Sounds like he’s trying to make people look the other way.
The chief executive of Scottish beer giant Brewdog has been accused of inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power in the workplace by former staff.
More than 15 ex-Brewdog workers have spoken out about CEO James Watt to the
BBC's Disclosure programme.
Former Brewdog USA workers said Mr Watt's behaviour made female bartenders feel "uncomfortable" and "powerless".
Lawyers for Mr Watt said the allegations were false and he denied behaving inappropriately.
Brewdog was founded in 2007 by Mr Watt - then just 24 - and his friend Martin Dickie and it has its headquarters in Ellon in the north east of Scotland.
The company, which has more than 100 bars and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide, says it is worth about £2bn.
In 2016, Brewdog opened its first bar in the US - in Columbus, Ohio - and it now has eight across three states.
The BBC Scotland Disclosure team started investigating the company after almost 300 former and current Brewdog employees signed a letter last year
accusing Mr Watt of presiding over a toxic culture of fear.
The documentary
The Truth about Brewdogfeatures interviews with 12 former Brewdog USA staff who have alleged inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power in the workplace by Mr Watt.
The documentary features claims that:
- Mr Watt was witnessed by staff kissing an intoxicated customer on a roof terrace bar
- Female bartenders were advised how to avoid unwelcome attention from Mr Watt
- Managers would try to schedule certain female staff to be off to avoid Mr Watt's visits
- One bartender said she felt "powerless" to prevent unwelcome attention from Mr Watt
- Mr Watt, while on trips to his US bars, took women on late night private brewery tours, leaving staff feeling uncomfortable
- Mr Watt flirted with a staff member before taking her to the roof of a Brewdog building in view of other staff.
Katelynn Ising, who worked in DogTap, Brewdog's flagship bar and brewery in Canal Winchester, Ohio, said female staff would dress down when they knew Mr Watt would be in their bars.