SCOTCH whisky giant Diageo has revealed its next chief executive as the company announced the retirement of Sir Ivan Menezes.

The Johnnie Walker distiller, which also owns brands such as Guinness and Gordon’s Gin, said Debra Crew, currently chief operating officer, will succeed Sir Ivan on July 1.

Sir Ivan, who was knighted in the New Year Honours, has led the company for 10 years, having originally joined through the merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc in 1997. He went on to hold a number of senior positions, including chief operating officer, president of Diageo North America, chairman of Diageo Asia Pacific, and chairman of Diageo Latin America and Caribbean. He has been chief executive since July 2013.

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Ms Crew originally joined the Diageo board as a non-executive director in April 2019, before stepping down from the board when appointed president of Diageo North America in July 2020. Before being appointed chief operating officer in October, she was president of Diageo North America and Global Supply.

Ms Crew is the former president and chief executive of Reynolds American. Before her time with Reynolds she spent five years at Pepsico, prior to which she held positions with Kraft Foods, Nestle SA and Mars Inc.

Her appointment as chief executive of Diageo means women will make up more than 50 per cent of the drinks giant’s executive committee from July 1.

Sir Ivan said: “It has been an enormous honour leading Diageo over the past decade. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved during that time, and I would like to thank my 28,000 talented colleagues around the world for all of their hard work, creativity and passion. I would also like to thank the board for their encouragement, challenge and support over the years.

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“I am delighted to be handing over the reins to Debra. In the time that we have worked together, I have been consistently impressed with her passion for growth and for building high performing teams. I am confident that under Debra’s leadership, and with our extraordinary portfolio of brands and culture, Diageo will go on to deliver our long-term performance ambition.”

Ms Crew said: “I am delighted to be appointed chief executive officer of Diageo. Ivan leaves Diageo in a very strong position for future growth and I look forward to working with our teams around the world to capture the opportunities ahead.

“I am focused on continuing Diageo’s extraordinary track record of building world-leading brands and enhancing our reputation as one of the most responsible businesses in what I believe to be the most exciting consumer products category. It is an incredible privilege to be leading Diageo through the next phase of its development.”