Thomas Aastad’s Post

I’ll be speaking at the Modern Affluence Summit in London on 26 September. The event, which is hosted in partnership with Chivas Brothers and Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, gathers representatives from some of the world’s leading brands and explores how the shift in the world’s wealth will continue to reshape affluence with a new breed of values-led and culturally savvy consumers. More details and link to tickets below.

Happy to share that I have been invited by the Design Museum to join their External Affairs Committee. This committee supports the Museum's work with audiences through partnerships, advocacy, media and PR activities. I had my first committee meeting last month, chaired by Davina M., and I am very much looking forward to contributing to this incredible museum’s work and mission in the future alongside the rest of the committee Patsy Baker, Lisa Burdge, Judy Dobias, Emily Fermor, Chaka Sobhani and the Museum’s CEO Tim Marlow, Director of Audiences Josephine Chanter and Chief Curator Johanna Agerman Ross.

The first brand campaign I had the pleasure of working on in my new role as Culture & Creative Director at Chivas Brothers, was for our leading single malts brand The Glenlivet. This heritage brand, which dates back to 1824, is the original Speyside single malt and has been setting new standards in the category for two centuries, always pushing forward in a discerning yet opinionated way. In this lifestyle campaign, we wanted to capture the brand’s unique DNA by blending elements of tradition together with contemporary layers. The campaign, which was shot by photographer Ben Toms, was masterminded by The Glenlivet’s fantastic comms team Katia Fragkou, Maddy Schwarz and Victoria MacDonald together with creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors LDN, headed up by June Frangue, Andrew Wright and Helen Cliffe to name a few, and with invaluable support from Pernod Ricard’s Head of Visual Design Sophie Delannoy.

This past week was the first time my mother didn’t recognise me. She has Alzheimer’s. I was debating whether I should write about this at all as it feels too personal, mostly because this is her private story, not mine. But here I am, back in London again after a few days in Norway with my mother, reflecting on what has happened to our lives since she was diagnosed back in 2021 and recognising that many others are going through similar traumas in their lives. I turn up to work, I smile, I work hard, I do sports, I see my friends, I laugh, but underneath it all is a deep and bottomless pain that is always there. I compartmentalise it, I get on with my life, I see a therapist, I remain strong, my friends ask how I’m doing and most of the time, I just say I’m good as I prefer not to talk too much about it. However, with these major life events, whether joyous as childbirth or painful as facing terminal illness or death of loved ones, it gives you perspective about what matters. Weirdly enough, any conflicts or trivial issues in my work life don’t face me at all, I rarely get stressed, I focus on solutions and collaboration because I don’t want to waste any time or energy on anything unnecessary. Simply said, there are now other things that matters more. So we’re back to where this story started, last week at a care home in Norway where I’m standing in front of my mother and understanding that she can’t quite work out who I am. So I say “Mamma, it’s me, Thomas”. She looks at me, her face lights up and she says “Oh Thomas, I’m so happy you are here”. And then she embraces me with the love and warmth that only a mother can give.

This year’s Milan Design Week was 50% queues and 50% exhibitions. I’ve never seen the city and the shows busier, which we can debate over and over again whether is a blessing or a curse, but it’s definitely a platform where brands can still make an impact and connect with the world’s leading decision, taste and opinion makers. Once again, the big luxury brands dominated the city centre with Hermès, Loewe, Gucci and Bottega Veneta turning up with their blockbuster shows. Nevertheless, the most interesting presentations were where brands had collaborated with other brands, leading designers, media partners and curators. Marimekko’s takeover of a traditional apperitivo bar, creating a brand experience for all the senses, was perhaps one of the most original appearances this year. Superstar designer Sabine Marcelis’ thoughtful design and curation of Saudi Arabia’s Design Space AlUla was another surprise hit and revelation of the week. And Alcova’s takeover of two villas in the outskirts of Milan, resulted in frenzied design pilgrimage on the city’s train system to get out of town. Queues or no queues, we’ll all be back again next year. Thank you to my colleagues Axelle de Buffévent and Caroline Bianco for sharing both some hectic and calmer moments of discovery and inspiration!

Christmas came early for me this past year when I had the opportunity in mid-December to visit several of Chivas Brothers’ 13 whisky distilleries in Speyside, Scotland. What completely blew me away was not only the natural beauty of the Speyside region, but the incredible history and heritage of the whisky industry that’s so prominent wherever you look. I visited the iconic Strathisla distillery, which dates back to 1786 and is home to both the Chivas Regal and Royal Salute brands. Fast forward a couple of centuries and the latest distillery to open its doors is down the road in Dalmunach where thermal vapour recompression technology on the spirit condensers makes this one of the most efficient distilleries in the world. Additionally, the water-cooling system for the distillery, which returns cooled water upstream, results in zero water loss. I also visited the historic distilleries and brand homes of single malts The Glenlivet and Aberlour, literally pilgrimage sites for whisky lovers globally. And to top it off, I got to stay at Linn House, a Manor House from the 1870s which is Chivas Brothers’ first guest house and whisky retreat. The property boasts a carefully curated whisky library where guests can discover iconic and limited edition whiskies through guided tastings, followed by a Scottish culinary journey prepared by Linn House’s resident chef, who uses fresh, locally sourced produce. Big thank you to our brand ambassador Jack McCreadie for guiding me up and down the valleys, to Ashley Brown for pulling together the amazing visitor programme and to marketing directors Jayne Murphy and Paul-André VACHERON for being expert travel companions. I’m hoping to book my return ticket to Speyside very soon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃🙌🏻 #scotchwhisky #scotland #brandexperience #luxuryhospitality

Happy and excited to announce that I have joined Pernod Ricard as Culture & Creative Director for their scotch whisky business Chivas Brothers. I will be working with some of the world’s most respected scotch whisky brands, including Chivas, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet and Royal Salute. Together with my colleagues in London, Paris and beyond we will continue to build on the brands’ rich heritage and cultural positioning to deliver incredible brand worlds, creative content and campaigns, experiences, partnerships and collaborations globally. A big thank you to Axelle De Buffevent for coming up with the idea of bringing me into the business, and to Chivas Brothers CEO Jean-Etienne Gourgues for the trust. Exciting times ahead!

Being a Norwegian, we have a fondness of Slow TV, so this genius campaign from Oatly is right up my street. Slow advertising, anyone?

That’s how you create an impact! Maggie Smith, the 88-year-old Downton Abbey and Harry Potter actress, has been revealed by Spanish luxury house Loewe, and their British creative director Jonathan Anderson, as the face of the brand’s latest advertising campaign.