Celebrating influential women across the drinks industry
Mary Lynch
National Account Manager at Lucky Saint
&
Sacha Harvey
People Director at Lucky Saint
How is diversity & inclusion a key foundation at your own organisation?
Sacha: “We believe the greatest reward of drinking is the social connection and not the alcohol, which means inclusion sits at the heart of our brand.
“An example I’d give is that it’s important for us to make sure if you have parental/caring responsibilities, you can thrive at Lucky Saint. We have a number of women who work part time but are doing so whilst leading huge parts of the business.”
Mary: “For me it means being able to celebrate differences, in every way. From where you come from, your background, your career experience to your different personality types. And celebrating what the power of difference can bring to an organisation.
“I’m a big believer in ‘rebel ideas’ – that you only get to the best outcome by process of storming. If the ideas and the voices at the table are homogenous, there is no point of difference in the market.”
Do you feel a positive culture being in place helps you cement business relationships?
Sacha: “One of the elements we measure for those working at Lucky Saint is purpose alignment. It scores really highly at over 90%. There’s evidence showing that people who are able to live their values at work naturally deliver with greater belief, passion and purpose in the relationships they maintain e.g. to customers.
“People want to live in a values-led way, and we are continually focussed on fostering that here.”
Mary: “I’ve found it a positive and open culture at Lucky Saint, and one which champions the idea that failures are opportunities to learn from. This means we can be open as a team to where the knowledge gaps are. I think that builds passion within the team.
“There is an environment where you’re safe to be vulnerable – you feel protected by company you’re with, so you can go out into a commercial environment and push yourself and know there’s safety there.
“From a practical view, the culture of being able to look after yourself. I’m really proud to have worked closely on our Mental Health First Aid Training programme, working with Mental Health First Aid England and Harry Corin. The training has had a tangible positive impact on hundreds of people working in the hospitality sector, and helps us build better long lasting relationships.”
Tell us about your own success story, positive experiences etc?
Sacha: “What I loved and I feel I did well with across every stop in my career (from training as an actress, customer service roles, opening up coffee shops) – it was about building relationships, and that comes out in a values-led way. Justice and fairness are strong personal values I’ve wanted to bring to roles and to businesses I’ve been with.
“I’ve always worked for people with a true growth mindset – the idea that a ‘mistake’ is an opportunity to learn and grow from.”
Mary: “My own journey to be at Lucky Saint has been a bit of a squiggly road. I qualified as a nutritionist working with Jamie Oliver, before going on to start my own business, before turning towards consulting in interim commercial/sales director roles. I decided I wanted to learn from people with more experience. I saw our Managing Director Emma Heal speak at an event and it connected the dots for me with Lucky Saint, and the place I wanted to work.
“I’ve really believed in the premise that failure builds resilience, that growth mindset that Sacha talks about. It’s been amazing to come to Lucky Saint where people recognise those transferable skills (as someone who hadn’t come from the beer industry), but also recognise a growth mindset around an individual who is willing to learn, in the case of Lucky Saint all about the on-trade and the beer industry.”
What opportunities are there for career evolution within your company?
Sacha: “Beyond the org chart, we work hugely collaboratively. Like for the first ever new product launch, the Hazy IPA, or for our Thou Shalt Go To The Pub campaign in January – they both touched every part of the business.
“People in 2024 are much more open to pivoting career opportunities than years gone by. So when I’m thinking about future development – a lot of what I think about is what broader skills will help individuals and teams keep progressing. More broadly, what jobs look like in 5 or 10 years’ time may change, and having a breadth of skills is important.”
Mary: “When you’re working hard and being open where you want to go, they’ll try to facilitate. I think we can hopefully look back and be proud to say we’re building this. In an emerging space and with lots changing, it means there’s a lot of areas for progression and growth.”
What challenges have you overcome in the past in this regard?
Sacha: “In hospitality generally, retaining primary care givers in senior positions is really difficult. Trying to be innovative with how you employ people, around flexibility and job shares.
“We want to make sure more diverse groups see beer as an opportunity for those interested in getting into the industry. We have an equal split of men and women at Lucky Saint, but how do we signpost beer industry as a place where you’ll flourish and feel included?
“22% of the beer and pub workforce identify as female, with just 5% of brewers in the UK identifying as female. Although progress is being made, there’s still lots of room for improvement.”
Mary: “Prior to Lucky Saint, when I was growing a business and raising investment it was a challenge – I didn’t feel many people looked like me in that ‘founder led business’ mould. I feel it set me up well coming into beer and on-trade which has traditionally male focussed. There’s been a lot of women in marketing, but less so in commercial roles but that’s changing.
“In that space there’s some incredible women I look up to as role models and I feel it’s crucial they are promoted and recognised.
“The other point is that it’s important there’s allies who genuinely understand the power of different ways of thinking and engagement, and the commercial success that comes with having a more equitable workplace.”
Sacha: “Balanced gender representation around the leadership table makes a big difference for us – we’re proud that 67% of our leadership team are female. In an emerging category like alcohol-free, innovation is important and we’ll continue to champion it with this knowledge that diversity of voice brings diversity of thought.”
@luckysaintbeer
