The board of directors of Diageo revealed that Sir David Lewis is to take over the role of chief executive officer and executive director from 1 January 2026.
He replaces Debra Crew who has stepped down as CEO and as a board director in July 2025, by “mutual agreement”.
Nik Jhangiani took over the role of interim CEO and will continue until the end of December 2025 and then resume his position as CFO.
In a statement Diageo said Lewis has extensive marketing and brand building experience, with an “outstanding track record leading global consumer businesses, growing world-class brands, and providing operational and financial rigour”.
Lewis served as group CEO of Tesco from 2014 to 2020, where he was recognised for transforming the business. Prior to this he spent nearly three decades at Unilever, latterly in executive committee roles, leading on both marketing and business performance.
He has been the chair of Haleon, a global leader in consumer healthcare, since its creation in 2022 and is a non-executive board director of PepsiCo. He will be stepping down from the Haleon role on 31 December 2025.
Sir John Manzoni, Diageo’s chair, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dave [Lewis] 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.”
He added: “We are confident that Dave will work with the team to take Diageo into its next successful chapter in the evolving consumer environment. The board wishes to recognise and thank Nik Jhangiani for his excellent leadership as interim CEO and for continuing to drive forward Diageo’s sharpened strategy.”
Commenting on his upcoming role, Lewis added: “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.”
Lewis is also a trustee for The Royal Foundation and the xhair of the World Wildlife Fund in the UK. He was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List.
