DRINKS producer and whisky tourism operator Diageo has appointed a new managing director as it looks to expand in the tourism market.
The company, which also owns Guinness and Smirnoff, has appointed Dafydd Pugh Williams as managing director of Diageo’s Scotland brand homes as they hope to further develop their tourism offering.
Williams comes to the role with 17 years of experience in the drinks sector, having held a variety key commercial, marketing and retail roles both in the UK and Globally.
This was accumulated during his time initially at AB-InBev and, for the past 13 years, at Diageo.
Williams says that he hopes to help Diageo grow its presence in Scotch Whisky tourism as it looks to further tap into an industry that boasted 2 million visitors in 2022.
In 2018, Diageo made an investment of £185m into its tourism offering, leading to the opening of Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
The investment also went towards the four distilleries that make up Johnnie Walker’s blend, representing the “four corners of Scotland” with Glenkinchie in the Lowlands, Cardhu in Speyside, Caol Ila on Islay and Clynelish in the Highlands.
Some of the capital was also used to re-establish ‘ghost’ distilleries such as Brora in the Highlands and Port Ellen on Islay, in 2021 and March 2024 respectively.
Diageo had more than 1.1 million visitors across its 12 Scottish brand homes in 2023, which include Talisker on Skye, Lagavulin on Islay and Edinburgh’s Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
Dafydd Pugh Williams said: “Scotch Whisky creates economic opportunities across Scotland, from our capital city to the communities of the Highlands and Islands.
“It’s an honour to be leading our work in making Scotch whisky an even more exciting and vibrant experience for our guests and powering the Scottish economy.
“Breaching the 1 million visitor threshold for the first time in 2023 is an amazing achievement, but it isn’t the summit of our ambitions.
“My aim in this role is to grow whisky tourism in Scotland and responsibly grow our brands.”
