviour<\/a> in a BBC Disclosure investigation.<\/p>\n Lawyers for Mr Watt said the allegations were false – but Ofcom rejected complaints<\/a> that Brewdog and Watt were unfairly treated by the programme.<\/p>\n In January last year the firm also faced a backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage<\/a>, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.<\/p>\n Mr Watt stood down as CEO last year<\/a> and moved to the newly-created position of “captain and co-founder” but retained his shares in the company.<\/p>\n Martin Dickie is also retaining his shares in the company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last month, it emerged his start-up, Waterside Pharmaceuticals, is about to harvest its first full crop at its facility in Aberdeenshire.<\/p>\n The company last year secured a Controlled Drugs Licence from the Home Office to cultivate cannabis starter material for medicine production.<\/p>\n Up to 60,000 patients a month in the UK are currently estimated to be prescribed medical cannabis, following legislative changes in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr Dickie told Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce his aim was to become the UK market leader.<\/p>\n He added the company was “on a mission to provide safe, efficacious and cost-effective medicine that can help thousands of people”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250814-092707-b0ec5bc3fc-web-2.27.1-1\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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