“I think we could talk all day about Senator Keg. Did you know that Senator Keg is a case study at Harvard Business School? But as I said we can take a whole day talking about this. We have developed Senator Keg so that Kenyans, who would otherwise be drinking illicit alcohol and therefore posing health risks to themselves, have a safety and a quality alternative. We had a couple of years where consumers could not afford it, but I am happy because it is now affordable again,” he says.
So what is your favourite drink? I ask him, and he answers giggling.
“I see our brands a little bit like my children. Every single one is special, unique, loved and adored and I can’t choose one of my children as being a favourite. But anyway, I am British but more of Irish Catholic heritage and I have adored the Guinness brand. It’s almost always the first brand I choose when I am gonna drink something,” he says.
However as he leaves Kenya, Ireland says he has come to have a special liking for Tusker. For him, this should not be a Kenyan brand, or even Africa, but a global brand.
“Tusker is one African brand among all consumer goods which has got real potential to establish itself internationally and I truly believe that Tusker could become a mega brand like some for the Asian brands have become,” he says adding that his after golf moments with friends must be shared with a Tusker.
Many have said that Kenyans are heavy drinkers, but being in Kenya for the last three years Ireland does not agree with this. In fact, Kenya is at middle to low ranking compared to other countries globally. But that said, they are supportive of their local brands, especially Tusker for the longest time.
Having been a General Manager at Diageo for at least 13 years, he tells me, it has come with great lessons. “When I started then, the colour of my hair was like my chairman’s (black) but it has quite significantly silvered now.”
Through the years, Ireland shares what he may also wish other managers at his position to know; his leadership style.
“Over the 13 years I have been a General Manager I have learnt that the most important thing to get right to have a great team of people around you; to create the conditions where that team can perform their best work and where they feel honoured and treasured by the organisation through their leaders. For me, that is the single most important thing a General Manager should do.”
But the thing about leadership, he says, you never stop learning.
