About

Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, is Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines, producing some of the world’s most famous Irish whiskeys including the popular Jameson brand. Legal director Antoine Brocas states that supporting the record sales of five million cases of Jameson in 2015 has been the most notable challenge the team of two has faced. The popularity of the company’s products has led to plans to expand the legal team, affirming the way the business recognises it as an important partner in such growth. Brocas has monthly one-on-one meetings with the CEO to discuss and shape business strategy, as the business embraces the importance of legal support in its success. In terms of actively impacting this strategic direction, the legal team recently oversaw the sale of Paddy Irish Whiskey, the fourth largest Irish whiskey brand in the world, to Sazerac for an undisclosed amount. The team have also helped guide the company through a volatile marketplace via ‘beefing up an intellectual property review’ of labels. Operating in a new compliance framework that has required the company to be compliant with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act, Irish Distillers’ legal team strive for dependability, attempting to build internal procedures to apply ‘a consistent set of policies surrounding all areas affecting the overall health of the group’ including contracts, anti-bribery and digital.