ALEX MACDONALD: My long and winding path to a truly rewarding career – running a Caithness distillery
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View from the Board by Alex MacDonald
From Canada to the Highlands of Scotland, my career path has changed as much as the scenery!
When I was younger, I fully intended to be one of two things: a doctor or a comedian. This might have been spurred on by a fascination with Robin Williams and his movie based on the true story of Patch Adams, The Comedic Doctor.
Through my high school years in Canada, I found my skills were not suited to the medical field (mostly due to a disdain for chemistry) and chose a different path.
I always looked up to my father and his international adventures in business, so I decided to try my hand at business.
After studying business and management at the University of St Andrews, I was headhunted into a large corporate specialising in the government and public sector division. At this point, I had already cut my teeth in the public sector, working in the summers under my father’s instruction.
The large corporate life taught me several lessons about discipline, working as part of a team, and understanding one’s role in the large scheme of things. I also learnt I was not a big fan of big companies!
From there, I decided that tech start-ups was the patch of "greener grass" where I belonged. I spoke to recruiters, interviewed a lot, kept learning skills to apply to this new avenue and eventually landed a national account manager role at a tech start-up.
This role was engaging, it pushed me to travel around the country, and I started to shape skills of independent decision-making, negotiation and communication. The role focused heavily on working with government, which was a safe place for me and one I continued to enjoy.
This role allowed me to land my next role, as I was consistently presenting at tech summits for Amazon, KPMG, PWC and Microsoft. After one presentation, I was approached by a founder of a new and growing cybersecurity company interested in my skills – they did not care about my lack of cybersecurity experience.
After working with this cybersecurity company for about two years, travelling around the world for most of my time, I found my repertoire of skills had been significantly bolstered. So much so that I decided to find a consulting company that helped other small businesses scale and grow.
I founded this business with my current co-founder Struan Mackie, and this is where my life and career took a rapid left turn (in a good way).
Struan and I connected over many things. Sports, business, and even the occasional whisky dram. From this shared passion, we decided to take the leap of faith in 2019/2020 and found our distillery in the Highlands.
We now run one of the fastest-growing and most award-winning craft distilleries in the UK.
To those looking at what path you want to take, do not be rigid in your approach. Follow your skills, and your passion will be unveiled.
All too often, people try to go down the path that is expected of them. So make sure to collect skills, listen, learn, revise, make mistakes, and eventually you will find yourself in the career you truly belong in.
- Alex MacDonald is co-founder and chief operating officer at North Point Distillery.
