Interview with Ken Grier, The Edrington Group

What is your golden rule?

You grow by recruiting new users and reminding lapsed or light users to buy again.

Who has been your biggest influence?

Bill Farrar The Edrington Groups’ group sales and marketing director, great marketer and asks more challenging strategic questions than anyone else Ive ever met.

What is your most hated business expression?

Loyalty, a pathetic excuse for not recruiting consumers to your brand.

What is the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

A toss up between extending the Macallan brand with the Fine Oak range 6 years ago that now accounts for a quarter of what we sell and has enabled us to reach new users and drinking occasions OR the Macallan Masters of Photography which was multiple award winning, established us as category thought leaders and generated millions of pounds in global PR.

Which leader do you admire the most and why?

A G Lafley for dramatically improving business performance and the Proctor share price but also his commitment to innovation through consumer insight. Best combo leaders are our own chairman Sir Ian Good and Ian Curle our Ceo for the way they have transformed Edrington such that we were voted Scotland’s best private company this year.

What is your favourite word?

Macallan.

Tell us a secret.

I travel the length and breadth of Scotland to support Queen of the South fc every week.

We’re looking to profile all our members here, so please do email Will to get involved if we haven’t yet been in touch.