Portfolio Advocate

JOIN OUR BEAM SUNTORY FAMILY!

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires the brilliance of life by delivering great consumer experiences through its world-class portfolio of brands. Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam®, Maker's Mark®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek® bourbons; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Teacher's, Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Beam Suntory also produces leading IMFL brand Oaksmith in India.

A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries, one of Beam Suntory's core values is Growing for Good and through its Proof Positive sustainability strategy, the company has committed to ambitious goals and investments to promote environmental sustainability in its operations, ensure the company has a positive impact on the communities where employees live and work, and programs to educate and inform consumers to make the right personal choices about drinking. Headquartered in New York City, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. 

For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com. 

We are looking for people who bring something unique to Beam Suntory – themselves. We value differences, and we appreciate what each of us can contribute. We inspire each other, and challenge ourselves to innovate, improve, advance new ideas and try new things. We create endless opportunities to Unleash Your Spirit every day in a culture that is charged, creative, challenging and fun.

What makes this a great opportunity?

Beam Suntory is a world class employer that develops talented, high-performing team members in a fast-paced, inclusive environment. Beam Suntory and its parent company, Suntory Holdings in Tokyo, Japan, have won numerous awards, including being named on Forbes’ list of “Best Midsize Employers” and on Fortune magazine’s list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.” Most recently our Chicago Headquarters was named one of the “Coolest Offices in Chicago” by Crain’s Chicago Business, and a Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune. 

Mission of Role

Our aim is for Beam Suntory India portfolio to look to the future of the category and to drive reappraisal. And to create a cult following among drink enthusiasts ahead of its scale from the get-go; winning word-of-mouth ahead of competitive set. The role of Brand Advocate is critical to deliver this ambition.

This role is a quest to create strong advocacy for our portfolio of brands that stand proudly amongst the most revered of Japanese & Scotch whiskies, Bourbon, gin and vodka.

The Portfolio Advocate is the face of the brands in the on trade and for consumer groups responsible for creating experiences which enable consumers, influencer groups, media and internal/external stakeholders to discover and have conversations about the products. This will be done via a focus on influencing the influencers, education and engagement, including digital. They will create social experiences that connect people and raise awareness of this new brand, inspiring people to try and then share their experiences with others.

Role Responsibilities

INSPIRE KEY OPINION LEADERS

• Build the local engagement plan across all influencer networks, including spirit communities, key media, influential bartenders & internal stakeholders, including a plan for always-on digital engagement (along with the PR agency & local brand team)
• Drive awareness and education of Beam Suntory India portfolio with internal sales and external trade partners in respective region, ensuring front of mind presence and selling confidence with key customers
• Drive awareness and education of Beam Suntory India portfolio with digital influencers in respective region, ensuring front of mind presence and discussion of the brand and product categories
• Introduce Beam Suntory India portfolio in a way that sparks a fresh perspective - Avoiding a cold pitch, immersing into drink communities & leveraging cultural connections
• Be the local face and leading voice of Beam Suntory India portfolio for any on-trade queries & building distributor & internal team engagement

Role Responsibilities

INFILTRATING DRINK COMMUNITIES WITH DIGITAL AS THE LEADING TOUCHPOINT

• Create & develop social media content leveraging the wider social media plan and agency support, including creation of virtual brand experiences
• Build & infiltrate social whisky communities leveraging hooks from agencies and existing connections
• Actively develop their own content to spark conversation & reappraisal
• Content creating locally relevant content for use on D2C that aids purchase conversion
• Enable 1st party data capture in all activations building digital conversations

Role Responsibilities

BUILD STRONG PRESENCE IN KEY NEIGHBOURHOODS & AMONG DRINK ENTHUSIASTS

• Establish strong relationships with Upper Premium On trade & Specialist Off trade customers to champion the products partnering closely with local key account teams
• Act as an authority on the Beam Suntory India portfolio and the respective categories; planning and executing tastings, education, and unique brand experiences
• Represent Beam Suntory India portfolio at relevant media, consumer, and trade events
• Amplify halo on trade activations & venue testimonials on social media communicating with brand teams, commercial marketing + agencies for amplification
• Identify arts collaboration opportunities aligned to the brand purpose and experience strategy alongside local marketing team & agencies, including amplification on social media, D2C etc

Role Responsibilities

ENABLE INTERNAL ADVOCACY CULTURE 

• Create and lead a “feedback loop” regarding emerging trends, drink community conversation, lifestyle drivers, etc with key internal stakeholders
• Work with brand teams and commercial marketing to develop and implement a range of brand marketing activations and communications that are in line with brand messages and objectives
• Collaborate with global & local brand teams, contributing as part of the global network of Brand Advocates and Marketers
• Identify the products brand building initiatives in conjunction with Brand, Customer Marketing & Sales teams
• Develop a strong working relationship with distillery stakeholders
• Develop a strong collaboration culture with other Beam Suntory India Portfolio Diplomats and wider Beam Suntory ‘Brand Ambassador’ network

Qualifications

The ideal candidate profile will have/be:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, gained via work experience within a premium/luxury environment
• Ideally 6-8 years of Ops experience (or a part of it could be as a prior brand ambassador)
• Experience working with luxury brand(s) and their clientele – whisky communities: individual interaction and influencing methods
• Experience working in hospitality and strong existing trade influencer network
• Culturally knowledgeable and in-tune with trends both globally and locally
• Socially connected with Influencer communities in key markets
• Strong appreciation and has experience in social media skills (Facebook, X, Instagram)
• Ability to use technology in presentations
• Leadership and mentoring/training skills
• A strong sense of ownership and pride, with the ability to work independently

Experience

What will set the successful candidate apart from others? They are/have---

• A Whisky & Spirits nerd – experts of brands, liquids, history & trends 
• A Founder’s mindset – curious about innovation and passionate about advancing the norms
• An Authentic Storytellers – able to weave a unique & warm perspective, not just facts
• An entrepreneur – experienced in creating opportunities
• A stage presence – capturing the attention of the audience
• Immersed in the artistry of whisky & beyond whisky eg active interest in the Creative Arts

We believe in equal opportunities

We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or belief. All recruitment and hiring decisions are based on an applicant's skills and experience.  We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, and to perform crucial job functions. Please contact us if you require assistance.

In 2023, Beam Suntory earned a top score in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index and was a recipient of the Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.