Monday 4 July 2022 02:48 PM BrewDog CEO James Watt admits to being 'too intense and demanding' amid ... trends now
The CEO of craft beer firm BrewDog has admitted to being 'too intense and demanding' amid a workplace culture row where he was accused of inappropriate behaviour and abusing his power.
James Watt, 38, the chief executive of Britain's biggest craft brewer, has been at the centre of a string of misconduct accusations in recent years after being accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women and abuse of power in the workplace.
Speaking with Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast about his leadership at the company, he admitted to previously pushing people 'too far' because of his 'high standards.'
But the CEO said that his actions were done with '100% good intentions.'
Mr Watt revealed: 'It's completely fair to say at times in the journey I have been too intense.
'I have been too demanding, that I have set standards for the team which I would set for myself, and for a lot of the team members that is unattainable.
'I just pushed for such high standards, unrealistic deadlines, it's because I was so focused on "let's build the thing, let's create more jobs, let's deliver more value for our customers."
'The intention was 100% good and because I was so bought in and so focused on that, I did push people too far.'
BrewDog CEO James Watt admitted to being 'too intense and demanding' after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power in a workplace culture row
The CEO spoke about the issues he has dealt with at the company with Steven Bartlett (right) on his podcast
This comes after more than 15 ex-staff previously spoke out against Mr Watt with some claiming he made female bartenders feel 'uncomfortable' and 'powerless'.
They were even advised by colleagues on how to avoid unwelcome attention from Mr Watt, 38, according to an investigation by BBC Scotland's Disclosure programme.
Katelynn Ising, who worked at a BrewDog bar in Ohio, US, said female staff would dress down when they knew Mr Watt would be in their bars.
She said: 'We would make a point to warn new girls... like, 'Hey, just so you know, James Watt's coming to town. Just kind of, like, leave after your shift, don't really hang around [and] don't always do your hair and make-up that day, like don't catch his attention'.'
Other former staff claim Mr
