Diageo has appointed Sir Dave Lewis as its next Chief Executive Officer on an annual salary of £1.5 million, effective 1 January 2026.
The former Tesco boss and veteran Unilever executive will succeed interim CEO Nik Jhangiani, who will return to his role as Chief Financial Officer at the end of December.
Lewis brings extensive experience leading global consumer brands. During his six years at Tesco, he oversaw a major turnaround of the supermarket group, and previously spent nearly three decades at Unilever in senior marketing and operational roles.
He currently serves as Chair of Haleon and as a non-executive director of PepsiCo, stepping down from the Haleon role at the end of the year.
Diageo chair Sir John Manzoni, who led the recruitment process, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dave as Diageo’s new CEO. Having conducted an extensive and thorough global search, the Board unanimously felt that Dave has both the extensive CEO experience, and the proven leadership skills in building and marketing world-leading brands, that is right for Diageo at this time.”
Sir Dave Lewis said: “Diageo is a world leading business with a portfolio of very strong brands, and I am delighted to be joining the team. The market faces some headwinds but there are also significant opportunities. I look forward to working with the team to face these challenges and realise some of the opportunities in a way which creates shareholder value.”
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