Head of Brand Architecture—Pernod Ricard, London
Pernod Ricard is seeking a Head of Brand Architecture & Innovation to lead portfolio strategy and innovation pipeline development, driving long-term growth and coherence across its specialty whisky brands.
Pernod Ricard is a leading company in the global spirits industry. The company owns 16 of the world’s top 100 Spirits Brands and holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry with 240 premium brands available in over 160 countries, including: Absolut vodka; Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies; Jameson Irish whiskey; Martell cognac; Havana Club rum; Beefeater, Malfy and Monkey 47 gins; Malibu liqueur; Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes.
This position sits in the Chivas Brothers business. At Chivas Brothers, the 1,600-strong team across 27 sites is committed to upholding the heritage of Scotch and ensuring its sustainable future, as well as opening it up to new audiences across the globe.
The Head of Brand Architecture & Innovation will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the strategic vision for the Speciality Whisky portfolio. This position is accountable for overseeing the entire portfolio management, range development and innovation pipeline across the Scotch Single Malt brands and Irish Speciality brands, ensuring alignment with the portfolio vision, consumers, and market needs.
What’s the scope
This role leads brand architecture, portfolio strategy, and the innovation pipeline across a specialty whisky portfolio, overseeing range development, pricing strategy, and long-term allocation planning. It defines and delivers a multi-year innovation roadmap, coordinating cross-functional teams across insights, blending, inventory, and market teams to bring new products to market. The position also manages portfolio optimization initiatives and ensures all innovation and brand activities align with consumer needs, market dynamics, and brand DNA.
Who this is for
This role is for a senior marketing and innovation leader with extensive experience managing complex brand portfolios and leading cross-functional teams in a global environment. The ideal candidate combines strong strategic and analytical capabilities with the ability to translate consumer insights into product propositions and innovation pipelines. It requires a leader who can influence across functions, manage P&L considerations, and balance creative development with commercial discipline.
Why this matters
This role directly shapes how the portfolio evolves—what products are created, how they are positioned, and how the brand expands into new spaces. It influences long-term growth by building a structured innovation pipeline and ensuring portfolio coherence across markets. By aligning product development with consumer insight and brand integrity, it plays a critical role in sustaining relevance and competitive advantage within the global spirits category.
