Loch Lomond Group unveils expansion of GTR team
A snapshot of Kelvin Ng, Regional Director, Asia Travel Retail at Loch Lomond Group
Independent distiller, Loch Lomond Group (LLG), has revealed the expansion of its global travel retail (GTR) team with the creation of two new roles.
Kelvin Ng has been appointed to the Hong Kong-based position of Regional Director, Asia Travel Retail, while the group is also recruiting for a GTR Commercial and Trade Marketing Executive to be based in its Scottish head office at Loch Lomond Distillery.
In the role of Regional Director, Asia Travel Retail, effective February 2020, Kelvin will be responsible for expanding Loch Lomond Group’s travel retail presence across the Asia-Pacific region, which has experienced significant growth in the single malt Scotch whisky category in recent years. He will be working with Loch Lomond Group’s GTR partners, distributors and customers in the region.
Kelvin will bring a wealth of experience in the international spirits business to the role, having worked in senior GTR and domestic roles for Halewood Wines & Spirits, MG Cellars and William Grant & Sons, amongst others, for over 25 years.
Based in Alexandria, Scotland, the successful GTR Commercial and Trade Marketing Executive candidate will be responsible for developing customer relationships and driving forward implementation of the global brand strategy through the channel.
André de Almeida, Managing Director, Global Travel Retail at Loch Lomond Group, explains: “The GTR channel is a fundamental part of LLG’s growth strategy and the creation of these two new roles highlights our continued investment in this area. The strengthening of our team will significantly support our GTR operations worldwide and will help to facilitate further expansion into the channel on a global scale.”
Kelvin Ng, Regional Director, Asia Travel Retail at Loch Lomond Group, says: “I am very pleased to be appointed to this newly created role for Loch Lomond Group. I am looking forward to helping to offer a more diverse range of single malt Scotch whiskies to consumers traveling across Asia and to expanding the company’s footprint within the region.”
Loch Lomond Group has become more prominent in Asia in recent years and Kelvin Ng’s appointment signifies the next phase in the group’s continued investment to strengthen its position in the growing market.
In 2019, LLG expanded its GTR operations into China Duty Free, which noted a number of expressions from its premium Loch Lomond Whiskies and Glen Scotia ranges being made available in Shanghai and Beijing International Airports amongst others. In the same year, the company also established new Chinese headquarters, Loch Lomond China, to facilitate expansion of its brands within the country and development of the single malt Scotch whisky market in the wider Asia-Pacific region.
This May, To further enhance awareness among Asian customers, Loch Lomond Group will attend the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2020 – one of the largest travel retail events in the region in Singapore.
