New beginnings

Therefore Diageo created Venture Africa to be the dedicated business unit responsible for all their sub-Saharan markets, stretching from Cape Verde in the West to the Seychelles in the East. We’d worked before with Jon Potter, Venture Africa’s General Manager, when he was Global Brand Director for Guinness. He asked us to create a new internal brand and communications programme to build confidence and share knowledge across a team that is spread across this vast continent and as well as all the way to London.

Values at their heart

From the start, it was important to the individuals involved, and to Diageo as a whole, that they would be responsible to the communities in which they operated. We suggested that every team member should carry a ‘pledge card’ with them. It acted as a reminder of the business imperatives but also of the responsibilities they must all share. As Jon told us, “Your work was key in establishing the business as a brand that stands for more than just profit”. The team are proud of that and that makes us feel proud too.

The Pioneers

Our work had to capture the energy, pace and commitment of the self-named “Venture Africa Pioneers” – the people in the team who were to create exceptional growth over the next few years. The results have been amazing with double-digit growth across the board. Brands such as Johnnie Walker Black have achieved outstanding growth.