Dickie founded the Ellon-based brewery and pub group in 2007 alongside James Watt.

Since then, he has helped grow the company’s presence to more than 60 countries.

Since 2021, Dickie had helped oversee Brewdog's expansion into spirits through its Brewdog Distilling Co arm.

"After over two decades in the brewing and distilling arena sadly for personal reasons it's time for me to leave the industry that I love deeply and hopefully had a positive impact in," Dickie said.

"Leaving Brewdog isn't easy, but I'm ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family."

In a company-wide email seen by The National, Dickie said: “This business has been my life for the last 18 years and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute.

“I have been inspired by and loved working with and learning from so many interesting people who have worked in our business over the years from all over the world.

"People are spending their hard-earned money on something we have made ... Make their Brewdog moment special.”

According to The National, one employee stated that the announcement came “out of the blue”.

Brewdog chief executive, James Taylor, described Dickie's “immeasurable” contributions to the company: "His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry." Dickie’s departure marks the latest development in a period of turbulence for the Scottish brewer.

Figures published last week revealed that Brewdog’s flagship beer, Punk IPA, had been cut from 1980 pubs over the last two years, representing a drop in distribution of more than 50%.

In July, the group announced the closure of 10 bars across the UK, including its Aberdeen flagship venue, as part of a “rationalisation” of the company’s “bar footprint”.

The closures were criticised by trade union Unite's national lead for hospitality, Bryan Simpson, who claimed that workers were given “less than four days’ notice of the closure of their workplace.”

And in October 2024, it was reported that the Scottish brewing company posted a pre-tax loss of £59 million in 2023 – a jump from the £30 million in pre-tax losses reported in 2022.

The instability has also affected personnel. Last year, Watt stepped down as chief executive, transitioning to a newly created position of captain and co-founder. Watt’s tenure had its share of controversy, with the company receiving criticism for its workplace culture.

In March, the brewery named its second chief executive in a year following the departure of James Arrow, citing “personal reasons”. Taylor, Brewdog’s former chief financial officer, succeeded Arrow in the role.

In January, the craft beer group faced backlash after announcing that it would no longer pay its employees the real living wage; instead, new workers would receive the UK government’s national minimum wage.

In July, Dickie entered the medicinal cannabis market, unveiling an Aberdeenshire-based start-up, Waterside Pharmaceuticals.

Speaking on the new venture, Dickie said: “Our aim is to become the UK market leader in medical cannabis. We have ambitious plans to expand the business, creating up to 100 new jobs in the local economy and investing around £20 million over the next five years.

“The global market for medical cannabis is growing rapidly as its clinical applications become better researched and understood.  In the UK, medical cannabis can now be prescribed by specialist doctors, with an estimated 50,000-60,000 patients thought to be benefitting from cannabis-derived medicines. That figure is growing year-on-year, but supply depends largely on imported medicines.”