--- --- # William Grant & Sons US President & Managing Director, Paul Basford, On Looking Back To Build The Future ## Video: Glenfiddich Executive Spotlight [Watch (HLS stream): Glenfiddich Executive Spotlight](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/z92mu8LB.m3u8) (4:32)  _Published 2024-10-22. Glenfiddich Executive Spotlight_ In a recent conversation between TIME's CEO, Jessica Sibley, and Paul Basford, President and Managing Director of William Grant & Sons USA, they explored the legacy, innovations, and future of the renowned Scotch whisky brand, Glenfiddich. The brand was founded 137 years ago by William Grant, and has remained a family-owned business all along. It's a staggering history of preserving deep-rooted traditions, yet also navigating what it means to embrace innovation. Basford described Grant himself as a pioneering and creative figure who, with the help of his nine children, built the Glenfiddich distillery in the "Valley of the Deer" in Scotland, which still exists today. This history still influences the company’s operations and leadership today. Basford emphasizes that maintaining this legacy while fostering innovation is key to the brand's success. One way they achieve this is by continually introducing new expressions of whisky each year, such as evolved barrel-finishing techniques to enhance flavors. These product innovations are meant to stimulate consumers–which is also why, according to Basford, the Glenfiddich brand marketing team in the U.S. plays a very pivotal role. They are "holding the cusp of the legacy in their arms," he points out. "They are responsible for working on building the heritage of the brand, but also the innovation piece." it’s a delicate balance, and that’s where leadership comes in. Basford emphasized the importance of leadership's visibility, transparency, and connecting with the whole team. "A leader is somebody who is not afraid to go and do things that you ask other people to do," according to Basford. He believes in leading by example, and that traits like openness, honesty and being clear about what's possible to deliver, are essential for progress. These career qualities contributed to his decision to join the company in 2021, along with William Grant’s premium, diverse portfolio and strong family ethos. Basford noted that Glenfiddich’s smooth and accessible flavor makes it ideal for both gifting and celebration. Glenfiddich was used to toast luminaries at the 2024 TIME100 and TIME100 NEXT Galas. Looking ahead to the holiday season, Basford recommended Glenfiddich’s limited-edition 31-year-old Grand Chateau, finished for 9 years in Bordeaux wine casks. Grand Chateau is the perfect luxury gift for whisky lovers.  [Find Out More](http://glenfiddich.com/en-us) William Grant & Sons US President & Managing Director, Paul Basford, On Looking Back To Build The Future ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/"},"headline":"William Grant & Sons US President & Managing Director, Paul Basford, On Looking Back To Build The Future","datePublished":"2026-07-20T09:47:14.589Z","dateModified":"2026-07-20T09:47:07.287Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/","name":"William Grant & Sons US President & Managing Director, Paul Basford, On Looking Back To Build The Future"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Glenfiddich Executive Spotlight","description":"Glenfiddich Executive Spotlight","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/z92mu8LB/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-10-22T18:44:12.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/z92mu8LB.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/","duration":"PT4M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/branded-content/glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky/discover-the-strategy-behind-glenfiddichs-future-forward-progress-with-paul/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```