A qualified CA, he undertook finance roles in Europe, Asia and Latin America before moving into the world of Supply and Operations, running grain distilling operations in his native Scotland before heading the Diageo supply chain in South America, building a winery in Argentina and distilling rum in Venezuela amongst his responsibilities.

He jokes that since joining Diageo in 1990, he’s worked across the organisation trying to find something that he is good at. But as the new MD of brandhouse – a Diageo joint venture with Heineken and Namibian Breweries – he is keen to see the company embrace the opportunities in South Africa through its unique portfolio of world class brands, continuing to grow through deeper penetration in urban areas as well as extending reach across the country.

Culturally, socially and economically Venezuela and Japan could hardly be more different, and working in these diverse environments got Milliken thinking about what constitutes normality.

“You learn to love wherever you are, and I definitely think there’s a certain skill set in operating effectively in a new culture.” He chuckles and outlines his experience thus: “There is a point, after you have lived across a variety of cultures that you realise nothing and no-one is normal, including yourself, that can be very liberating if a little scary.”

“In Japan a bullet train can travel at 200 miles per hour and arrive with split-second timing. In the Dominican Republic a guy arrived a day and two hours late for a meeting – and said nothing.”

“In Venezuela, life is complicated, with lots of security issues. You can spend your life worrying about all the things you can’t do anything about or you can focus on enjoying what you can do. My family and I had a fantastic 8 years in Caracas and made many friends, the Venezuelans are a lot of fun to be around.”

And South Africa, I ask? How safe do you feel? He laughs again. “The sense of freedom is fantastic, like being on holiday, even if I can’t quite work out Cape Town weather. We’ve been here since July and enjoying it a lot. Our biggest problem so far has been choosing what to do: watching whales, wineries, mountain biking, or whatever. There of course is also a business to run, I am loving the challenge, but the transition has been great.”

Milliken toured South Africa with a Japanese rugby team in 1992 and 20 years later is happy to be back.

He’s tremendously optimistic about developing economies and when asked about which lessons the South Africa operation can learn from the emerging markets in which he’s worked, he says, “I think there are some very interesting similarities. Economic freedom brings choices and people want to celebrate their growth. They also become more aware of the world around them and they see our brands as affordable luxuries. Equally not everything always goes right first time, there is always something changing, always new possibilities to embrace.”

In the South African context he says: “In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen some amazing bars in some of the townships and I reckon there’s more JW Blue Label, JW Platinum and Ciroc being enjoyed in these outlets than in Green Point and Pretoria East. Our job is to be part of the celebration moment and be available where the celebration happens.”

What does he plan to change in the local operation? “I’ve inherited a fantastic business, with great people. The brandhouse JV will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2014, having grown very fast. Gerald (Mahinda) my predecessor, built a very strong executive team and a strong strategy.”

“The strategy’s probably not that different to other FMCG businesses expanding into Africa, we don’t need to change it, we need to implement. I will look to keep it as simple as possible and unlock the passion of the organisation to deliver together. We need to continue to build the right capability and relationships internally and externally.”

On responsible drinking, and the company’s efforts to promote that, Milliken recalls doing volunteer work on Mandela Day at a shelter for the homeless in Langa: “It is critical to our business that we drive home our messages on responsible consumption. On Mandela day we worked in partnership with local community leaders, correctional services and of course this amazing lady who was the energy behind the shelter. It was a great project and we left having made a significant difference. What struck me was how each of the partners in the project commented on their initial worry about dealing with an alcohol company. However the partnership allowed us to create a conversation to make a difference together and that changed attitudes.”

“Statistically, the percentage of people who abuse alcohol compared to those who drink it responsibly is low, but there’s still a huge impact. We all need to work together in reducing this; like most things in life solutions come when we work together and build trust.”