Whiskey as Positive News
I just came back from an incredible 10 days visit to our girl’s school in Uganda. In a few days I will write more about this amazing visit, but while going through the mail that piled up on my desk while I was away, I found the following entry in one of my favorite blogs called Positive News. I found it very inspiring and I hope you join me in this opinion.
Can Whiskey Be Positive News? Well, why not? Especially when one Welsh woman is considered the “most inspirational businesswoman by a national magazine. What makes this woman’s story so special?
She’s one of the first women breaking into a business predominantly run by men…and she’s only 26 years old. Gillian Howell, a chemistry graduate, joined Penderyn Welsh Whiskey Company back in 2004. In her short time there, she is rumored to become the first master distiller in Wales for a century.
Some other noted names to appear on Management Today’s “35 women under 35″ list include well-known designer Stella McCartney.
Gillian has the right sort of personality, and she takes on a lot of responsibility for someone who is only 26 says Stephen Davies, Managing Director
Interestingly, Gillian had never planned on the life of a whiskey distiller but liked the size of the company. She wanted to genuinely feel connected to a smaller company and not feel like another “cog in the wheel.”
“This is a lot more hands on,” she explained. “There are loads of different aspects to the job, it’s really varied.”
Does she have to drink the stuff in order to keep her job? Luckily not! At her level, a simple smell of the stuff is enough to tell her what’s needed.
Whenever women enter a predominantly male arena, its always positive news…especially when she may be considered one of the best distillers in the last century!
