Hall of Fame

Leonard is the managing director, chairman, and major shareholder of Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. He has been a part of the family business since 1989 after starting as a brand marketer for International Distillers & Vintners. He also holds a degree in economics and an MBA. Working for Ian Macleod, Leonard has been passionate about building brands and exports, steadily migrating the business away from its traditional roots of a UK-centric spirit broker and private label supplier. The brand building has been assisted by the acquisitions of Glengoyne in 2003, Tamdhu in 2011, Edinburgh Gin in 2016 and Rosebank in 2017. Leonard has played a large part in the construction of Una Distillery—an Indian single malt distillery in the foothills of the Himalayas—as well as helping with Ian Macleod’s recent plans to build a distillery on Laggan Bay in Islay. These distilleries greatly reflect the entrepreneurial efforts and business aspirations that Leonard represents in the successful family business.