Commercial Planning & Activation Lead: Reserve

Job Description :

Job Title: Commercial Planning & Activation Lead:
Reserve

Diageo is a global leader in premium drinks, home to one of the world’s most celebrated collections of spirits and beers, with over 200 brands sold in 180 countries. Our talented workforce is united by a passion for creating exceptional products and experiences that shape celebrations across the globe. Our teams push boundaries, blend creativity with deep consumer insight, and continuously reinvent what’s possible - building iconic brands that stand the test of time.

In South Africa, Diageo’s Reserve business is well-established and highly profitable with a leading position within super premium & above spirits, holding the number one share position globally. Our portfolio includes industry icons The Singleton, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Tanqueray No. Ten, Zacapa, Don Julio, Ciroc, Ketel One and others.

As the luxury market continues to gain momentum around the world, within beverage alcohol, luxury spirits is one of the fastest growing segments. With premiumization expected to remain a long‑term trend, this growth is forecasted to continue, and our award‑winning portfolio is well positioned to captivate consumers across the global and income levels.

To win in luxury spirits, our manifesto guides what we aim to cause for consumers - to make their everyday more special, to make the many dream with experiences available and aspirational. Our consumers want to socialize in style, and this desire for specialness fuels the opportunity for premiumization.

Our success is owed to the strength of our people. It’s why we trust them with our legacy and reward them with career‑defining opportunities. We are looking for people with creativity, a bold and entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of purpose to take Diageo and our timeless, pioneering brands to the next level.

In the world of luxury spirits, consumers don’t simply buy products - they buy experiences, rituals, and moments that feel exceptional and meaningful. Reserve plays at the forefront of culture, where brand worlds must be brought to life with distinction across channels: trend‑leading on‑trade venues, formal on‑trade venues, premium off‑trade environments, main‑market channels, and e‑commerce.

Commercial Planning & Activations is therefore a critical shaping force: it connects brand strategy to the places and occasions where consumers encounter our spirits, translating ambition into immersive, elevated, and commercially impactful experiences. This requires a blend of strategic understanding, commercial sharpness, creativity, luxury sensibility, and seamless cross‑functional orchestration to ensure every brand shows up with clarity, relevance, and Reserve‑level brilliance.

To design, develop, and deliver luxury brand experiences across key customer channels by translating brand strategy and the consumer journey into tangible, repeatable, and commercially effective activations. This role owns both the creative curation and the in‑market execution of experiences: crafting rituals, visuals, assets, theatre, and touchpoints; building execution standards; and ensuring flawless deployment across on‑trade, off‑trade, retail, and digital environments.

The role is the connector between Brand and Sales — taking brand ambition and turning it into channel‑ready experiences that drive recruitment, premium perception, and performance at the moment of choice. Ultimately, it ensures every Reserve brand shows up with the quality, distinction, and consistency expected of luxury.

• Translate the consumer journey into channel‑specific experience concepts for Trend-Leading venues, premium on‑trade, off‑trade/retail, main‑market, and e‑commerce.

• Define the desired consumer experience: storytelling cues, sensory elements, rituals, presentation standards, staff interaction, and key moments that shape choice.

• Develop experience guidelines that outline the look, feel, behaviour, and hosting standards for each brand in each channel.

• Create or lead the development of activation…