Brown-Forman Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands (ANZPI) has announced the appointment of Oliver Dickson to the role of Marketing Director for the region.

In his role, Dickson will be responsible for portfolio growth strategy and oversight of the marketing strategy for the company’s portfolio of premium and super-premium brands and pipeline of innovation across ANZPI, including American Whiskeys such as the Jack Daniel’s family of brands, Woodford Reserve, the tequila brands of El Jimador and Herradura, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh Scotch whiskies, and the recently launched Part Time Rangers and Jack Daniel’s Seltzer ready-to-drink products.

For the past 10 years, Dickson has worked in senior marketing roles, including as Head of Super Premium Brands and Global Brand Director for Grant’s Whisky, at William Grant & Sons, UK and Australia.

Brown-Forman ANZPI Managing Director Eveline Albarracin said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Oliver to Brown-Forman, where he will form part of the leadership team for the ANZPI region. I’m excited about Oliver’s passion for leadership and building high-performing teams, along with his sound abilities in brand marketing, portfolio development, and experience in working in both global and local roles.

“Our company’s ambition is ‘Nothing Better In The Market’. As a team, we are constantly striving and continually discovering new ways to be the finest brand builders and business partners in the industry. Oliver will play a critical role in helping us achieve this aspiration.”

Dickson will be based in Sydney and will join Brown-Forman on November 1.

Brown-Forman announces new sales and marketing strategy for Australia

In June, Brown-Forman announced it was bringing a new sales and marketing strategy to Australia, aimed at raising the profile of its super-premium brands.

CEO Lawson Whiting said the company’s emerging brands division had been very successful in the US, delivering “really stellar high growth rates for some of our smaller brands” at super and ultra-premium price points.

“We’re taking that model and exporting it to Germany and Australia and hope to see pretty strong benefits in terms of portfolio growth from that group,” he said.

“Our business outside of the United States in most markets really is a Jack Daniel’s company. And we have a big effort to continue to expand our portfolio in those markets led by like a Woodford Reserve would be a great example. But our single malt Scotches are very important to us. Fords Gin, even Slane Irish Whiskey, those are much smaller brands, but brands that we see a bright future for.

“And that’s the purpose of putting dedicated people in place in these markets that have been so Jack Daniel’s-oriented. It’s very difficult to build a Slane Irish Whiskey next to Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Salespeople’s incentives need to be aligned behind the right initiatives. And so, that’s the reason we’re doing it. We feel pretty good that we’ll be in the right place at the right time and hopefully make that into a significant piece of business.”

CFO Jane Morreau added: “And each of those markets are going to have one common priority across all, which is our great Woodfood Reserve brand that we’re so excited about. But, what they do within the other rest of our emerging brands will be unique, depending on the category in those markets and what’s important in those markets.”

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