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William Grant & Sons (WG&S) is one of the leading global spirits companies, with a portfolio of premium and super-premium+ spirits brands, such as Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, Grant’s, Tullamore Dew, and Hendrick’s Gin. Brown-Forman has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for WG&S’s full portfolio in Japan, effective January 1, 2025.

This role leads the William Grant & Sons (WG&S) business within Brown-Forman Japan (BFJ). It is responsible for portfolio strategy, brand planning & implementation and overall business and P&L oversight across WG&S’s full portfolio of 8+ brands, as well as leading the relationship and close collaboration between BFJ and WG&S. It heads a team with 3 other members, sits on BFJ’s Marketing Leadership Team, and works closely with top local and regional management in Brown-Forman and WG&S.

What You Can Expect

Sets the strategic direction and ensures effective execution for WG&S’s portfolio of 8+ brands.

● Collaborates closely with BFJ’s Marketing Director and acts as a strategic thought partner to drive sustainable business growth.

● Defines long-term marketing & brand strategy for the Japanese market. Leads annual brand & business planning and resource allocation to deliver value growth goals.

● Manages the full marketing mix (consumer & shopper insight, brand communication & activation, trade programs, pricing, commercial execution standards, etc.).

● Ensures effective execution of brand plans, with accurate budget planning & management and effective processes for managing projects, tracking execution, reporting and evaluating results and learning.

● Direct involvement in day-to-day management of Glenfiddich and The Balvenie while delegating responsibility for other brands within the WG&S marketing team.

Builds & maintains productive internal & external partnerships.

● Heads the working partnership with WG&S, collaborating closely across companies.

● Gains buy-in for brand plans from BFJ and WG&S executives and leads monthly & quarterly business reviews with senior stakeholders to provide open & transparent dialogue about performance & plans.

● Works cross-functionally to develop forecasts, manage the P&L, control budgets, and ensure supply.

● Manages a team of marketing agencies for creative development, media planning & placement, PR, and event production, ensuring clear scope of work, roles & responsibilities, and briefs. Ensures effective ways of working, communication & feedback processes to achieve high quality outcomes and long lasting relationships.

Inspires, leads and grow the WG&S marketing team

● Champions and develops 2 brand managers and 1 assistant brand manager.

● Manages performance, sets direction & priorities, motivates, coaches, and provides regular feedback.

● Models a culture of high ethical standards, responsible marketing, openness & inclusion, continuous improvement, insight-driven decision making, and accountability to delivering results.

What You Bring to the Table

● 7+ years of relevant marketing experience

● Forward thinking and entrepreneurial mindset

● Business acumen & judgment based on strategic thinking, financial and P&L understanding, and effective use of market, consumer, category, and competitive data & insight

● Ability to set clear direction, prioritize, organize and manage multiple business objectives to completion by specific deadlines

● Interpersonal skills; able to develop and maintain productive working relationships with all levels of internal and external contacts and with diverse cultures

● Persuasive communication skills (influencing, listening, presenting, writing) in Japanese and English; able to build stories and explain business plans & results in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner

● Collaborative team player with strong conflict management skills.

● Able and willing to travel internationally and attend evening & weekend events when needed

● Adaptable, flexible and resilient

● Honesty and integrity

● Drive for results; solutions oriented

What Makes You Unique

● Experience marketing for FMCG, luxury goods, beverages, or emotional lifestyle/image brands, especially prior experience with premium & super-premium international spirits

● Keen eye for curating refined brand experiences that align with the lifestyles of super premium shoppers. Appreciation of craftsmanship and understanding of brand storytelling

● Blend of marketing and business acumen

● Commercial acumen, such as familiarity with relevant channels (supermarkets, GMS, e-commerce, bars, restaurants, hotels) and customers

● Experience working for a foreign company, especially a U.S. or European company

● Experience managing in a matrixed organization environment and influencing without direct authority

● Self-starter with proven ability to identify issues and projects, plan and prioritize with demonstrated ability to organize and manage multiple projects to completion by specific deadlines

● Humility and a good sense of humor

Who We Are

We believe great people build great brands. And we know there is Nothing Better in the Market than a career at Brown-Forman. Being a part of Brown-Forman means you will grow both personally and professionally. You will have the opportunity to solve problems, seize opportunities, and generate bold ideas. You will belong to a place where teamwork matters and where you are encouraged to bring your best self to work.

Many Spirits, One Brown‑Forman- We believe that an inclusive culture, one that values the diversity and unique perspective of each individual, allows us each to bring our best self to work and leads to greater teamwork, creativity, and trust.

Cultivating a Caring Culture- We know that our strong culture is one of the many reasons people love working at Brown‑Forman.

Nothing Better- At Brown‑Forman, we craft products known for bringing people together. Our employees have made us what we are today and are the reason for our success. Do not just take our word for it. Brown‑Forman is consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work® in countries around the world.

About William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons is an independent, innovative, family-owned distiller and distributor headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the global premium spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, and Grant's, as well as other iconic global spirits brands such as Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, and Drambuie Scotch Liqueur.

What We Offer

Total Rewards at Brown-Forman is designed to engage our people to ensure sustainable and profitable growth for generations to come. As a premium spirits company, we offer equitable pay structures for individual and company performance alongside a premium employee experience. We offer a range of premium benefits that reflect our company values and meet the needs of our diverse workforce.

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Brown-Forman Corporation is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. It is the policy of Brown-Forman Corporation to provide full and equal employment opportunities to all employees and potential employees without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.

Business Area: Emerging International Division

Function: Marketing

City: Tokyo

State:

Country: JPN

Req ID: JR-00007893