MEET OUR REGIONAL SALES CREW

In case you missed it, last week we published our Blueprint looking to the months and years ahead, and how things will continue to rock on Planet BrewDog. As part of that we dialled into our amazing bars division – but of course if you want a pint of Punk IPA, there are other places you can head to. We supply (and are supported by) an incredible network of bars, pubs, clubs, hotels and many other venues in the on-trade. But who supports them? Our Regional Sales Managers.

Let’s take a closer look at five of our sales gurus, and discover what makes them tick.

And if you’d like to join them on the BrewDog crew, check out our vacancies here.

Ryan Clinch London and South Field Sales Manager

Within two short years Ryan has moved from patrolling the beat in East London to managing a team of six encompassing the entire south of England, from Kent to Cornwall. “I love the fact that I get to see so much of the UK,” he says. “No matter the day or time there is always something going on. I also love the variety of venues - from massive beer gardens to rooftop clubs, tap rooms, awesome cocktail bars and historic pubs – so many options!”

Providing options is also one of the main roles of our Field Sales crew – alongside Ryan’s favoured Hazy Jane he (and everyone else in the 18-strong team) exist to supply our on-trade customers with as many different BrewDog beers as possible. The hardest part of this for Ryan? “As a rapidly growing business BrewDog is definitely fast paced, meaning you need to stay well organised and treat everything urgently!”

Gabriela Townes Central London Sales Manager

Gabriela works on Ryan’s team in Southern England, and in a co-incidence also shares his love of Hazy Jane. Her individual responsibility is for the most dynamic part of the country in terms of pubs and bars – central London. “Whilst I may have the smallest region, there are so many amazing accounts in such a small radius – so every day is a new hunt for me, keeping me busy and excited!”

So let’s ask her what a typical day entails for a BrewDog Field Sales Manager, working in the centre of the thirstiest city in the UK. “I aim to get all my admin done first thing whilst the on-trade is still sleeping,” she says. “Then I head into Central London. I aim to have a set number of meetings a day, so I will plan around those and fit all calls around the meetings. Day to day is so different and the beauty of this job is you never know where your day may take you!”

Alastair Wood Scotland Field Sales Team Manager

Ali joined us seven months ago and is busy building his own territory in Edinburgh whilst also managing the Scottish on-trade team in Glasgow and Aberdeen. “The customers are amazing,” he says. “They take pride in what they do and this comes across in how the beer is presented and sold to consumers with passion and knowledge.” These are also characteristics our sales crew need to possess – Ali was tested in that regard when his third week coincided with #PunkAGM2018!

But what’s the best part of his job? “Customers both new and current are so enthusiastic about selling the beer and trying the beer it makes the conversations so energetic and positive. Who doesn’t love tasting beer with customers?” Absolutely. All of our sales crew (on and off-trade) need to know our beer inside out to connect with people new to BrewDog – and even craft beer in general – it’s a job that requires an educated (and willing) palate!

Maria Healy Home Counties Sales Manager

At the other end of the scale from Gabriella’s beat is the one looked after by Maria, who joined BrewDog at the start of the year. Just as central London is unique, so are the Home Counties. “There is no single big city in my area where I have a particular focus on,” she says. “Instead, I really enjoy dividing my time between distinct areas that all have their own character.”

“This gives me the opportunity to get to know many different types of people when in trade and coming across a variety of cool accounts,” she continues. This point gets to the heart of another component of being a great Regional Sales Manager, the ability to adapt to your location. You also really need to love Hazy Jane apparently, as this is Maria’s favourite BrewDog beer. You guys!

Eddie Bruce North Scotland Sales Manager

Eddie – who also listed his favourite beer as Hazy Jane* is one of the longest serving crewmembers on our roster, having started over six years ago in our Fraserburgh days. “I work in the best region for our company,” he says. “Our heartland.” On his first day with us back in 2012 his most vivid memory is how everyone mucked it, despite the role or position – something every sales crewmember can attest to.

So what does Eddie like about his job? “Changing attitudes and showing people that there are alternatives to the bland, insipid choice of products forced upon them by outdated breweries.” This, more than anything else, would be the call-sign and mission statement for any Field Sales operative working in our industry. From our longest-serving to most-recent crewmember, nothing is more important for them to work towards than this.

*To be fair, Ali decided to be the outlier and chose Elvis Juice

These guys work as hard as anyone else at BrewDog, putting in the miles to meet the people who serve our beer to the public. Without them, our brewery would grind to a halt, it’s that simple. If you would like to work alongside them for BrewDog, then we have all kinds of opportunities and vacancies available – across our company – just bookmark our Jobs page!