The Four I's - what they mean to me

By Sir Ian Good, chairman

The Group meets or often exceeds legal requirements and regulations relating to social responsibility, with common sense and measured judgement united at the frontline of good practice.

The Group has attempted to encapsulate what we mean by the Edrington values in the four I’s. The four words begin with the letter “I” – Independence, Integrity, Involvement and Innovation.

All four make a difference to the way we work, the success we can help build and the image we portray to our customers, suppliers and colleagues. Certainly, they are the values established by the founding Robertson family and adopted by the three sisters, with whom I was privileged to work, and I hope that we can live up to their high ideals and standards.

Independence

Independence obviously stems from the ownership structure and the fact that The Edrington Group is privately-owned by The Robertson Trust and is controlled in Scotland. Private-ownership has led to a more consistent longer-term approach to brand building and investment.

Integrity

Integrity is a value which surely every company should hold dear. However, within Edrington, playing it straight is key to all our dealings and has led to many long-term partnerships. It takes many years to build a reputation such as the one that Edrington enjoys: let's make sure we build on that.

Involvement

Involvement means being part of decisions, either in their development or in their consequence. Involvement also means being well informed and, through share ownership, participating in the successes of the Group.

Innovation

Our size and independence allow us to act in ways that other companies cannot. In every aspect of what we do, we can use innovative and different ways of solving problems – or gaining a competitive advantage. We should all endeavour by our individual actions to bring these values to life in whatever way we can. We should try to create an environment in which the values can flourish. These values, I believe, can help the business to grow.