Stuart Gregor

About Stuart

Stuart Gregor is one of Australia’s better-known professional drinkers; as well as being a business leader, innovator, charitable force of nature and hugely entertaining presenter.

Following a 20-year career working with many leading drinks, travel and food brands, Stuart co-founded Aussie gin distillery Four Pillars in 2013. Four Pillars has become one of the distilling world’s recent success stories, becoming Australia’s No.1 craft spirit and awarded the industry’s ultimate accolade in 2019 and 2020, the International Gin Producer of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. Four Pillars was also awarded Distillery of the Year and Brand Innovator of the Year at the 2022 World Gin Awards, also announced in the UK.

Four Pillars is widely recognised as having revolutionised the gin market in Australia and in 2019 LION, part of the global KIRIN Group, took a 50% ownership stake in the business. Stuart remains the leader of the Four Pillars global commercial team and its leading ambassador. He is also President of the Australian Distillers Association (now Australian Distillers), the industry’s peak representative body, a position he has held since 2014. During his time as leader of Australian Distillers he has played a significant role in growing membership from 35 to more than 500, engaging the organisation’s first CEO and lobbying all levels of Government from the Prime Minister down, for more favorable business conditions for the fast-growing distilling community of Australia. From 2014-2021, Australian Distillers led a concerted campaign to ease excise pressure on local distilleries with small wins resulting in full remission of the first $350,000 of excise for all Australian distillers announced in the 2021 Federal Budget. A great win for industry and a huge fillip for the many small distilleries across the country.

Stuart’s background is journalism, small business, drinks and communications – having written multiple wine and drinks guides and columns, founded Australia’s leading lifestyle public relations business Liquid Ideas, and worked closely with a some of Australia’s most innovative and disruptive not-for-profit startups – RUOK? Day and OzHarvest.

He has also contributed his expertise as an auctioneer, MC, rebel rouser and donor to the Children’s Cancer Institute, Starlight Children’s Foundation, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Prince of Wales Hospital, the Tour de Cure and many more charitable institutions. He has played a central role in raising well over $50million for charities over the past 20+ years.

Over recent years he has also earned a reputation as a commentator on the subject of business,entrepreneurship, leadership, drinks culture, hospitality and the importance of philanthropy and generosity in business, all of which which is liberally peppered with some of his more colourful exploits.

In the world of public relations, he founded Liquid Ideas in 2000, was the inaugural Chair of the Public Relations Council (2012-2014) and the PR industry Leader of the Year in 2014. Liquid Ideas has won 2 multiple awards and widespread recognition for its campaigns for clients as diverse as Singapore Airlines, Victoria Bitter, RUOK? Day, Canadian Club and Rexona.

Stuart has a Diploma of Wine Marketing (Adelaide), Master of Marketing (Melbourne) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He sat on the board of Australia’s leading food waste organization Oz Harvest from 2012-2019, the NSW Advisory Board for the Starlight Children’s Foundation 2006-2008 and is co-owner of luxury travel firm Gregor & Lewis, with his sister Melinda.

Stuart is a father of two teenagers and is based in Sydney; he follows every code of sport imaginable with a particular love of golf, the Sydney Swans, Sydney Roosters, Wallabies and Manchester United.