Job - Beer and Distributor Country manager Italy

About us

With over 200 brands sold in nearly 180 countries, we’re the world’s leading premium drinks company. Bring your passion and use your curiosity as you explore, collaborate, and innovate to build brands consumers love. Together with passionate people from all over the world, you’ll test new ideas, learn and grow, and unlock a brighter, more exciting future.

Join us to create a career worth celebrating.

About the Function

Our Sales team love building relationships, connecting with customers to sell our much-loved brands in new and vibrant markets where they can thrive. They help sell our iconic brands across 180 countries every year.

We’re operating across different markets, channels, and areas of expertise. Using your curiosity and passion, you’ll make the most of consumer insight and digital platforms, reaching new customers, markets, and celebrations to help us achieve our growth potential. We’ll support your learning and growth as you develop your career with us and work with people across our business to realise your fullest potential

About the Market

Italy represents a significant growth opportunity in the Total Beverage Alcohol landscape. The beer category — especially Guinness — is central to our ambition to triple our business.

Beer in Italy requires a strong Route‑to‑Market understanding, a granular channel approach, and tight orchestration between wholesaler partners, Off Trade, C&C teams and our distributor model. In 2026, Diageo Italy also activated a strategic distribution partnership with Gruppo Montenegro for Johnnie Walker and Bulleit, reinforcing the need for strong internal leadership to manage synergy, governance and commercial alignment between beer, whisky and RTM priorities.

About the role

Are you our new Beer Country Manager for Italy?

Are you ready to lead the growth of one of Diageo’s most strategic categories in Italy while shaping the future of our distribution model? Do you have the commercial vision, leadership strength and execution excellence to accelerate our beer performance and empower our distributor partnership? If you’re driven by ambition, inspired by challenge and energized by impact — we need you.

The Beer & Distributor Country Manager Italy reports to Commercial Director Italy and has full responsibility for the performance, strategy and P&L of the beer category in Italy. You will lead the Italian Beer business across channels and customers, orchestrating a cross‑functional commercial ecosystem to deliver strong AOP results and long‑term growth.

You will also manage  the Distributor Manager, who is responsible for the execution and governance of the Johnnie Walker & Bulleit distribution partnership.

Your role includes guiding, coaching and strategically aligning this role to ensure, forecasting, execution standards and commercial governance.

This is a highly influential role, requiring strong leadership, deep commercial acumen, customer understanding and the ability to collaborate across complex stakeholder networks — internal and external.

Role Responsibilities:

1. Lead the Beer Strategy and Business Delivery in Italy

·       Own and execute the Beer category strategy, ensuring alignment with Diageo Italy’s 3‑year plan and ambition.

·       Deliver NSV, GM, SOM, OP and all business KPIs within AOP.

·       Assess market opportunities, competitor dynamics and RTM effectiveness to drive growth.

2. Manage Full Beer P&L and Commercial Performance

·       Lead pricing strategy, promotional performance, investment ROI and channel prioritisation.

·       Ensure financial discipline, commercial excellence and forecast accuracy.

·       Partner closely with Finance, RGM and Supply for robust demand, planning and budget management.

3. Lead and Develop the Beer Team

·       Provide leadership, coaching and development to the Beer team and related cross‑functional partners.

·       Foster a high‑performance culture and ensure capability building across roles and channels.

·       Lead a cross functional team :  two Brand Ambassadors, and dotted lines across brand marketing and customer marketing.

4. Line manager of the Distributor Manager (Johnnie Walker & Bulleit)

·       Act as direct line manager of the Distributor Manager for Montenegro Partenrship

·       Ensure strategic alignment between Beer and Whisky RTM priorities.

·       Support the Distributor Manager in building JBPs, commercial governance, execution standards and capability development.

·       Represent the Distributor Manager in senior leadership conversations and performance cycles.

5. Build Outstanding Customer Relationships

·       Elevate Diageo as a preferred partner across On Trade, Off Trade, Wholesale and C&C.

·       Lead strategic customer engagements, joint planning and execution excellence.

·       Drive differentiated value propositions for Guinness and beer innovation.

6. Orchestrate Cross‑Functional Leadership

·       Partner with Supply, RGM, Finance, Customer Marketing, Marketing and Channels to deliver strong execution.

·       Ensure alignment between brand plans, commercial plans and RTM delivery.

·       Lead key business rhythms including BPM cycles, forecasts, demand reviews and performance meetings.

7. Drive Control, Governance and Compliance

·       Ensure full compliance with Diageo Marketing Code, CARM, statutory requirements and responsible drinking guidelines.

·       Manage risk, operational standards and legal controls as Country Lead for beer.

About you

General Experience

• 10+ years of rounded commercial experience (Beer, FMCG or spirits).

• Proven P&L ownership with strong financial and analytical skills.

• Deep knowledge of Italian trade, customers and channel dynamics.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional teams and indirect stakeholders.

• Experience managing distributor relationships is a strong plus.

Capabilities

• Strong strategic thinking with commercial rigor.

• Excellent relationship building and stakeholder management.

• RTM and customer strategy expertise.

• High execution standards and operational discipline.

• Ability to manage complexity, ambiguity and fast‑paced environments.

Working with Us

Flexible Working Statement: 

Flexibility is key to our success. Talk to us about what flexibility means to you so that you’re supported to manage your wellbeing and balance your priorities from day one.  

Rewards & Benefits Statement:

We recognize and value performance, offering our people a highly competitive Rewards and Benefits package including the following among others:

• Attractive package that includes an incentive plan that rewards you for delivering great performance

• Tools: Company car and fuel card, mobile phone, etc

• Employee Assistance programme.

• Welfare plan.

• Industry leading sales capability training

• Working in the largest spirits' company in the world as part of our fantastic Sales Team!

Diversity statement:

Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and that they can belong, is a crucial part of this. We embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you’ll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You’ll be part of and help build and champion an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, mindsets, and more.

Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Join us and help transform our business as we take our brands to the next level and build new ones as part of shaping the next generation of celebrations for consumers around the world.

Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please ensure that you capture this information when you submit your application.

Please, submit the CV in english.