William is the eldest son of the Yorkshire-based company’s chairman, Simon Theakston, and has joined the business following a career as an officer in the British Army, where he completed two operational tours in Afghanistan and held a role in the Ministry of Defence.
Since leaving the military in 2016, he has held a number of roles in the drinks and hospitality industry, working with Fuller’s, Marston’s and, most recently, Charles Edge London, a company specialising in the development of brands, where he was export and UK sales manager.
His new role at Theakston’s will see him develop the brewery’s on-trade sales force, with a particular focus on customers in the southern half of England and Wales.
Long-term growth strategy
He will work with wholesale partners, national pub companies and key account groups to grow the Theakston footprint outside of its traditional north of England heartland, as it looks to capitalise on consumer demand for quality British beer.
Theakston’s managing director Richard Bradbury said: “William’s appointment is the latest stage of a long-term growth strategy. Over the past four years, we have been steadily strengthening all aspects of our organisation in head office functions and front-line sales to support our ambitions.
“The investment in our organisation has been careful and measured to deliver commercial and financial return alongside our steady growth in market share. In parallel, we have worked hard to ensure our beers remain affordable to consumers and customers despite inflationary pressures.”
Hugely proud
Bradbury continued: “As we look forward to celebrating our bi-centenary in 2027, we seek to demonstrate that a business doesn’t survive for 200 years by ever standing still. Our focus is on building our business strength to support a successful third century, with William’s appointment forming a key part of that growth journey.”
William Theakston added: “I’m hugely proud and thrilled to be joining the family business and carrying on the work of growing our customer and consumer base in a very important area of the market.
“In past decades, we established a great track record of sales in the south of England and so I look forward to building on this proud heritage in the months and years ahead.”
