Spotlight: Simon Theakston, T&R Theakston Brewery

For more than 200 years, Theakston Brewery has remained one of Britain's most respected independent brewing businesses. Its story includes growth, family disagreements, changing markets, corporate ownership and, perhaps most remarkably, buying the company back.

Join Simon Theakston, Executive Chairman of T&R Theakston Brewery, as he reflects on more than four decades in the family business.

A fifth-generation descendant of the founder, Simon joined the brewery in 1981. In 1984, following differing wider family opinions, the company was taken over . Years later, Simon and three of his brothers led the successful buyback of the majority shareholding, returning the brewery to family ownership and helping secure its future as an independent business.

Today, as family custodian, Simon continues to guide the business through its next chapter, balancing growth with a commitment to quality, heritage, and long-term thinking.

The Conversation
Simon offers a fascinating perspective on questions that are bigger than brewing:

• Are you building a business to sell, or a business to last?
• How do you grow without compromising the standards that made your business successful?
• When should long-term thinking take priority over short-term opportunities?
• How do businesses navigate difficult decisions and differing views?
• What responsibility do founders have to the people, places, and businesses they leave behind?

What You’ll Take Away
Whether you're building to sell, to pass on, or simply for the long-term, Simon's story offers a rare perspective on what it takes to create an enduring business.

You'll leave with fresh thinking on balancing growth with quality, making decisions with a longer time horizon, and navigating the tensions that arise when commercial ambition, ownership, and legacy come together.

The Small Print
Spotlight events are open to all members and partners of the Forum. Two guest places are available to ‘Ultimate’ and ‘Premium’ members. Please note guests must be from your own company. 

To ensure you have a great experience at our spotlight event, please let us know in advance if you have any dietary or accessibility requirements. In the event that you need to cancel or amend your booking please let us know as soon as possible.

If you are a ‘Core’ member and would like to upgrade your membership or find out more please email  info@entrepreneursforum.net or call one of the team on 0191 500 7780.