Country Manager - Australia and New Zealand

Our Craft

Edrington’s vision is to give more by crafting exceptional ultra-premium spirit brands. The Macallan is our central focus, supported by Highland Park and The Glenrothes in the single malt category. Our portfolio is completed with Brugal rum from the Dominican Republic, Wyoming Whiskey in the American Whiskey category and Valdespino sherry from Jerez in Spain. Edrington also has a strategic partnership with No.3 London Dry Gin.

Our principal shareholder is a charitable trust, so we were built to make a world of difference. Discover a place where values define our culture. The home of exceptional brands, where people and teams thrive. 

Our Blend of Benefits

• Annual Performance Bonus
• Annual Staff Retail Credit Allowance 
• 20 days of paid leave, plus 1 additional day of leave after every continuous service year (capped at a maximum of 5 days), in addition to normal public holidays in Australia
• Medical insurance that covers both employee and their dependents  

Embrace Excellence

Reporting to the Managing Director SEAPAC, the Country Manager ANZ is responsible for developing and implementing robust growth strategy for Australia and New Zealand markets, manage wholesale targets delivery, brand equity excellence and distributor partnership management. The role will be partnering collaboratively with the respective distributors to accelerate brand equity and market share focused on The Macallan and Highland Park, by maximising distribution expansion opportunities in the key cities of both markets, capture growth with affluent clientele and facilitate stronger partnership between Edrington and distributors.

The role is a key member of the SEAPAC leadership with a pivotal role to expand and accelerate Edrington’s footprint, driving revenue growth and value creation in the Oceania/Pacific region.

Make an Impact

Business Development and Commercial (Wholesale) Delivery 

• Responsible for the management, delivery and achievement of wholesale commercial objectives to achieve current, mid- and long-term business goals for Australia and New Zealand.
• Develop growth strategy for Edrington brands portfolio directed on The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse to achieve highest prestige market leadership in value and/or volume while seeding opportunities with rest of the brands.
• Maximise gross-to-net revenue and profitability through effective commercial strategies such as assortment allocation maximisation, channel-product mix management and optimisation of selling cost/trade investments.
• Partner with SEAPAC Finance when developing the price ladders and price strategy by markets.
• Keep abreast with competitors’ activity in commercial, pricing, operations, market entries, route-to-market and route-to-consumer models. Well informed with emerging consumption trends and customer preferences, translating insights into actionable strategies to support Edrington and distributors’ business.
• Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, and conferences to build brand awareness and foster new business relationships.

Distributor Partnership Management

• Manage and maintain long term business relationships with distributors by driving strategic brand focus primarily with The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse, supporting distributors’ performance delivery through effective/efficient ways of working between both sides.
• Establish yearly joint business plan, relevant performance reviews cadence (bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly) and identify areas of enhancement with distributor to ensure alignment with overall strategy.
• Accountable for trade spends including systematic assessment of ROI aligned with distribution strategy prioritisation.
• Support/guide the distributors in developing and refining local Trade Consumer calendars to ensure consistent and cohesive launch execution in SEAPAC. Collaborate closely with Marketing team to develop effective trade activations and relevant assets/materials tailored to local needs.
• Expand prestige leadership by step changing distributors’ capabilities to achieve best-in-class execution in commercial excellence (including on/off trade excellence), exceptional brand building and executional excellence.
• Coordinate and act as liaison between distributor teams and SEAPAC teams to contribute towards collective business objectives for the markets.
• Proactively address any issues or concerns raised by distributors, ensuring exceptional customer service and support.
• Partner with distributors to identify, evaluate, and prioritise new distribution opportunities to expand market reach, acquire new consumers and increase product availability and visibility.
• Negotiate distribution agreement and terms with distributors, ensuring mutually beneficial agreements that drive sales and revenue growth.

People Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Lead, coach and guide ≈2 distributors’ TEG-dedicated Brand Managers (1 in AU as direct report, 1 in NZ)
• Stay up to date with industry regulations and compliance requirements, ensuring adherence to legal and ethical standards for sustainable, safe growth.

Regulatory

• Partner with Legal, Risk and Compliance and SEAPAC Finance teams in the adherence of governance and controls process.
• Interactions will include key stakeholders at C-level executives (CEO, COO, CFO), Head of Departments, etc of distributors and external personnels

Your Talent and Skills

To succeed in this role, the candidate should thrive on the challenge of variety and pace within this exciting and dynamic industry, in addition to:

• Degree in Business Administration, Marketing or equivalent; an MBA is ideal with minimum 10 years of experience in similar capacity.
• Proven track record of success in business development, international expansion and sales preferably from the premium wine & spirits industry, with a focus on distributor management and trade channels.
• Commercially astute and has extensive knowledge of the wine & spirits/premium consumer goods category including key players, trends, and regulatory landscape of Australia and New Zealand.
• Strong understanding of the cultural nuances of Australia and New Zealand
• Strong network of existing contacts within the distributor, trade and NKAs/Independents community.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation and stakeholder relationship-building skills.
• Strategic thinker while being hands-on when needed, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Self-motivated and results-oriented, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Be based in Sydney with ability to travel within Australia key cities and New Zealand and Singapore on a periodical basis.

A Place For Everyone

We’re proud of our inclusive culture – where unique experiences, ideas and perspectives are celebrated. We want everyone to feel respected and empowered to contribute to our success.

Get involved. From colleague networks like Balance, Pride and Kick-Start to inclusion allies and DE&I champions, we encourage our people to be curious, get involved and help us make change happen.