Charlie Beaumont

We’re interested to learn more about graduates’ time at Glasgow Caledonian and the path they’ve taken since completing their studies. Charlie Beaumont discovered a love for the tourism industry while working as a concierge.

He pursued his passion by obtaining an MSc in International Tourism Management in 2017 and is now Brand Experience Manager for Beam Suntory, which owns popular brands including Jim Beam, Suntory Whisky, Roku Gin and Midori.

He tells us the story of how he came to work for a world-leading spirits company through word of mouth between Glasgow Caledonian alumni and his dissertation supervisor.

“I liked tourism and I liked Scotland, but I didn’t know much beyond that. That was accepted and encouraged, and the course allowed me to explore without feeling under pressure to head towards a particular path.”

Charlie was drawn to Glasgow Caledonian's business-minded approach, which facilitated networking and gaining industry experience. He also threw himself into student life, joining a committee board as a student representative and taking part in leadership and resilience training.

The inspiration for Charlie’s career came about during an exchange to Sweden he completed in the third year of his undergraduate degree.

“When people realised I was Scottish, everyone asked me about whisky! My Dad was really into whisky, so I was already quite well-versed on the function of whisky.

"I’ve always found distilleries to be a very specific sub-section of visitor attraction because they can do so much. It is made up of many parts; selling Scotland, intense scientific understanding of the distilling process, heritage storytelling, and myth and legend.”

Knowing for certain he wanted to enter the whisky tourism business, Charlie first joined the Borders Distillery in 2018, though had to return to Glasgow after only six months. While looking for a job, he was contacted by his former dissertation supervisor Jenny Flynn who suggested he apply for a role at Beam Suntory. After only two weeks in the job, he met the woman responsible for the connection.

“Katie, a fellow GCU alumni, I discovered was the person who Beam Suntory had contacted to ask if she knew any good candidates for the role. She had contacted Jenny my dissertation supervisor, who in turn suggested me. So, someone I had never met before had in fact been responsible for me getting my current role!”