Vocation Brewery Announces New Senior Leadership Team Appointments in support of next phase of growth

Experienced drinks industry hires join as brewery builds on continued on- and off-trade momentum

Independent brewery Vocation has announced three new senior appointments, bringing further drinks industry and Board-level experience to the business as it continues to invest in its people, brands and brewing capabilities.

Andrew Winning has joined Vocation as Non-Executive Chair, following an extensive career across the brewing, drinks and hospitality industries at businesses including Bass and Marston’s, alongside significant Board-level roles as a Non-Executive Director and Chair within and beyond the sector.

Greg Levens will join the business in October as Off-Trade National Account Controller, bringing more than 20 years’ industry experience, including roles with BrewDog, Daniel Thwaites and Carlsberg Marston.

Steve Pickles will also join in October as Head of On-Trade Sales with more than 20 years’ drinks and brewing experience across the UK on-trade, including roles with Molson Coors and Matthew Clark.

The appointments follow recent changes to Vocation’s senior leadership team. Gail Lumsden, who joined the Board in 2021, has stepped down as CEO and Executive Chair. During her time with Vocation, Gail helped strengthen innovation, improve operational processes and create the foundations for sustained, value-driven growth.

Vocation’s Chief Financial Officer, John Brooks, assumes the role of Interim CEO alongside his existing responsibilities while the Board recruits a permanent CEO who will continue to lead Vocation through its next phase of growth.

Steve Pickles replaces John Morrissey, who held the role of Head of On-Trade Sales at Vocation Brewery for three years, during which time he helped elevate Vocation’s profile and strengthen its presence across the on-trade.

Greg Levens takes the place of Nick Wagstaff, who previously held the role of Off-Trade National Account Controller. During his three years with the business, Nick was instrumental in building strong and collaborative customer relationships and strengthening Vocation’s off-trade presence and rate of sale.

John Hickling, Founder and Non-Executive Director at Vocation Brewery, says: “We’re hugely grateful to Gail, John and Nick for the significant contribution they’ve made to Vocation and the role they’ve played in getting us to where we are today.

“We’re really pleased to welcome Andrew, Greg and Steve to the team. Between them, they bring a vast amount of experience across brewing, drinks, hospitality and the on- and off-trade, which will be invaluable as we build on the momentum we’re seeing and continue to focus on long-term, scalable growth.

“There’s a lot to be excited about. We’re continuing to invest in the brewery, our people and our brands, while remaining focused on what has always been at the heart of Vocation – brewing bold, flavourful beers that are accessible to more people, and delivering quality and consistency at scale without losing the creativity that has always set us apart.”

The new appointments come as Vocation continues to build on strong year-on-year growth across both its core on- and off-trade channels. In the on-trade, Vocation is seeing double-digit year-on-year sales volume growth.[1] In the off-trade, its value market share has increased from approximately 3.8% to 4.3%[2], with sales value (+2.9%) and volume (+2.4%) significantly outperforming the wider off-trade craft beer category (-9.6% value and -12.5% volume)[3]. This momentum has accelerated recently, with Vocation growing 11.7% in value and 6.0% in volume over the latest 12 weeks[4].

Vocation’s growth strategy puts consumers and customers at its heart, with a focus on scaling the premium core brands people already know and trust across the on- and off-trade, while using purposeful innovation to respond to evolving tastes and drinking occasions.

The brewery’s investment in production capacity and innovation includes additional brewery tanks and a pilot brewery designed to enable new beers to be developed and trialled more quickly.

Life & Death is at the heart of Vocation’s growth plans and is being supported by the biggest brand investment in the brewery’s history. Vocation’s pilot brewery was instrumental in the six-month development of the new 4.2% Life & Death Session IPA, which extends the established brand into more sessionable drinking occasions in the on-trade without compromising on flavour or quality – providing pubs and bars with a premium proposition designed to meet evolving consumer demand.