Diageo director Gráinne Wafer named European Marketer of the Year

Each association put forward a ‘national marketing champion’, with a list of eight finalists then emerging. An independent jury then interviewed the shortlisted candidates before choosing a winner.

Chairman of the Jury, Martin Huisman commented: “It was an extremely tough competition. After all, every candidate is already a winner in their own country. Nevertheless the jury were unanimous in their selection of Gráinne Wafer. They were very impressed by Gráinne; her personal qualities as a leader, her contribution to the marketing profession and by her expertise in marketing as demonstrated by her significant achievements to business.”

Ms Wafer is Global Director Beer, Guinness, Baileys, and Smirnoff, accountable for leading three of Diageo’s top five brands. She said: “I’m honoured to receive this award. The role of senior marketers has never been more critical – to bring the voice of the consumer into the boardroom, providing navigation and inspiration for our businesses within the environments they operate and to use the power of our brands, and our role as storytellers to shape society for the better.”

In her 20 years with Diageo, Ms Wafer has been a global brand director for Baileys, delivering a brand transformation. As global brand director of Guinness, she led a strategy and growth agenda for the brand, reshaping the marketing model to be community-led.

A non-profit organisation, EMC is Europe’s largest marketing organisation, and represents over 100,000 marketeers across the 11 national associations.