Spain | Following the recent acquisition of Thielmann Portinox by Irestal Group, the Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Alberto Borque as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company based in Granada, Spain.

BrewDog’s co-founder Martin Dickie leaves craft beer firm

United Kingdom | BrewDog’s co-founder Martin Dickie has abruptly left the Ellon-based craft brewer and pub operator, British media reported in August. He said the decision was taken for personal reasons: he now wants to spend more time with his young family.

Nuremberg | The scientific magazine BrewingScience, published by Hans Carl in Nuremberg, is delighted to welcome Dr. Florian Lehnhardt from the Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality to its group of experts.

Berlin | Dr Björn Klotzbücher took up his position as the new Managing Director of VLB Berlin on 1 July 2025. He succeeds Dr Josef Fontaine, who will step down from this position at his own request in October 2025. The areas of finance, IT, human resources and research will remain under the responsibility of the previous Managing Director, Gerhard Andreas Schreiber (CFO).

Berlin | On 1 July 2025, Martin Dubrowsky took over the position of International Sales Manager at the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB). He succeeds Roberto Biurrun, who has left the VLB at his own request after ten years to take on a new professional challenge at Jürgen Löhrke GmbH.

Petr Košin new chairman of EBC Brewing Science Group

Brussels | At the recent 14th Technical Meeting of the EBC Brewing Science Group, held 20–22 May in Budapest, members were asked to approve the successor to Gert De Rouck, the director of the brewing pilot plants at KU Leuven (Technologiecampus Gent). Gert De Rouck had become the chairman in 2019 and the end of his term of office necessitated the search for a replacement chair. This was forthcoming in the person of Petr Košin, the production director at Budweiser Budvar, based at České Budějovice, Czech Republic, a national brewery run and supported by the Czech state.

Obituary: Oscar Wong, craft beer pioneer and founder of Highland Brewery, Asheville

Obituary | Oscar Wong, a retired engineer who founded the Highland Brewing Company as a hobby, died on 25 May, aged 84.

Berlin | The Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB) e.V. is initiating a significant generational change: After more than two decades of dedicated service as VLB Managing Director, Dr. Josef Fontaine will hand over the position in October 2025. His successor will be Dr. Björn Klotzbücher, who will take up his position at the VLB on 1 July 1 2025.

Warsaw | On Tuesday, 13 May 2025, the Brewers of Europe’s General Assembly elected Mr Christian Weber, CEO of the Karlsberg brewery and current president of the German Brewers’ Association (Deutscher Brauer-Bund), as its new president.

Bülach | The Vetropack Group, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of glass packaging, has announced that Riccardo Gobbis has taken over the position as Managing Director of Vetropack Italia S.r.l. as of 1 April 2025. With his extensive experience in the glass packaging industry, Riccardo Gobbis will be responsible for driving the further development of Vetropack's business in Italy, to fully leverage the potential of the highly modern production facility in Boffalora sopra Ticino.

Wolnzach | At the beginning of 2025, Alexander Epplen has joined HVG as one of their international sales managers. He will be responsible for North America, France and the UK and will take care of the craft beer sector.

Obituary: Jobst Meier zu Biesen

The German entrepreneur, who got a dozen breweries in Africa off the ground, died on 13 December, aged 81.

Australia | Hop Products Australia (HPA) has appointed Owen Johnston as their new CEO, following an extensive global process with the assistance of Derwent Search. The current Head of Sales & Marketing will commence his new position when current Managing Director & CEO Tim Lord retires at the end of April 2025.

Nuremberg | The scientific magazine BrewingScience is pleased to announce that Dr. Christian Schubert joins its reviewers team as an expert in the field of special analytics. His current research focuses on the ageing stability of beer and the importance of additives in the brewing process.