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Diageo’s Katherine Smart becomes first female master brewer

The Worshipful Company of Brewers, also known as the Brewers’ Company, is one of the City of London’s livery companies and has records going back to 1563 when the practice of electing a master annually began.

“I’m thrilled to have been elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Brewers – an organisation playing a crucial role connecting brewers across the industry, and supporting valuable educational and research work,” Smart said.

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“Brewing has historically been very male dominated, and when I started my career, I’d often be the only woman in the room at industry events. Today it is wonderful to see so many women entering the industry, building thriving careers and shaping the future of brewing.”

To mark the event, Diageo brewed a special Guinness which was served to guests. Arthur’s Last Ale was brewed to a recipe based on a brewing ledger from 1796 – one of the last batches of ale produced at St. James’s Gate in Dublin before the brewery focused on stout for the next 200 years.

Guiness has a relationship with the Worshipful Company of Brewers which dates back to the 1970s. Edward Guinness was the first member of the Guinness brewery to receive the honour in 1977, followed by Peter Lipscomb in 1990 and Stephen Wingfield Digby in 1997.

Diageo’s MD for Great Britain Nuno Teles and beer category director Colin O’Brien were also admitted as liverymen at the Brewers’ Company Court Lunch held last Wednesday (10 July).

Smart meanwhile leads Diageo’s global technical team with responsibility for innovation, research & liquid development and packaging & governance. She is based at the Diageo Technical Centre in Menstrie, Scotland, and works closely with Diageo’s St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin where Guinness is made (The centuries-old stout is now officially the best-selling draught beer in the UK).

The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of London’s ancient livery companies and was once responsible for governing the beer trade in London. Today, the company remains closely connected to the brewing industry through its members.

Smart now paves the way for the next generation of female brewers around the world, having joined Diageo in 2019 from her role as a lecturer in Brewing and Distilling Sciences at Cambridge University. She was previously global chief brewer & vice president for supply chain integration at ABInBev, and also global chief brewer at SAB Miller.

• Diageo
• Worshipful Company of Brewers
• master brewer
• Katherine Smart
• first female