Allie Warren Chinn, brand and marketing advisor for CPG venture funds
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I’m Allie.
Brand builder for drinks + CPG.

Fifteen years building brand and marketing for founder-led businesses. At Distill Ventures I helped grow a portfolio of 35+ brands with £320M+ invested. Now working with founder-led drinks brands, and the funds backing them.

How I think about the work

Brand strategy and commercial outcomes belong in the same conversation.

Brands don’t get built in a rebrand. They get built over time, by the same pattern applied consistently. Sharp positioning. Content that travels. Press that happens because the story earned it. A funnel that turns all of it into inbound that was never cold.

That’s the pattern I ran inside Distill Ventures for nine years. It’s what I bring to the drinks and CPG brands I work with today, and to the funds backing them.

Career

Fifteen years, three companies, one discipline.

Nov 2016 – Jul 2025

Distill Ventures

London, UK
Communications & Marketing Director
Brand Manager (2016) → Head of Brand Marketing (2018) → Global Head of Marketing & Comms (2021) → Director (2024)

Diageo-backed accelerator and investor in founder-led spirits brands. Built the brand, marketing, and comms engine from day one across a 35+ brand portfolio.

May 2014 – Oct 2016

Drake & Morgan

London, UK
Group Digital & Marketing Manager

20+ unique bars and restaurants across London and Manchester.

Aug 2011 – May 2014

Novus Leisure

London, UK
Digital Marketing & Brand Manager

Large-scale UK hospitality portfolio — multi-channel campaigns, product launches, and social content at estate scale.

Areas of expertise

The disciplines I lean on.

  • Brand strategy & positioning
  • Category building (Non-Alc, New World Whiskey, Agave)
  • Growth marketing
  • Content strategy & thought leadership
  • Campaign development
  • Performance analytics (GA4)
  • CRM & marketing automation (HubSpot, Mailchimp)
  • Rebranding & visual identity
  • Event & experiential production
  • Founder & investor communications
  • M&A announcement comms
  • Tier-1 media relations
Recognition

Where my work has been.

  • Media
    Tier-1 coverage secured across New York Times, Financial Times, Forbes, and The Economist.
  • Speaker
    Tales of the Cocktail · Bar Convent Berlin · Women in Drinks Forums.
  • Mentor
    The Drinks Trust · The OurWhiskey Foundation.
  • Education
    BA Political Science & Communications, The University at Buffalo.
Working together

Brand work that earns its place in the business.

Advisory, retainer, and embedded engagements across drinks and CPG. For founder-led brands, and for the funds backing them.

Allie Warren Chinn