Diageo appoints Sir Dave Lewis as new CEO from January 2026

Diageo has announced the appointment of Sir Dave Lewis as the new CEO and member of the Board of Directors, a position he will assume on January 1, 2026. The company highlights that his election follows an exhaustive global search, in which the board unanimously concluded that Lewis was the ideal profile to lead the multinational in the current market context.

Lewis brings a solid track record at the helm of large consumer companies, with extensive experience in marketing, brand building, and operational and financial discipline. He was CEO of Tesco between 2014 and 2020, a stage in which he led the transformation of the group, and previously developed almost three decades of career at Unilever, holding positions on the Executive Committee focused on marketing and business performance.

In addition, he is chairman of Haleon, a world leader in consumer health, a position he will leave on December 31, 2025, and is a non-executive director of the Board of PepsiCo Inc.

The chairman of Diageo, Sir John Manzoni, said that Lewis’s extensive experience building and positioning global brands will be key in the company’s new stage. He also thanked Nik Jhangiani, interim CEO, for his leadership and for maintaining the course of Diageo’s strategy during the succession process.

For his part, Sir Dave Lewis stated that he is joining “a world-leading business with a very strong portfolio of brands”. He acknowledged that the market presents challenges, but also “important opportunities” and noted that his goal will be to work with the team to address them and leverage the growth potential “creating value for shareholders”.