August 18, 2025

#126, Christian Balke, founder, SIP Advocacy Program (Pernod-Ricard worldwide), Team Leader, Advocacy & Education, Pernod-Ricard Deutschland

1 hour 57 minutes

Me and Christian met almost twenty years ago; when I was still living in the Netherlands, my friend Robin Weiss asked me to help judge the Havana Club Germany bartender contests, and Christian was involved even back then.

In the next few years we hung out at Havana Club contests in Sylt, Dusseldorf, Havana itself and several other cities I can't recall, plus of course Bar Convent Berlin, and Christian always impressed me with his ability to both hang with even the newest and most junior of competing bartenders, and still be up and supervising things at 8am the next day.

We had a chat recently at the Cologne Bar Symposium in Germany and I learned that Christian had actually created the new global advocacy program for Pernod-Ricard, SIP, so that was it: I wanted him on the podcast, to catch up with an old friend and professional colleague, and share the tea on how to get a global advocacy program off the ground.

This one is GOLD - if you work in advocacy, it's a must-listen.

Christian on IG: https://www.instagram.com/herr_balke/

SIP on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sip_global?igsh=MWRleDRnczZ0cTdncg==

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