Diageo plc
Leadership History
5 leaders · 2000 to present
Sir Dave Lewis is the CEO of Diageo, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Paul Walsh, from 2000.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Dave Lewis | Chief Executive Officer | 2026 | Present | < 1 |
| Nik Jhangiani | Chief Financial Officer (interim CEO July-December 2025) | 2024 | Present | 2 |
| Debra Crew | Chief Executive Officer | 2023 | 2025 | 2 |
| Sir Ivan Menezes | Former Chief Executive Officer | 2013 | 2023 | 10 |
| Paul Walsh | Former Chief Executive Officer | 2000 | 2013 | 13 |
Diageo is the largest company in global premium spirits. From its London headquarters it manages more than 200 brands, including Johnnie Walker (the best-selling Scotch whisky), Smirnoff, Guinness, Tanqueray, Baileys, Don Julio and Casamigos, and it holds a 34% stake in LVMH's Moët Hennessy. After two years of sales declines, the group is in the middle of a restructuring led by Sir Dave Lewis, the former Tesco chief executive who joined in January 2026. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
Diageo makes money by producing, ageing and marketing branded spirits and beer and selling them to distributors, retailers, bars and travel retail. Most value comes from brand equity rather than the liquid: premium and super-premium labels such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Don Julio 1942 and Guinness carry high gross margins. In the US it sells through the three-tier distributor system; elsewhere it uses its own sales companies, joint ventures and distributors. Scale in marketing and route-to-market lets Diageo place newer or acquired brands alongside its category leaders.
Chief Executive Officer
2026 – Present
0 years (current)
Introduced three priorities (relevant brands, customer focus, a more agile operating framework), a two-year restructuring and a lower dividend policy.
Former Tesco CEO (2014-2020) and Unilever executive, appointed to turn around Diageo's falling sales.
Chief Financial Officer (interim CEO July-December 2025)
2024 – Present
2 years (current)
Jhangiani was brought in as CFO from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to strictly manage capital allocation and repair strained investor relations following severe profit warnings in Latin America.
He leads the effort to aggressively cut inventory backlogs and restore operating margins amid declining consumer spending on premium spirits.
Chief Executive Officer
2023 – 2025
2 years
Took over in June 2023 and handled the Latin America inventory problem, US spirits weakness and tariff pressure.
Former Reynolds American CEO and Diageo North America president; stepped down in July 2025 after two years of falling sales.
Former Chief Executive Officer
2013 – 2023
10 years
Expanded in premium tequila (Don Julio, Casamigos), took control of United Spirits in India and pushed premiumisation.
Led Diageo for a decade; he died in June 2023, shortly before his planned retirement.
Former Chief Executive Officer
2000 – 2013
13 years
Walsh orchestrated the massive $8.1 billion acquisition of Seagram's drinks business, securing iconic brands like Captain Morgan and Crown Royal.
During his 13 years as CEO, he successfully completed the transition of Diageo from a food and beverage conglomerate (selling off Burger King and Pillsbury) into a pure-play premium spirits behemoth.
Diageo faces falling US spirits demand and lost competitiveness in North America, a slump in Chinese white spirits after government policy changes, US tariffs, moderation trends among younger drinkers, hyperinflation in Türkiye, net debt of $20.5B (3.1x adjusted EBITDA at June 2026) and the execution risk of a large restructuring.
Debra Crew was Chief Executive Officer of Diageo from June 2023 until July 2025. A former US military intelligence officer and former CEO of Reynolds American, Crew joined Diageo's board in 2019, serving as President of North America and COO before her appointment as CEO.
Sir Ivan Menezes led Diageo from 2013 to 2023, expanding in premium tequila with Don Julio and Casamigos and in India through United Spirits. He died in June 2023, weeks before his planned retirement.
Paul Walsh served as CEO for 13 years, streamlining Diageo into a pure-play beverage alcohol leader by divesting non-core food assets (Pillsbury and Burger King), acquiring the Seagram spirits portfolio, and driving aggressive emerging-market expansion.
John McGrath (former CEO of Grand Metropolitan) served as the inaugural Chief Executive of Diageo from 1997 to 2000, overseeing the complex post-merger integration of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness plc.
Sir Dave Lewis, former CEO of Tesco, has led Diageo since January 1, 2026.
Sir Dave Lewis has been CEO since January 1, 2026, with Nik Jhangiani as chief financial officer; Jhangiani served as interim CEO from July 2025 until Lewis joined.
Debra Crew stepped down in July 2025 after two years of slowing sales, US weakness and tariff pressure.
During her tenure from June 2023 to July 2025, Debra Crew focused on managing post-pandemic inventory normalization in the Americas, reigniting growth in US spirits, accelerating global Guinness momentum, and expanding digital route-to-consumer efficiency.
Debra Crew serves as CEO. She took over in 2023 under tragic circumstances when the legendary CEO Sir Ivan Menezes—who ran the company for a decade and massively expanded their tequila portfolio—suddenly died right before his planned retirement.
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