Graham Villiers-Tuthill joined East African Breweries Limited as Marketing & Innovation Director in November 2018 . He started in Diageo Ireland on the graduate programme in 2006 , working on a variety of global spirits brands , Guinness , and Irish ‘ local jewel ’ beer brands such as Smithwick ' s & Harp .
In 2012 , he moved to Singapore , seconded into Diageo ’ s joint venture with Heineken , winning a Gold at Cannes for an Out Of Home ( OOH ) campaign on Guinness in the region . He then moved to be Marketing Director for Diageo in Indonesia leading the development of a Total Beverage Alcohol ( TBA ) participation strategy across beer , nonalcoholic drinks and spirits . In this role , Graham led the Guinness response to the Indonesian ban of alcoholic sales in the off-trade , developing an awardwinning campaign for Guinness based on local insights with film , press , in channel and on-pack executions and growing Guinness share .
Prior to joining EABL , Graham had , for 2 ½ years , led the Guinness brand across Africa instigating and leading the global Guinness Foreign Extra Stout ( FES ) re-design , creating a fresh innovation pipeline and delivering the new pan- African Guinness football campaign that saw Thierry Henry and Rio Ferdinand work with Guinness and visit key Guinness markets in Africa .
At EABL , Graham has overseen a transformation in Marketing and Innovations , which has not only delivered share growth across East Africa , but also delivered new innovations across beer and spirits for global and local brands .
Marketing Africa held a discussion with Graham on his journey in the trade , progression in the marketing profession , and his world view on key industry issues . Here-under is the abridged version of the discussion .
How did you get started off in your profession ? What has been your career progression path like ? What interesting challenges have you faced in your journey ?
I joined the Diageo Graduate programme in Ireland in 2006 . Initially , I was rejected in the first round of interviews , but Diageo came back to my school later in my final year , canvasing for more applications . At that stage I had a better interview script and managed to get accepted .
My career to date has been in two parts . I spent the first six years getting proper functional depth in marketing in Ireland . I learned the basics of marketing and innovation , learned about Diageo ’ s amazing brands and how the company worked . After , that I was really determined to move abroad to accelerate my growth . One of the great things about working in a multinational is the opportunity to live and work abroad . In the past eight years , I have been lucky to have the opportunity to work in Singapore , then Indonesia , and now East Africa .
What are among the best lessons you have learned about business and industry that you can share ?
I have become a much better marketer by living and working in different countries and experiencing different cultures . Working in new communities means that you must get out of your comfort zone , because you don ’ t understand how people socialize , their humor codes , gender roles and what shapes their culture . You rely on using the core principles of marketing as a compass , and you never stop asking questions about the consumer . These are great habits for anyone in marketing and can really accelerate your growth .
Secondly , I am struck by how much effective marketers are when we operate across the full breadth of the business . I used to restrict myself to core consumer issues in my roles , but Diageo has a clear philosophy that marketers need to be general managers of our brands , and sometimes the best impact you can have is on working with commercial , finance or supply to unlock an issue that you might not have realized is holding your brands back .
How has the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted execution of your marketing plans ?
It would be an understatement of the year to describe Covid-19 as a challenge . I am not sure that we executed any of our initial plans for 2020 . However , we have had to be a lot more agile in our planning and execution as a team . The team adjusted quickly , and we started changing the way we worked , previously .
We shifted from in bar engagement to online entertainment , from bars to the off trade , and from traditional Above-The- Line ( ATL ) campaigns to a much sharper focus online where our consumer has been . The team got a lot more agile with our consumer research , to understand consumers occasion and how to better engage them .
I have been really impressed by the speed and resilience of the team in EABL . I think marketers in emerging markets are better at managing volatility , because we are more used to it , and I have seen some of our brands really thrive in very difficult circumstances . All while working from home which can be a tough nut to crack !
In what ways would you say the pandemic has played the role of an accelerator to your drive ?
I get a lot of energy from being around the team , being in trade , connecting with consumers . A lot of that opportunity has gone out of the window in a flash , so I have spent a lot more time thinking about the teams we lead , the brands that we manage and the stakeholder network that rely on these brands thriving .
We have brands that are over 250 years old . These brands have managed through huge volatility and prospered . It is our job to make sure that we deliver the next chapter of growth even in adversity .
In Kenya , EABL buys from 47,000 farmers , bars and restaurants in Kenya support the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people , so our success is their success . When you think about the full value chain of our business it is not hard to get your drive back !
How have you infused agility in your marketing function and how your team manages brands ?
We have made three big changes on how we manage things during this period . Firstly , we have a more dynamic and