Sr. Brand Director, Whiskey

Moët Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits Division of LVMH, regroups twenty-five Maisons, many of which have been around for centuries, while others are just starting their journey. Our vision is to lead the future of luxury Wines and Spirits from nature to communities.

Located in the most prestigious terroirs around the world, we have unique savoir-faire from winemaking to art de vivre, hospitality, and brick-and-clicks retail management to craft exceptional experiences for consumers. For many years, with the ambition to pass on a better world to future generations, we have been committed to the Living Soils Living Together program structured around four key commitments: Regenerating our Soils, Mitigating our Climate Impact, Engaging society, and Empowering our People.

Moët Hennessy is proud to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive working environment for all. As an employer, Moët Hennessy offers unique journeys throughout its global ecosystem, opportunities to develop new skills and grow professionally.

The Senior Brand Director, Whiskey leads the Brand development and implementation of innovative, consumer-centric brand marketing strategies in partnership with the Maisons and in support of the 2030 MHUSA Strategy. The Senior Brand Director, Whiskey leads all aspects of the planning and execution of programming and activations across all markets and channels and works collaboratively with Commercial sales leadership, Centers of Excellence, Commercial Marketing (Field/Trade/Channel/Experiential) and third-party agencies to develop national brand plans aligned with the new Commercial market structure. The Sr. Brand Director, Whiskey is responsible for achieving volume and profit targets, improving brand equity, consumer engagement, elevating luxury brand desirability and driving overall business growth.

Brand Strategy & Business Planning:

• Collaborate with the Maison's and key partners, including the VP of Spirits to define the Whiskey strategy and marketing objectives that support the delivery of the Spirits Brand Group and the MHUSA 2030 Strategy
• Lead the development process and the delivery of brand plans in alignment with the broader Maison strategy. Ensure that commercial plans address specific local opportunities and objectives.
• In partnership with the Maison's, establish the annual marketing priorities and “big idea” development for the key programs and platforms.
• Coordinate the execution of all marketing programs and activations to ensure the delivery of volume and profit targets.
• Lead the annual planning process, in collaboration with the VP of Sprits, Strategy & Business Planning, the Commercial organization, Centers of Excellence, and the Consumer Insights teams.
• Provide clear strategic direction to the Commercial team and other key partners, ensuring all brand activities are designed to achieve a single unified vision.
• Lead the planning and management of the brand’s A&P deployment strategy in partnership with Strategy & Business Planning and Finance to ensure that the budget is consistently prioritized against brand objectives.
• Establish optimum pricing strategy, increasing profit and volume growth and delivering against annual and long-term profit targets as well as organizational profit targets.
• Maintain a flexible and agile approach to meet the rapidly evolving needs of business and the team.
• Create a portfolio strategy to gain & tap into relationships across all Whiskeys brands
  
  

Brand Management

• Collaborate with the Maisons and key partners to develop elevated, luxury POS materials and brand assets, driving brand strategy and leveraging consumer engagement opportunities at the moment of choice.
• Partner with Strategy & Business Planning, Centers of Excellence, and Finance to develop, communicate and handle programming critical metrics; work with Region Finance to determine ROI and analyze program results; report on results and recommend changes as vital in order to meet brand/market goals.
• Collaborate with the Centers of Excellence to maintain ongoing awareness of brand health and consumer insights, continually communicating to all key partners, making adjustments and aligning with the 2030 MHUSA strategy.
• Serve as a thought leader in contributing to International Brand Boards, ensuring U.S. priorities are represented and championed to support local growth of the Whiskey category.
  
  

Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships, internally and externally, as well as with key MHUSA Leadership Team and partners to build and maintain commitments that enable the delivery of brand priorities and objectives.
• Collaborate with peer Brand Leads to ensure the Whiskey strategies are complementary, improving efficiencies across key deliverables.
• Build and maintain successful relationships with agency business partners, distributors and other third-party collaborators to continually ensure their dedication to delivering brand objectives.
• Identify cross-brand initiatives including promotional, partnerships, Event & PR opportunities
• Establish relationships with influencers in Entertainment, Media, and Trade
• Work with key partners in Commercial Marketing (Field/Trade/Channel/Experiential) to identify local POS needs & develop consumer programs and merchandising tools and materials.
  
  

Leadership

• Provide marketing thought leadership and brand-specific insights to the MHUSA Leadership Team as well as direct reports on the Whiskies Brand Team.
• Provide strategic leadership, tactical direction, and development support to the direct reports, inspiring peak performance and getting results to optimize impact on the brand’s objectives.
• Identify and develop key successors and high potentials and help to facilitate cross functional development moves and intra company mobilities.
• Lead the development and evolution of collaborative ways of working across all key partners.
• Cultivate team culture within the Whiskey team and across the spirits portfolio (with other leads) to gain alignments
  
  

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred or equivalent experience

Professional Experience

12 years of brand marketing experience, preferably in the luxury consumer goods or U.S. wines and spirits industries.

Practical/Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of brand strategy development in a commercial context
• Strong commercial orientation with a detailed understanding of the marketing/sales relationship
• Strong financial orientation and a detailed understanding of levers such as depletions, sales, DOI and P&L management
• Demonstrated success influencing cross-functional partners, including senior leaders
• Strong presentation skills
• Strong analytical skills to support data-driven decision making
• Creative ability and/or skilled at owning the creative process with internal team & external 3rd parties
• Entrepreneurial approach in a corporate context
• Understanding of the U.S. three-tier distribution system, a plus
  
  

Moët Hennessy USA, Inc. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Moët Hennessy USA, Inc. considers candidates without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.