Overview
- Sir Dave Lewis will take over as chief executive on 1 January 2026, with his arrival following a global search.
- Nik Jhangiani remains interim CEO through December before returning to the chief financial officer role at year-end.
- Lewis will step down as Haleon chair on 31 December 2025; he previously led Tesco and spent nearly three decades at Unilever.
- Diageo shares rose about 6–8% in early trading on the news, reversing part of last week’s drop after the trading update.
- The appointment comes days after Diageo cut sales and profit guidance, citing weaker demand in the US and China and tariff pressures.