TRI-POD Series 4: Ally Dickinson of Suntory Global Spirits on mental health in the workplace : Moodie Davitt Report

Welcome to TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast series in association with The SEVA Group.

In this episode, co-hosts Martin Moodie and Roger Jackson (The Seva Group) begin by paying tribute to recently retired Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin and noting the admirable qualities of his successor Ramesh Cidambi.

They then introduce special guest Alasdair (Ally) Dickinson, General Manager Global Travel Retail at Suntory Global Spirits, the recently renamed Japanese drinks powerhouse.

The group’s portfolio embraces the multiple outstanding Japanese whiskies under The House of Suntory banner, Jim Beam, Haku Vodka, Roku Gin, Cruzan rum, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Ardmore, Teachers and a host of others.

Ally has worked for the company – formerly Beam Suntory for nearly 13 years – with travel retail a key area of responsibility for most of the past decade. As a result, he’s a well-known and much-respected figure in the channel, which he helps drive from his Singapore base.

In this compelling and candid conversation. Ally talks about his upbringing in a Glasgow working class family and the values that instilled in him.

But the body of the episode is dedicated to a subject close to Ally’s heart, mental health in the workplace.

In an honest and moving conversation, he reveals his lifelong encounters with depression and anxiety and how after those mental pressures built up a few years ago, he decided to do something about it.

He talks movingly about there being “two Allys”, commenting: “One was the Ally people saw within work who was quite polished, calm, considered and professional… quite a stable individual, all of which was absolutely true. That was the version of Ally that I was projecting, and that was the version they were seeing.

“But actually outside of work I was really struggling with the pressures of work and the pressures that happen in your personal life. They were creeping up… it was a seesaw that would swing either way for two weeks, two months or six months.

“I realized that the tipping point was actually becoming a bit too much. And the ‘other’ Ally – the one that was not putting the mask on – was actually really struggling.”

He decided to do something about it, approaching his line manager to reveal what was happening.

“In my head, I expected a recoil and it to maybe hurt my career ambitions,” he recalls. “Would he think that someone going through some of these challenges couldn’t manage a team, couldn’t hold a tough negotiation with a customer or run a business unit? Actually, the response was completely the opposite.”

Ally was met with a wholly supportive reaction from his manager, his colleagues and the company as a whole. And while declining to give advice to others going through similar challenges, he underlines the importance of opening up and seeking support.

Co-hosts Jackson and Moodie address the issue too from personal experience, ranging from COVID-driven acute anxiety in Jackson’s case to Moodie’s loss of a sister to suicide and difficulties in finding the “sanctuary of the middle ground – a destination I can’t seem to reach”.

It’s a must-listen episode, one that hammers home key messages about mental health in the workplace, about accepting and giving support, and the welcome progress being made to break down any stigma surrounding the issue.

As always with TRI-POD, we also fly our guest on ultra-low cost carrier TRI-POD Airlines to our resident desert island (with offshore duty-free status, of course).

There Ally reveals his favoured duty-free purchase, choice of reading, his choice of music, and a wonderfully eclectic and intelligent trio of guests he would invite to a private dinner party. ✈

Note: Would you like to appear with Roger and Martin on TRI-POD? Drop Martin a line at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com and we will be in touch.