just the Answer
Once a month, we put a drinks executive on the spot with a bout of quick-fire questions.
just the Answer - Wine Australia market development manager, James Gosper
31 January 2012
In the first just the Answer of 2012, Chris Mercer quizzes Wine Australia's general manager for market development, James Gosper. The two met at at last week's A+ Australian Wine annual tasting in London.
just the Answer - Majestic Wines CEO, Steve Lewis
29 November 2011
Earlier this month, Majestic Wine brought some colour back to the cheeks of the UK wine market, when it posted a healthy set of figures for the first half of its fiscal year. As good a time as any, then, to find out the secret to the drinks retailer's success, from company CEO, Steve Lewis.
just the Answer - Irish Distillers international brand development director, Simon Fay
8 November 2011
This month's 'just the Answer' sees Michelle Russell talk to the international brand development director for Irish Distillers, Simon Fay.
just the Answer - Drinkaware CEO, Chris Sorek
1 November 2011
To coincide with tomorrow's forum on responsible drinking in the UK, this month's 'just the Answer' sees Olly Wehring tackle the CEO of Drinkaware, Chris Sorek.
just the Answer - Nichols FD, Tim Croston
16 August 2011
After a short break, our 'just the Answer' interview returns. This month, Michelle Russell talks to Tim Croston, the group finance director at UK-based soft drinks producer, Nichols plc.
just The Answer - Inter Beaujolais VP, Xavier Barbet, DG, Jean Bourjade
30 June 2011
In this month's just The Answer, just-drinks catches up with the trade body for Beaujolais wines, Inter Beaujolais, to talk about its view on wine market conditions and that much-lauded 2009 vintage.
just the Answer – Tata Global Beverages CEO, Peter Unsworth
3 May 2011
In this month's just the Answer, just-drinks talks to Peter Unsworth, chief executive of Tata Global Beverages.
just the Answer - GlaxoSmithKline category controller, Mark Sterratt
15 March 2011
In this month's just the Answer, we talk to Mark Sterratt, category controller at the owner of the Lucozade and Ribena soft drink brands, GSK.
just the Answer – CHAMP MD, John Haddock
18 February 2011
Late last year, Constellation Brands sold off a wealth of non-US operations to Australia-based private equity group, CHAMP. Earlier this week, just-drinks managed to grab some time with the company's managing director, John Haddock to ask him what it bought, why, and what it's going to do next.
just the Answer - Anheuser-Busch InBev UK president, Stuart MacFarlane
3 February 2011
Following news that Anheuser-Busch InBev is to launch a cider under its Stella Artois brand in the UK, just-drinks thought it was high time we caught up with the brewer's UK president. Here, just-drinks' deputy editor, Chris Mercer, quizzes Stuart MacFarlane on Stella Cidre, the Stella brand's rehabilitation process and the brewer's UK business in general.
just the Answer – Stock Spirit's CEO
2 November 2010
It is exactly one year today (2 November) since just-drinks reported on a change of CEO at Stock Spirits. To celebrate his first anniversary in the role, Chris Heath speaks to just-drinks about the company's business model, its portfolio and its future plans for growth.
just the Answer - Morrison Bowmore Distillers' CEO
28 September 2010
In this month's just the Answer, Olly Wehring met up with the CEO of Morrison Bowmore Distillers, Mike Keiller, to discuss the past, the future and the East.
just the Answer - Casa Pedro Domecq's International Team
6 September 2010
This month's just the Answer sees us interview the international marketing director, Pernod Ricard's Mexico unit, Casa Pedro Domecq, Michael Kaller, and the executive director of Casa Pedro Domecq International, Olivier Fages.
just the Answer - Australian Vintage's CEO, Neil McGuigan
22 July 2010
Earlier today (22 July), Australian Vintage confirmed the permanent appointment of Neil McGuigan as its CEO. To commemorate this, we are running a special just the Answer, taken from our meeting with McGuigan earlier this year.
just the Answer - Mike Isaac, global marketing director Southern Comfort
15 July 2010
Southern Comfort, which is inextricably linked with New Orleans, has sat in Brown-Forman's stable for over 30 years now, and has been the recent subject of a makeover. In this month's just the Answer, Olly Wehring talks to the brand's global marketing director about past performance, future opportunities and the danger of over-extending.
just the Answer - James Espey, The Last Drop Distillers
17 June 2010
From heading up Bailey's in its formative years and chairman of Chivas Brothers, to launching Malibu, Piat d'Or and the Classic Malts range, James Espey has been one of the drinks industry's true innovators over the last 40 years. His latest venture, The Last Drop Distillers has taken him into the ultra-premium spirits industry. Alongside long-term partners Peter Fleck and Tom Jago he has already found a 50-year-old Scotch blend – enough for 1,347 bottles – and begun selling it. He talks to Chris Brook-Carter about his plans for the business, his fears for the spirits industry and why the recession is a good thing.
just the Answer - Andy Fennell, chief marketing officer, Diageo
27 April 2010
In this month's just the Answer, we sit down with Diageo's chief marketing officer, Andy Fennell, who assumed the post in September 2008. Fennell timed his promotion to almost coincide with the economic downturn, but remains in strong support of the strategy of premiumisation.
just the Answer - Steffen Schindler, director of marketing, German Wine Institute
18 March 2010
ProWein, the first major wine exhibition of 2010, opens next week in Dusseldorf. To celebrate the beginning of the trade fair season for the wine industry, just-drinks talked to Steffen Schindler, director of marketing at the German Wine Institute, about 2009, the potential of developing markets and fighting consumer prejudices.
just the Answer - Simon Burley, Beefeater, Plymouth Gin brand director
14 January 2010
In this, the first 'just the answer' of 2010, just drinks speaks to the international brand director for Beefeater and Plymouth Gin at Pernod Ricard's Chivas Brothers unit. Simon Burley has held the position for only a matter of weeks, having been appointed in October last year, but already he has high hopes for the brands, despite a tough year for the category in 2009.
just the answer - AS Liviko chairman Janek Kalvi
12 November 2009
The Baltic countries have had it tougher than most in the global economic downturn, suffering double digit falls in gross domestic product. But the turmoil has not dented the ambition of Estonia-based AS Liviko, which continues to eye ambitious growth as both an importer to the Baltics and an exporter of its flagship brands, Viru Valge and Vana Tallinn. Chris Mercer flew to Tallinn to speak with Liviko chairman Janek Kalvi.
