Independent brewers urged to ‘fight for fairness’ via new survey
The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) is encouraging breweries to take part in a survey that will help shape the future of the industry and also assess progress of female leadership within the sector.
According to the trade association, the data gathered will then assist in helping SIBA fight for a fairer deal for brewers – from lobbying government on taxation and support, improving access to market as well as making it easier to track gender representation across beer businesses.
In September, the drinks business revealed how women working in beer had lamented that sexism in the sector continued to prevail and why it has to be everyone’s job to speak up about it.
Added to this, last year db uncovered the paucity of women in management positions within the beer sector with very few being attracted to working in the beer industry, and brewers and brand owners not actively recruiting them. British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) figures had shown that just 17% of women hold board positions and only 7% of women are CEOs in the beer industry, while SIBA admitted that 30% of brewery employees are women with only 3% of female workers in brewing roles.
The new survey from SIBA takes place amid the UK’s independent breweries facing “heavy headwinds” with nearly half making “survival” their main goal. This year, the association admitted that one of the issues was down to the fact that bigger global breweries that were stopping smaller breweries gain a route to market.
The survey aims to tackle many of the challenges head on and collate an accurate resource for shaping the future of brewing. SIBA has also revealed that the research will be analysed by Professor David Tyrrall, visiting professor of accounting and policy at Staffordshire University and senior research associate at Cambridge University. Then, the results will be published in the SIBA Independent Beer Report.
‘Fighting for a fairer deal’
Describing how crucial this step forwards will be for the beer industry in gathering research in 2026 and beyond, SIBA chief executive Andy Slee said: “The SIBA Brewing Industry Report Questionnaire is an incredibly important annual exercise which not only garners data for the Independent Beer Report, but also influences the direction of SIBA as an organisation and the way in which we approach all aspects of fighting for a fairer deal for brewers in government and the beer market.”
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This year, SIBA has also worked with Women on Tap CIC to improve the data gathered on female ownership and leadership in brewing in what now marks an important move for gender equality, making history in what has long been a male-dominated sector.
Highlighting what this will involve, Women On Tap CIC founder Rachel Auty said: “In the question about the people working in the business, we’ve now added ‘owner/ director/ CEO’ so we can measure and track the gender splits at the most senior level of breweries and other beer organisations.”
‘Key indicator for change’
Giving reasoning as to why this is important, Auty explained: “We see this as a key indicator of change – it tells us who is leading and steering the industry, and how that might be changing – and it’s data that hasn’t existed before. It will be valuable for Women On Tap CIC to have access to this data, but also for the wider industry to have this snapshot. I’m incredibly grateful to SIBA for supporting this move.”
Slee added: “Accurate, up-to-date data is a powerful tool in fighting for fairness, and the changes made this year seek to further improve the information available on female ownership and leadership in the industry. Our continued partnership with Women on Tap and their 50/50 initiative is hugely important to SIBA as an organisation and I want to thank them for their valuable input into this year’s survey.”
SIBA has also assured brewers that this year its report questionnaire has also been reduced in size to make it easier and quicker to complete. To also encourage more input, the data will be gathered anonymously and the survey will be open to all independent breweries in the UK.
Breweries can take part in the survey here.
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