Finian Sedgwick
SENIOR BRAND MANAGER, CHAMPAGNE AT PR USA, NEW YORK, UCC GRADUATE
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in International Commerce & Chinese Studies from UCC. I spent the third year of my course in China studying Marketing, Mandarin Chinese, and Chinese Culture at Shanghai University.
I began my Jameson journey in 2012 as the first graduate to be based in Vietnam, which I found to be an incredible country. I noticed the people had a thirst for international spirits, but not yet for Irish whiskey – so my time was spent focusing on the three most important things: education, education, education.
My second year was spent in one of the most dynamic cities in the world; Tokyo, Japan – a weird and wonderful place. Education was still a core element for us here but as it was a slightly more developed market, we also got to have a lot of fun activating some of the brands key consumer and trade platforms, such as the Jameson Cult Film Club and the Jameson Bartender Club (my favourite).
After 2 years of new cities and new languages, I was very excited to be finally sent to China to utilize my Mandarin and head up the Jameson team on the ground. We focused on taking bartender knowledge and advocacy of Jameson to the next level across China’s main cities and launched the highly impactful consumer drinking ritual, The Jameson Beer Back. We were fortunate to have some fantastic success and this role led me into my first full-time roll with Pernod Ricard as an Assistant Brand Manager working on Jameson, Monkey 47, and the broader cocktail portfolio.
In my 2 hectic years working in China, I learnt more than I could ever have hoped and made many friends for life, but after a total of 4.5 years working in China, I was ready to take on a new adventure and challenge in the USA. Luckily, I found a role on one of the most exciting brands in the Pernod Ricard portfolio, Absolut Elyx. I joined the team in December 2016 and it has been an incredible journey to date. The quality and depth of our portfolio is really amazing to see, particularly here in the US. To be able to work in the largest international spirits market in the world is an opportunity I had always wanted to pursue.
The Jameson Graduate Programme took me on so many personal and professional adventures but the most exciting element is how many incredible people you meet, how much you learn and how well it sets you up for a successful career (whether in the drinks industry or not).
Slainte! Or as they say in Sweden, Skal!
