Diageo's Gráinne Wafer has been named a Leading Woman by Ad Age, a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media.
Ad Age's annual list recognizes the forces that are leading change across the advertising and media industry.
Leading Guinness through the pandemic
Gráinne is a Global Brand Director for iconic Diageo brand Guinness.
With a father once owned a bar at the foot of the famed St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, where Arthur Guinness founded the brand more than 260 years ago, Gráinne "grew up with the smell of roasted barley in the air," she says to Ad Age.
“Guinness has certainly been good to me over the years," she adds.
Under Gráinne's leadership, Guinness survived the pandemic by boosting can consumption and recalling all the kegs across the world to ensure its beer did not go stale over lockdown. Now, Gráinne is spearheading memorable campaigns to encourage people to return to the brand.
Brand and gender equality champion
Gráinne is responsible for the Guinness brand globally, accountable for strategy, commercial, quality, marketing/consumer performance in both developed and emerging markets.
Gráinne also is joint lead of Diageo’s progressive gender portrayal programme globally and is the Diageo representative for the UNstereotype Alliance, a UN and industry wide platform which seeks to eradicate harmful gender-based stereotypes in advertising.
Gráinne has spent over twenty years with Diageo working on a wide variety of brands, with local, European & global roles spanning communications, brand marketing, innovation and commercialisation.
Previously, Gráinne was Global Brand Director for Baileys, delivering a complete brand transformation globally leading to 4 years of consecutive growth after almost a decade of decline.
Work with iconic brands at Diageo
At Diageo, find career-enhancing challenges all across the business, all around the globe, where people are taking on memorable challenges and working with iconic brands.
Start your career at Diageo.
Find out more
Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.