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Olivier Fages

COLOMBIA - Industry

Pernod Ricard

Managing Director, Pernod Ricard

Bio

Olivier Fages is the Managing Director of Pernod Ricard, with a successful intrapreneurship history creating and building brands and businesses in the global wine and spirits industry. He has extensive experience in entrepreneurship, change management, negotiation, consumer products, and strategic leadership. He holds double master’s degrees in agrobusiness from Ecole Superieure d’Agriculture de Purpan and business administration from Toulouse Business School and Harvard Business School.

When we talk about imported products, whisky was usually the first, followed by vodka, tequila, and gin

Can you give us an overview of Pernod Ricard’s latest achievements, operations, and highlights in the Colombian market?
The Colombian market is growing rapidly, but we are growing faster. We are the second-largest player in Colombia and have been gaining market share for the past two years. In terms of dynamics, most of the liquor market here is made up of local products, such as aguardiente and rum. A third of the market comprises imported products. As for imported products, more than two-thirds is whisky, and Scotch is also huge. What we have been seeing in recent years is that imported products are growing faster than aguardiente and rum. There has been a fall in their share and an increase in imported products, with whisky a clear winner. We are growing faster than the market overall.

Can you tell us more about the development of your brands in Colombia and whether there is potential in the corporate market?
The potential is huge. The priority for us is Chivas. It is the leader when we talk about our whisky portfolio. Whisky is the third-biggest player in the market, but is growing rapidly. We have been introducing Chivas Regal Extra over the past two years with a great deal of success. Historically, we had Chivas 12 and Chivas 18. We launched Extra in 2017, not to mention the Glenlivet range of single malts. It is our second-most active brand in the market and is growing quickly.

What is your approach with the Olmeca brand from Mexico?
One of the new dynamics in the market is the growth of tequila. When we talk about imported products, whisky was usually the first, followed by vodka, tequila, and gin. Now, we have whisky and then tequila. Tequila is much bigger than vodka and is the fastest-growing category in imported brands, even faster than whisky. With Olmeca, we have a solid player in the premium level and main market.

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