Are you a whisky aficionado? Have you been to some of the most iconic whisky distilleries in Scotland? At Diageo, we boasts a wealth of legendary brands and in pre-Covid times we had 450,000 to 500,000 people that have visited Diageo’s Scotch distilleries every year. Talisker, Oban, and more…top the most visited distilleries .

Scotch is our largest category, which contributes enormously to the UK economy and job opportunities. To further grow China’s scotch tourism industry, in November 2021, we announced to invest in the build of a US$75 million malt whisky distillery in Yunnan Province in China.

Diageo’s Yunnan Distillery

In November 2021, we announced to invest in the build of a US$75 million malt whisky distillery in Yunnan Province in China.

Located in Eryuan County in Yunnan (云南省大理州洱源县), the Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery will produce Diageo’s first China-origin, premium malt whisky. At more than 2,100m above sea level, the 66,000 square meter distillery will also feature an immersive and interactive visitor experience centre that will attract whisky enthusiasts and boost the local cultural tourism industry. Construction is expected to begin in 2022 with the intend to start the operations of the Distillery in late 2023 and to start the operations of the visitor experience centre in 2024.

Diageo China offers a diverse portfolio of brands that caters to the trends of premiumization where consumers drink better, not more. China is one of our fastest growing markets and is one of our top growth engines. Diageo’s iconic brands such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label and The Singleton, alongside Baileys, have been well received by the consumers of the market. Diageo China has well-established route-to-market capabilities to distribute our brands to our customers and consumers.

The candidate will have the great opportunities to lead to establish the organizations from scratch, and to design and embed the desired Diageo values and principles from the beginning. The site is located at Feng-yu Town of Er-yuan County of Dali in Yunnan Province, which is in the middle of a remote and beautiful location.

This Dali Site Head

Purpose of The Role

• Lead both the Distillery Operations and the Visitor Centre, toward a world-class, iconic site in China
• Establish the leadership team and develop the entire organizations from scratch
• Be the master distiller for the brand, the distillery, and the visitor centre, including the technical guidance with product innovations and marketing events, brand messaging, media interviews and participation in industry associations
• Lead to control efficiently, economically and safely all aspects of the production of high quality malt whisky, lead to manage the sustainability programs including waste recycling and energy efficiency

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• Ideally educated to degree level or above, with Mastery in Whisky distillery processes
• A thorough technical understanding of the malt and malt whisky manufacturing processes, including industry-wide issues
• Strong credential is preferred
• Recent experience of production management in a high-quality process industry with demanding production, efficiency, and financial targets

Accountabilities

• Define and fully implement strategic initiatives to meet future business and marketing requirements
• Ensure site operations comply with all statutory requirements and Diageo standards
• Ensure the site facilities and the landscaping and the surroundings are effectively managed, maintained and improved
• Closely liaise with marketing function and visitor centre operations to support with and contribute to the innovations and market activation events
• Conduct media interviews, participate the industry associations, and host VIP visits both internally and externally
• Own and drive community engagement in a remote environment
• Plan and effectively manage a programme of personal development interviews with all employees to review performance and agree personal development plans

Diageo’s commitment to sustainability — building a Zero Carbon future

Combatting climate change and its associated impacts is at the heart of Diageo’s ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ action plan. The company has already halved the carbon emissions associated with its operations since 2008 and is now working to reach net-zero carbon across its direct operations by 2030, harnessing 100% renewable energy.

As part of its 2030 action plan, Diageo is developing site-by-site roadmaps and is also working to achieve net-zero carbon across the entire supply chain by 2050 or sooner, with an interim milestone to achieve a 50% reduction by 2030. Diageo is now in the top 1,000 companies in the world taking action to address climate change in a science-led and systemic way.

About Diageo: Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Singleton, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray, and Guinness. Diageo is a global company whose products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).