Diageo appoints interim CEO as Sir Ivan Menezes undergoes medical treatment

05 June 2023 by
Diageo appoints interim CEO as Sir Ivan Menezes undergoes medical treatment

Spirits and beer company Diageo has announced the appointment of Debra Crew as interim chief executive with immediate effect while its existing boss undergoes medical treatment.

Crew was due to take over as head of the firm from 1 July when Sir Ivan Menezes was set to retire after a decade in the role.

Menezes is in hospital receiving treatment for medical conditions including a stomach ulcer, Diageo said.

The company said in a statement: "Over the weekend, we learned that Ivan's recovery suffered a significant setback due to complications, which followed emergency surgery on the ulcer.

"Our thoughts are with our much-loved colleague, Ivan, and his family."

Crew will be the firm's first female chief executive, stepping up from her current position as chief operating offer. Her appointment will bring the number of female-led companies in the FTSE 100 up to ten.

Menezes joined Diageo, which owns brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray, when it formed in 1997 and has spent more than 25 years in senior positions. He was knighted for services to business and to equality in the King's 2023 New Year Honours list.

Meanwhile, Crew has held senior positions at PepsiCo, and previously served as an officer in the US army.

She will take over at the helm alongside chief financial officer Lavanya Chandrashekar.

TagsDiageo
The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media Group is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking