When Conor McQuaid cites one of his biggest challenges as portfolio management, it does not quite encapsulate the scale of the task he has taken on. Pernod Ricard has a vast portfolio encompassing some of the best known global spirit, wine and champagne brands, plus in 2014 it began a programme of significant restructuring within its marketing, research and commercial development arms. At the head of the company’s cost-cutting scheme, codenamed Project Allegro, McQuaid has been charged with fusing the teams to make sure the customer experience across the full brand range is consistent. As the company looks for growth, McQuaid says his proudest moment is “playing a small part in the growth of Jameson Irish Whiskey worldwide and seeing it rejuvenate the Irish whiskey category globally”.