The boss of a leading North Yorkshire brewery is leaving less than a year after it received new owners.

Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery has announced its Chief Executive Officer, Charlene Lyons, is stepping down to pursue other interests, after almost nine years of being involved with the business. 

Mark Williams, CEO of Keystone Brewing Group (formerly BREAL Group), which owns Black Sheep, alongside a number of other breweries, will assume CEO duties.

He will be assisted by John Hunt, former MD of Purity Brewing Co. in the newly created position of Group CFO for Keystone Brewing Group.

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Mark Williams said: "We wish Charlene all the best in the future.”

Since the acquisition of Black Sheep by BREAL Group in May 2023, the brewery says it has taken many positive steps, including the opportunity to work alongside and raise funds for rugby legend Rob Burrow MBE through the launch of Burrow’s Blonde – now the brewery’s fastest growing bottled beer.

In addition, at the start of the year, a £1m investment into Black Sheep Brewery’s Masham site was announced which will see it become the centre for brewing excellence in the region and beyond. 

The investment entails an entirely new tank farm and state of the art brewhouse at its Wellgarth site, and the complete transformation of the capability and capacity at its Fearby road packaging facility.

York Press: Charlene Lyons at the Masham Brewery

Earlier this month, it was announced that BREAL Group would rebrand to Keystone Brewing Group, in a move to solidify the Group’s commitment to the future of each brand within its portfolio.

Charlene Lyons was born in Newcastle in April 1978 and was the daughter of a market trader.

She worked as a fashion buyer for Marks and Spencer but the death of her father when she was 23, changed the focus of her life, swapping the corporate world for the countryside.

Living in Leeds, she would commute to Masham where Black Sheep is based.

The 45-year-old became Black Sheep’s CEO just weeks before the pandemic and its devastating impact of the brewing trade began.

Charlene and the company instigated changes to respond to the lockdowns, including improving its online presence, which helped boost online sales eight-fold to £800,000 a year.

A home delivery service was also launched.

Local media has cited Ms Lyon’s ‘bold and forward thinking approach’ helping Black Sheep recover at a time when Covid has caused so much devastation to the hospitality sector.

However, this was not enough as last April, the company announced a ‘strategic review’ of its operations, which saw Breal Capital buy the business for £5 million the following month.

The deal, though, was part of a pre-packed administration sale, which saw creditors, including the taxpayer, losing out £4million.

The Press has approached Charlene Lyons for comment.