Member Article

Law firm acts in the right spirit with football legend

Swinburne Maddison LLP (Swinburne Maddison), one of the region’s leading law firms, has successfully completed two brand ambassador agreements on behalf of Harvey’s of Edinburgh Ltd (HOE) with Michael Owen, former premier league football legend, in relation to Spey Whisky, a Scottish whisky brand owned by Speyside Distillers Co Ltd (SDCL), a subsidiary of HOE.

The three year contract sees Michael Owen become the global ambassador for Spey Whisky, already an established brand in the Far East - especially Taiwan – as Spey seeks to further establish itself in China and across South East Asia generally where Owen is well known and much admired.

He will make a number of trips to this part of the world to extend the brand’s reach by attending various corporate events as well as hosting some key sporting events here in the UK. A limited edition Michael Owen branded Spey Whisky will be released later this year.

Swinburne Maddison partner, Martyn Tennant, had formerly acted on behalf of Harveys of Edinburgh (HOE) International Limited in relation to its acquisition of SDCL in 2013. Given the law firm’s experience, the firm was approached again on this occasion to undertake the legal work, providing advice in respect of the negotiations for the agreements covering the UK and the rest of the world as separate territories.

There were a number of legal complications to overcome associated with image rights and negotiation of the detail around the commercial terms and services to be provided by Michael Owen but all parties worked together in a spirit of cooperation to reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion.

Commenting on his role, Tennant said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with SDCL with this latest appointment and hope it may lead to further work in the future. Our ability to attract this type of complex instruction and calibre of client illustrates our position as a leading regional law firm and reinforces our reputation for providing robust legal advice within the sports sector.”

Michael Owen said: “I am delighted to become the worldwide brand ambassador for Spey Whisky. I am really looking forward to helping promote such a prestigious brand, particularly in Asia where I am happily spending more and more of my time these days.”

John Harvey McDonough, CEO of Speyside Distillers, said: “We are very pleased with Swinburne Maddison’s legal acumen in the development of these agreements – Martyn has played a key role - and thrilled to be working with Michael, a true icon of international football as well as a great family man. Spey is an increasingly iconic brand, especially in international territories. We are also a family business, so the fit could not be better.”

Mr McDonough originated from the northeast region, and is now a well known name in the Scottish brewing and distilling industry where he has been responsible for strengthening the Harveys of Edinburgh brand before his acquisition of the Speyside Distillers Co Ltd.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rosie Bellerby .