Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas Speaks at Brewbound Live 2018

Dec. 31, 2018 at 11:31 PM

Craft Brew Alliance CEO Andy Thomas delivered the keynote address on Day One of the 2018 Brewbound Live business conference, held in Santa Monica, California, on November 27, 2018.

Thomas, who was named the CEO of CBA in 2014, has witnessed an immense amount of change within the beer industry over the last four years. Since taking over as CEO, the number of U.S. craft breweries has nearly doubled, and all of the major beer companies have made sizable investments in the craft space.

During that time, Thomas has overseen a transformation of the publicly traded Portland, Oregon-headquartered craft beer company. He led the restructuring of CBA’s brewery footprint, reduced the company’s SKUs by 30 percent, acquired three craft brewery partners, and implemented a go-to-market strategy that prioritizes sales of the company’s lead brand, Kona.

In his keynote address, Thomas discussed consumers, competition, and the category in an effort to spark a conversation about the future of the beer business.