Richard Frost is calling time on 40 years in the brewing industry when he retires at the end of this month.

Mike Unsworth will succeed Frost, joining the business from Carlton & United Breweries in Australia.

Frost joined the Kent-based business in 2012 after being approached for the role following a career that began as a trainee brewer with Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries in 1978.

He explained: “I studied biology at Nottingham University and went on brewery visits as part of the course which I found really interesting.

“I wanted to do something practical with my degree, so going into the brewing industry after my studies seemed the perfect choice.”

Frost worked in a number of roles for Wolverhampton and Dudley, including shift brewer, packaging manager and technical services manager, before being promoted to site director of Camerons Brewery in Hartlepool in 1998.

He was then appointed head brewer at Banks’s brewery in Wolverhampton in 2003, and remained there for nine years before joining Shepherd Neame.

During his time at Shepherd Neame, Frost oversaw major expansion of the beer portfolio, including introducing the Whitstable Bay Collection, extending the Spitfire range and winning a Gold International Brewing Award for the cask variant of the new Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale.

He added: “It is a really good time to be a brewer, as the surge in microbreweries and craft brewers in recent years has prompted consumers to become more knowledgeable and interested in beer.

“After 40 years in brewing, I know that things will go wrong, but the key is to remain calm and deal with it. Work with your team to sort out the problem and then think about how to stop it happening again.

 “I am looking forward to being able to finally switch off and have the opportunity to play golf and see more of the world, though I will miss the variety and challenge of my work, and most of all, the people I work with.

“But I plan to keep in touch with everyone, and of course I will continue to drink Shepherd Neame beer, to check it is still of the highest quality!”

 Chief executive Jonathan Neame commented: “Richard is well-respected throughout the brewing industry, and has been a huge asset to Shepherd Neame.

“We would like to thank him for his dedication and hard work during the past six years. He will be greatly missed, but he leaves the brewery in excellent shape for the exciting times ahead.”

Check out our feature on Shepherd Neame from July 2016.