McConnell’s makes senior appointment at the start of a 'milestone' 2024

In addition the company is seeing the continued expansion and global reach for the McConnell’s Irish Whisky brand which is now available in over 40 international markets. McConnell’s is now an established brand across North America, Europe, Australia and more recently within key markets in Africa and Asia.

The Belfast Distillery Company team also continues to expand and the latest recruit is Mark Johnston who takes up a newly created role - head of sales and marketing.

The J&J McConnell’s Distillery & Visitor Experience is scheduled to open in Spring and when fully operational will employ approximately 50 people from the local area. The Distillery & Visitor Experience is expected to welcome more than 100,000 visitors each year.

Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from 30 years working in senior commercial leadership roles across multiple markets, categories and channels. Over the past 15 years Mark has worked with Molson Coors, Constellation Brands and most recently William Grant & Sons, where he worked in the Global Commercial Development team implementing Route to Consumer strategies. He has gained significant international experience working within key markets of USA, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, where Mark lived for three years.

Speaking on his new role, Mark said: “I am thrilled to be joining such a passionate, energetic and hardworking team at this exciting stage in the McConnell’s journey. McConnell’s is an historic Belfast brand which is making a local and global impact. I am looking forward to helping the team maximise the potential of McConnell’s and enhancing the strong partnerships and relationships which the company has developed to date across the globe.”

Also commenting on the appointment, John Kelly, CEO, added: “I am delighted that Mark has joined our team at Belfast Distillery Company – his experience in our industry will no doubt help us to continue the very strong growth trajectory which McConnell’s Irish Whisky has been delivering since launch in 2020. This is another significant hire at an incredibly exciting time for our company as we are soon to open the doors of McConnell’s Distillery & Visitor Experience – playing our part in Bringing Distilling Back to Belfast.”