Mass Bay Brewing Company’s search for a CMO is over. The Boston-headquartered craft beer company today announced the hiring of Jon London, who will take the post on September 3.
London, who spent a decade at Boston Beer Company between 2006 and 2016, will be tasked with overseeing Mass Bay’s portfolio of brands, which includes beer brands Harpoon, UFO and Clown Shoes, as well as Arctic Summer hard seltzer and City Roots hard cider.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work for amazing companies, and to travel the world doing what I love,” London said in a press release announcing his hire. “Signing on with Mass Bay Brewing Company feels like a homecoming in many ways, and I couldn’t be more excited to help these outstanding brands compete even more in such a crowded and dynamic category.”
In mid-June, Brewbound reported Mass Bay was in the midst of its search for a marketing leader. At the time, co-founder and CEO Dan Kenary said he was looking for someone to “roll up their sleeves” and not “ask someone else” to do their work.
For London, joining Mass Bay is a return to the beer industry after a three-year hiatus. He last served as CMO of New Jersey-headquartered energy drink startup Advanced Bio Development.
However, most relevant to Mass Bay will be his experience at Boston Beer, where he last served as head of marketing for the company’s cider division.
During his time at Boston Beer, London is credited with helping launch and grow both the Angry Orchard cider and Twisted Tea brands into category leaders.
According to his LinkedIn page, in his role as head of marketing, he “launched and grew Angry Orchard, a craft beer-like cider, into the #1 cider brand with 60 percent category share in three years. Comprehensive strategy included brand positioning, product and packaging development, advertising and promotion. Created the highest scoring TV ad in the beer category in 2013 and 2014, as measured by independent firm Ace Metrix.”
In a press release, Kenary said London was selected after “a pretty exhaustive search” over several months.
“[W]e couldn’t be happier to welcome Jon to the team” Kenary said. “As employee-owners, we’re a competitive group, and we have spent the past five years getting to where we are now.”
In the release, Kenary, citing IRI data, pointed to Harpoon Rec. League becoming “the largest craft launch of 2019 in the Northeast.” He added that Arctic Summer, the hard seltzer made in partnership with non-alcoholic beverage company Polar, taking “off like a rocket.”
“We’re used to beer numbers, and what we’re seeing in the seltzer market is another world entirely,” Kenary said. “Our other brands are thriving. I’m grateful for how far we’ve come, and we’re just getting started. Jon will play a key role in where we go from here.”
London’s hire follows several high-profile companies appointing new CMOs this year, including Kelly Murnaghan at Lagunitas Brewing Company, Lesya Lysyj at Boston Beer Company and Michelle St. Jacques at MillerCoors.
A press release announcing London’s hire is included on the next page.