The Spirits Strategist: Vinay Golikeri, Managing Director, Bacardi India & Neighboring Countries Golikeri spent most of the first year travelling across the country and interacting directly with consumers, partners, and on-ground teams to understand the trends and motivations driving alcobev sales and demand in the country

Humbling and exhilarating-- that's how Vinay Golikeri defines his two-decade journey at Bacardi, the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world. Starting as a marketing manager in 2003, Golikeri was immediately drawn to Bacardi's '3 Fs' culture - Founder, Family and Fearless.

Having climbed the internal ladder, he assumed the position of managing director, Bacardi India and Neighboring Countries in 2023. One of his key focus areas was leading growth in the local spirits market while staying true to the core values. "I wanted to familiarise myself with our market realities as directly as possible," he shared. He spent most of the first year travelling across the country and interacting directly with consumers, partners, and on-ground teams to understand the trends and motivations driving alcobev sales and demand in the country, "This is what convinced me of the potential of the Indian alcobev market."

Golikeri believes that empowerment and collaboration are key to building a successful team, "I aim to bring that into the culture through my leadership." For him, innovation is at the heart of Bacardi, "We want our next innovations and new ideas to come from our primos (employees), and we empower them with the creative freedom to take initiative and find their definitions of success within the organisation."

One of its recent - BACARDÍ Mango Chilli rum, is an innovation that reinvents a classic Indian flavour in a new way. In 2022, they introduced LEGACY, its first premium Indian-made whisky created in India, for the Indian palette. For Golikeri, these innovations help them stay current and relevant in the market. "Try to go a step further and bring consumers something unexpected and exciting - showcasing our vision and creative commitment as a brand," he added.

In 2019, Bacardi India set its sights on achieving a 5x growth by 2030. The goal was based on "global trends and India's rapid economic growth."

"There's been a notable shift toward premiumisation, with consumers increasingly moving towards premium spirits offerings as they choose to drink less but drink better," he said.

By 2022, they had achieved 2x growth. "With that momentum, we've now raised the bar and aim for 6X growth by 2030 - and we're well on track to achieving that," he shared. In the next five years, Golikeri aims to strengthen its position in the premium spirits segment in India.