Pernod Ricard UK parachutes in marketing foursome

Pernod Ricard UK, the company behind brands including Chivas Regal, Jameson, Absolut, Lillet and Malibu, has drafted in four senior marketers to drive value growth across its premium spirits and wine portfolio.

The move follows the appointment of insider Raja Banerji, as the drinks group’s UK marketing director, late last year.

Estelle Martin, who joined Pernod Ricard in 2018, has been promoted from on-trade customer marketing controller to the new position of head of experiential and consumer activation.

The role will have responsibility for all aspects of brand experience and advocacy, delivering experiences across the UK and ensuring “consistent and efficient” execution of brand activation programmes among trade partners.

Pernod Ricard USA director of consumer engagement Marnie Corrigan has been appointed UK brand director, with responsibility for driving the growth of brands including Absolut, Malibu, Kahlua, Havana Club, as well as the Scotch and Champagne portfolio. She has been with the group since 2017.

Also joining as brand director is Laura Stephen, who will be responsible for the UK’s division’s gin, Irish whiskey and and no/low alcohol portfolio.

Stephen has been with the group since 2016, switching to the UK division last year. Since then she has held interim roles as global brand director for Beefeater and most recently as UK head of marketing for the whiskey portfolio, helping Jameson to grow +21.2% in value over the past year.

Prior to her UK appointment she had worked at Pernod Ricard Australia, Pernod Ricard USA and Irish Distillers.

Finally, Matthew Buttery takes on the role of director of digital and ecommerce, joining from digital agency Pierian, where he was director for digital strategy and transformation.

At Pernod Ricard, Buttery will be responsible for driving digital and ecommerce delivery across the UK business. He has previously held roles delivering commercial growth and leading digital strategy at Vodafone and Sky.

All four will report to Banerji, who said: “I am delighted to welcome Estelle, Marnie, Laura and Matthew into their new roles. Their collective industry experience will help us accelerate our brand experiences through multiple channels as we continue to deliver our premium portfolio of brands to consumers.”

The group works with a number of UK agencies, including Publicis Media and Havas London. McCann recently picked up the account for Lillet, a premium French aperitif, having first started working for the group in 2018 on Chivas Regal. Sister agency MRM McCann works on digital engagement and e-CRM programmes across the entire UK brand portfolio.