Ivan Menezes appointed CEO of Diageo

Ivan Menezes is to take over as CEO of Diageo from 1st July this year. Paul Walsh, who will step down from the board at the September 2013 AGM, will retire from the company on June 30, 2014.  In his last 12 months, the company says, he will focus on transitioning critical partner and external relationships to Ivan, including those relationships essential to recent acquisitions.

Ivan Menezes has been the chief operating officer of Diageo since March 2012. In this role he has been overseeing the commercial operations of Diageo globally.

Prior to his appointment as COO, Ivan was president and CEO of Diageo North America for eight years. During this period he was also made chairman, Asia Pacific from October 2008 and chairman, Latin America and the Caribbean from July 2011.

Ivan joined Diageo in 1997 and held various senior management positions with Guinness and then Diageo until 2004 when he was appointed president of Diageo Venture Markets – a division that had direct responsibility for approximately 123 countries.

Prior to his career with Diageo, Ivan worked across a variety of sales, marketing and strategy roles for Whirlpool in Europe, Booz Allen & Hamilton in North America, and Nestlé in Asia.

Ivan holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a post-graduate degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a BA Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He also serves as a non-executive director of Coach in the US.

Ivan was born in July 1959 and is married with 2 children.  
 
Franz Humer, chairman of Diageo says: “Paul is an outstanding Chief Executive. He has served our business, its shareholders, employees and partners with enormous imagination and dedication over the past 13 years. I know he is justly proud of Diageo and its people and he leaves a great legacy for his successor. The Board is immensely grateful for his ambitious and thoughtful stewardship of the business and its people. The transition process, which has been put in place, enables Paul to contribute his knowledge and experience during Ivan’s first year as CEO.
 
“We are delighted to have a leader of Ivan’s talents and global experience to succeed Paul.  The handover is being made at a time when the business is strong and Ivan takes on the role of CEO at an exciting stage of the company's global development.  The Board is confident that Ivan will inspire our organisation and Diageo will continue to achieve our medium-term performance objectives.”

7 May 2013 - Felicity Murray