BREWDOG has underlined its international growth ambitions by hiring industry big hitter Andrew Hatherell to spearhead its global sales drive.

The Scottish company has enticed Mr Hatherell to join its "craft beer revolution" from a senior position at AB-InBev, the brewing giant behind Beck's, Budweiser and Stella Artois.

BrewDog has tasked the executive with working with global distributors to build sales in its current 55 export markets, in addition to taking its brands into new territories.

His appointment has been hailed by BrewDog as a key move as it strengthens its senior management team. It follows the arrival in January of David McDowall, former operations director of Glasgow-based hospitality company G1 Group, as its first head of bars.

Mr Hatherell rose through the ranks at Belgium-headquartered AB-InBev, having originally joined the company in its guise as Whitbread 16 years ago.

In his most recent role, as international regional director, he developed the brewer's market strategy for Asia and was responsible for all export and licence contracts.

Asked what had tempted him to leave the world's biggest brewing company to join BrewDog, Mr Hatherell said: "I had a fantastic time at AB-InBev and I'm very thankful for my time there and for the career I had. I just felt it was time for a new challenge.

"I looked around something different for the second chapter of my career and BrewDog really appealed. From a personal point of view I have a huge amount of respect for what the guys have done and their ambition, and how disruptive they have been.

"I think the brands are fantastic, from the moment I tried Punk IPA for four or five years ago. And in general craft beer is an area of the market that has a huge amount of innovation, and a lot of interest right now."

BrewDog has upset the dominance of the mainstream brewing industry by repeatedly attacking what it derides as bland corporate beer culture since its launch in 2007. Despite his own corporate background, Mr Hatherell said he shares with BrewDog a commitment to "the quality of the product in the glass."

He said: "We make the best possible beer that we can, and from my point of view I share that position. The fact that I used to work for a mega brewer that is the opposite end of the scale from BrewDog sits comfortably with me. Fundamentally I'm all about consumer choice, beer, and anything that brings excitement to a product category that I love is good for me."

Mr Hatherell said it was too early to say which overseas markets BrewDog will be targeting with its global sales push, noting that he was still in the process of establishing a strategy.

But the Somerset-based executive, who will spend 60 per cent of his time travelling and at the brewery in Ellon, confirmed that one of his first tasks will be to build an international sales team. That will lead to an as yet unspecified number of appointments, he said.

Mr Hatherell noted: "We need the right people with the right skill sets, and more importantly we need them in the right place as well. I would envisage building a team that has a bigger geographical footprint than perhaps BrewDog has been used to in the past, with everybody based in the UK."

Mr Hatherell has joined BrewDog with the Ellon-based company in the midst of its fourth crowdfunding drive, under which it is looking to raise £25m to bankroll expansion plans. If successful, the float would give the company an implied market value of about £300m.

The company, which is expecting an audience of 6000 of its AGM at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, tomorrow, raised £5m in the first 20 days of the campaign.