BrewDog Revives Its CMO Role Under New Owner Tilray
Updated: 6 days ago
BrewDog, now owned by Tilray Brands, has brought back a chief marketing officer for the first time in years — appointing John Beasley, who concedes the brand faces 'a mountain to climb' to win back consumer trust.
A reinstated role, and a candid brief
BrewDog has reprised its chief marketing officer role under new owner Tilray Brands, appointing John Beasley to lead marketing as the brewer resets. It is a notable move for a company that spent a long stretch operating without a CMO at the top table.
Beasley has not sugar-coated the task. Rebuilding consumer trust, he says, is 'a mountain to climb' — a strikingly honest framing for an incoming marketing chief, and an acknowledgement of the reputational turbulence that trailed the founder-led era.
New ownership as a marketing device
The appointment lands alongside an expanded senior leadership team and an 'under new ownership' campaign. That line is doing deliberate work: it signals a clean break to consumers and the trade, letting the brand separate its future from its past rather than defend it.
For Tilray, BrewDog is a high-recognition beverage asset that needs its marketing engine restarted. Reinstating a CMO rather than running marketing through commercial is a statement that brand-building, not just distribution, is central to the turnaround.
Marketing Minute's read: trust is rebuilt in deeds, not slogans
Beasley's 'mountain to climb' honesty is the right opening note. Audiences are fluent in corporate spin, and a brand with trust issues gains more from candour than from a glossy relaunch that pretends nothing happened. The risk is that 'under new ownership' becomes a slogan rather than a promise people can feel.
What turnaround marketers should take from it: sequence trust before hype. Fix the product experience, the workplace signals and the service, then let marketing amplify genuine change. A founder-forged brand can absolutely be rebuilt — but the proof has to arrive before the applause.
Quick FAQ
Who is BrewDog's new CMO?
John Beasley, appointed chief marketing officer as BrewDog revives the role under new owner Tilray Brands in late September 2026.
Why did BrewDog bring back a CMO?
After a period without one, new owner Tilray is restarting BrewDog's marketing engine and putting brand-building — not just commercial — back at the top table.
What is BrewDog's main marketing challenge?
Rebuilding consumer trust after a turbulent period — what Beasley himself calls 'a mountain to climb' — while relaunching the brand under new ownership.
Starting with 'a mountain to climb' rather than a victory lap is exactly right. Trust-damaged brands are rebuilt in deeds first and advertising second. If Tilray lets the proof arrive before the noise, BrewDog has a real path back — if it leans on the slogan too soon, it won't. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
A brand with a trust problem earns more from honesty than from a glossy relaunch — candour is the fastest way back up the mountain.
When a brand says it's 'under new ownership', what would actually convince you to give it another chance?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Week, Adweek, The Business Desk, GlobeNewswire (Tilray).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
