Meet Angela Brandford-Stevenson – Senior HR Manager, who is building the next generation of Beam Suntory leaders in Kentucky and serving as a strategic partner to help ensure that everyone has a seat and a voice at the table.

In her role at Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, Brandford-Stevenson works directly with the employees at the Bottling Center of Excellence (known as the Old Grand Dad Plant) in Frankfort, Kentucky, where they bottle Jim Beam, Cruzan Rum and many other Beam Suntory products. She leads the Beam Suntory Kentucky Internship Program, and as she describes it, “does all things people-related.”

From when she earned a place in the gifted and talented program at her elementary school in Chicago and where she later attended Catholic high school, to her professional career, Brandford-Stevenson felt like a lot of Black people who were “the only” people who look like them in a room.

“I would ask myself, ‘who is Angela and what do I stand for?,’” she recalls. Brandford-Stevenson made a choice to stand for those who are silenced and seek to uplift those who are sidelined due to their differences.

Brandford-Stevenson brings that commitment to Beam Suntory’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She is a member of the Kentucky Diversity & Inclusion Council, for which she has been instrumental in driving the D&I agenda to recruit, retain and develop more women and diverse talent. She is also on the company’s Black Employee Impact Group’s (EIG) Kentucky chapter’s leadership team and is a valued contributor to the Women’s EIG.

She earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and master's degree from Xavier University. She is currently at Xavier pursuing her doctoral studies with an emphasis on education and leadership.

Brandford-Stevenson’s family instilled in her the importance education, charity and legacy. Upon her father’s passing in 2019, she realized that leaving a legacy means preparing and leading the next generation. Brandford-Stevenson is a proud mother of two, “only children,” a son who is a college senior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a son in kindergarten.

Outside of Beam Suntory, Brandford-Stevenson is a Leadership Kentucky Alumni, she holds leadership positions with the Women in Manufacturing (WIM) Kentucky Chapter and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is very active in her church and several ministries. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In her free time, she is a freelance event planner and master craft artist.

You can learn more about how Beam Suntory employees are “unleashing their spirit” around the world in our people profile series.
 

Meet Liz Osei - Marketing Manager – Metro New York & Upstate New York, and a multicultural marketing pioneer at Beam Suntory.

One of seven children, Osei is a first-generation Ghanaian America. Education was a top priority for her parents, growing up in Willingboro, NJ, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Osei earned an MBA from Strayer University, and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Temple University, where she also played the wing position on the rugby team.

“I’m an ambitious and competitive person, and I apply that to everything I do in my life,” Osei said.

Osei joined Beam Suntory as an activation specialist in 2008, and later served in sales manager positions in the on-premise (bars and restaurants) and off-premise (retail stores and other outlets that sell spirits). As an on-premise manager in Washington, DC in 2010, she spotted an opportunity to market directly to diverse consumers.

“I took the lead on creating programming and we were able to involve the Howard University Alumni Association and local Black-owned businesses.”

Her work laid a foundation for increased marketing to diverse consumers throughout the Maryland/DC market, and she supported efforts in other markets throughout the US as well. She is thrilled by the influence and creativity of today’s multicultural brand managers who have helped the company make great progress in the way it markets to diverse consumers.

“I was the only Black woman on my team at the time, and I wanted to learn all aspects of sales, so I knew in order for me to grow, I had to make myself uncomfortable and challenge the status quo,” said Osei.

In her current role, she is responsible for making national programs locally relevant. For example, when the pandemic forced most US bars and restaurants to close, a new program called “Cocktails to Go” started. Bars and restaurants across the country were selling cocktails for consumers to take home. In New York, she and her team worked with local accounts, providing Maker’s Mark mason jars to make and sell cocktails.

“Liz consistently shows up with her full self, in a positive and engaging manner that has earned the upmost trust and respect of her peers,” said Jennifer Christman, Senior Marketing Manager – East Region. “Liz is a model employee when it comes to building a diverse network of colleagues whose identities, cultures, experiences and backgrounds positively influence her work. We are lucky to have her on the marketing team in New York!”

Osei continues to support Beam Suntory’s efforts in Diversity & Inclusion by serving as a key contributor to BOLD, Beam Suntory’s Black EIG.

Recently married, being a stepmom has become a highlight for Liz. When she’s not working, she and her family like to escape bustling New York. Prior to the pandemic, they would travel and often visit amusement/theme parks, which constantly won the favor of her stepchildren.

You can learn more about how Beam Suntory employees are “Unleashing Their Spirit” around the world in our people profile series.

Meet Emmanuel Anoma – Associate Marketing Manager – Multicultural, Japanese whisky collector and proud owner of a Blackberry phone.

“I’m a huge Blackberry advocate… to this day I still own one,” said Anoma.

He is all about presentation. With a warm and friendly personality, he constantly has a smile on his face while sporting stylish suits and a luxury watch to match.

A Chicago native, he’s always had a knack for relationship building that dates back to high school, when he was voted class president every year, and eventually became prom king.

While working on his sports management degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Anoma was a manager of then top-ranked basketball team, and cultivated relationships with future NBA stars.

“I always had a business-focused mindset going back to my paper route days,” Anoma said, in addition to his people skills.

In his role with Beam Suntory, Anoma is responsible for connecting the company’s portfolio with diverse consumers. To do so, he’s led and executed many events involving art, culture, sports and entertainment. A couple that stand out to him include connecting Asian consumers with Courvoisier L’Essence at a dinner party in Chicago. He also partners with the Black Bourbon Society to help connect Black consumers with bourbon.

“I knew I could curate events and create spaces to bring people together,” Anoma said. “Once I realized I could do that for corporations, I knew I could pair diverse culture with brands in many ways.”

In 2020, Anoma helped lead and execute events to capitalize on NBA All Star weekend being held in Chicago.

“Over three days, we hosted seven events that our biggest brands sponsored,” he said. “It was a great way to show how Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, House of Suntory and Courvoisier can authentically connect with multicultural consumers.”

Anoma is also committed to supporting Beam Suntory’s efforts in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). He is a member of the North America D&I Council, a governing body established to drive focus, share best practices and support the launch and expansion of D&I resources, namely, Employee Impact Groups (EIGs). He is also a key contributor to BOLD, Beam Suntory’s Black EIG.

A middle child of three boys, Anoma looks up to his parents, who have been together and married his whole life.

“They served as great examples for my brothers and I growing up, making sure we prioritized education, worked hard to earn a living and treated people with respect.”

You can learn more about how Beam Suntory employees are “Unleashing Their Spirit” around the world in our people profile series.

Chicago, Illinois, February 12, 2021 – Beam Suntory, a leading global premium spirits company, reported full-year results for 2020.

Global net sales were flat for the year, as a return to growth in the second half offset lower sales in the first half of the year. Full-year sales grew 4% in the United States, as restaurant and bar activity improved in the second half and spirits continued to gain share from beer and wine. Sales were essentially flat in Japan, up at a single-digit rate in the UK and Russia, up high-single digits in Australia and Canada, and up double digits in Germany and South Korea. The impact of the pandemic led to lower sales in markets including Spain, India, China, South Africa and the Global Travel Retail channel.

Global sales for Jim Beam grew to surpass 11 million 9-liter equivalent cases for the first time, extending the brand’s leadership as the world’s number one Bourbon whiskey. Reflecting sustained consumer demand for premium brands, sales for Basil Hayden’s bourbon, Hornitos tequila, Toki whisky and Roku gin increased at double-digit rates. Sales were also exceptionally strong for Japanese ready-to-drink products and On The Rocks Premium Cocktails (acquired in September 2020), as consumer demand for convenience, refreshment and quality cocktails expanded.

“As we expected, consumer demand increased in the second half of 2020, even as the global pandemic continued to impact markets around the world,” said Albert Baladi, president & CEO of Beam Suntory. “I couldn’t be more proud of how our people adapted to confront the challenges of 2020 – from our frontline distillery workers to our sales teams, from our brand builders to every company function. As a result, we were able to meet consumers digitally in the emerging ‘home premise’ to support at-home cocktail-making and satisfy their expectations for convenience through increased investments in e-commerce and ready-to-drink products. At the same time, we supported our on-trade partners with innovations like cocktails to go, and guided by our vision of Growing for Good, we provided vital assistance to hard-hit restaurant and bar workers in markets around the world.”

“Looking ahead, the pace of recovery from the ongoing pandemic remains uncertain. In this environment, we expect to drive continued improvement in sales as we benefit from the strategic investments we made in 2020, the exciting brand plans we have in place, and our commitment to delivering quality to consumers at every step of the value chain up to the moment of consumption.”

Baladi also noted that Beam Suntory made substantial progress reducing its environmental impacts in 2020, and will soon announce a new global sustainability strategy featuring ambitious targets focused on making a positive difference for nature, consumers and communities.
 

Update on Beam Suntory Growing for Good Initiatives

Environmental Sustainability

• Carbon Reduction: Through the purchase of renewable electricity and the completion of multiple energy efficiency projects (Kentucky, Mexico and Scotland), Beam Suntory reduced its total Scope 1&2 carbon emissions by 25% compared to the 2015 baseline. 
• Water Efficiency: The company has reduced water use per unit of production by 29% (versus 2015 baseline) by optimizing existing cooling systems and investing in more efficient cooling technologies at the Jim Beam distilleries in Kentucky.
• Watershed Protection: The company has established Natural Water Sanctuary programs at Maker’s Mark and adjacent to the Jim Beam distillery. The company continues to expand watershed protection activities to global manufacturing sites in India, Mexico, Spain, the US Virgin Islands and Ireland. Future activities are planned in Scotland, France and Canada.  

Sanitizer: To support hospital systems and first responders in the fight against COVID-19, the company’s facilities in Kentucky, Japan, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and Mexico produced sanitizer sufficient to clean more than 50 million pairs of hands.

Hospitality industry: The company provided more than $3 million to support restaurant and bar workers and their families across numerous markets. Initiatives included Maker’s Mark’s partnership with the LEE Initiative Restaurant Reboot Relief Program and Restaurant Workers Relief Program, which donated more than 1 million meals to restaurant workers in the US, the company’s Shift-Meals To-Go program supporting US hospitality workers and their families, and support programs for on-trade workers in markets including Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, Brazil and India.

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About Beam Suntory

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands, Suntory whisky Kakubin and Courvoisier cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and Legent bourbon; Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Toki Japanese whisky; Teacher’s, Laphroaig and Bowmore Scotch whisky; Canadian Club whisky; Hornitos and Sauza tequila; EFFEN, Haku and Pinnacle vodka; Sipsmith and Roku gin; and On The Rocks Premium Cocktails.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

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