How did you get where you are today?

By accident really! I had worked in the food industry in sales for a number of years. I joined a drinks company after a previous boss approached me. That company became First Drinks Brands a year later and won the distribution contract for Gonzalez Byass soon after. During that time I moved into marketing on a secondment and never went back. After relaunching Tio Pepe at First Drinks Brands, I left for a three-year stint in retail at Marks and Spencer. I was initially responsible for looking after marketing for wines and drinks. I later added other food categories to my responsibilities. In 2004, when Gonzalez Byass decided to set up a dedicated UK distribution company, they approached me to head up marketing.

Tell us a bit about Gonzalez Byass.

Gonzalez Byass is a fifth generation family-owned company, based in Jerez, Spain. It has been making sherry and brandy for 170 years. It exports to over 120 countries, with the UK being the biggest overseas market. The key brands are Tio Pepe and Croft sherry, plus Soberano brandy, and a brand new range of wine from key regions of Spain. The great thing about working for a family company is the long-term approach to brand building. Although good results are important, decision-making is quick and decisions are taken with an eye on the long term - after all, we've been around since 1835.

What are you currently working on?

We are delivering a summer advertising and sampling campaign on Croft, the first big investment on this brand for a decade. We are involved in a television sponsorship campaign on Tio Pepe, sponsoring Gordon Ramsay's Channel 4 show The F-Word. We are doing sampling at prestigious events, and launching our new wine portfolio. We're working on budgets and planning for next year, including how we train, motivate and reward the team.

What's your working week like?

It is very varied and can be different every week. In the last week I've been to our offices in St Albans, Hertfordshire, for a couple of days, out and about in meetings, visiting our sampling area at Taste of London, talking to journalists about our brand campaigns, and visiting the set of the F-Word with customers. Being a small company we are very reliant on our marketing agencies for support, so I also spend a lot of time on the phone or meeting with them.


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