a9320b
UNITED STATES
ECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
7 June 2023
Commission File Number: 001-10691
DIAGEO plc
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
16 Great Marlborough Street, London, United Kingdom, W1F 7HS
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F X
Form 40-F
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule
101(b)(1):
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule
101(b)(7):
Diageo plc announces that Sir Ivan Menezes has passed
away
7 June 2023: Following our
announcement on 5 June 2023, it is with great sadness that Diageo
announces that Sir Ivan Menezes has passed away following a brief
illness, with his family at his side.
Javier Ferrán, Chairman, Diageo plc, commented:
"This is an incredibly sad day. Ivan was undoubtedly one of the
finest leaders of his generation.
Ivan was there at the creation of Diageo and over 25 years, shaped
Diageo to become one of the best performing, most trusted and
respected consumer companies. I saw first-hand his steadfast
commitment to our people and to creating a culture that enabled
everyone to thrive. He invested his time and energy in people at
every level of the company and saw potential that others may have
overlooked. This is one of many reasons why he was beloved by our
employees, past and present.
Ivan's energy and his commitment to diversity created a truly
inclusive business and enabled Diageo to have a positive impact on
the communities we serve. His passion for our brands was
second-to-none and in his heart, he remained the Johnnie Walker
marketer from his early days. The desire to build the world's best
brands never left him.
We are truly privileged to have had the opportunity to work
alongside such a thoughtful and passionate colleague and friend - a
true gentleman. He has built an extraordinary
legacy.
Ivan leaves behind many friends and a beloved family, and our
thoughts are particularly with his wife, Shibani and his two
children, Nikhil and Rohini. On behalf of the Board, Executive
Committee and all our employees, we extend our deepest sympathies
to them."
Notes to editors:
●
Ivan
Manuel Menezes was born on 10 July 1959, in Pune, India. He held UK
and US citizenship, and Overseas Citizenship for
India.
●
Ivan
was one of Britain's longest serving and most respected FTSE Chief
Executives, transforming Diageo into the world's leading premium
drinks company and which accounts for 10% of the UK's total food
and drinks exports.
●
Ivan
joined Diageo at its creation in 1997 and held many senior
positions in a career spanning over 25 years at the company. He had
been the Strategy Director for Guinness plc. When Diageo was
subsequently created through the merger, Ivan was appointed Group
Integration Director tasked with integrated this 'merger of
equals'.
●
He
became Global Marketing Director, UDV, in 1998 and was responsible
for developing the now iconic, 'Keep Walking' campaign for Johnnie
Walker.
●
He
subsequently held several senior positions in Diageo including
Chief Operating Officer; President, Diageo North America; Chairman,
Diageo Asia Pacific; and Chairman, Diageo Latin America and
Caribbean.
●
Ivan
was appointed to the board as an Executive Director of Diageo in
July 2012 and served as Chief Executive Officer since July 2013. He
was due to retire on 30 June 2023.
●
During his decade as CEO, Ivan
oversaw an outstanding period of change, growth and high
performance. Diageo
made huge strides towards his ambition that Diageo should become
one of the best performing, most trusted and respected companies in
the world.
●
Now selling over 200 brands in more than 180
markets, today Diageo is the number one company by net sales value
in Scotch whisky, vodka, gin, rum, Canadian whisky, liqueurs, and
also tequila1,
a category in which only eight years ago the company had no
substantive position.
●
Ivan
was particularly proud to announce in December 2022, that Guinness
was ranked the number one selling beer by value for the first time
in the on-trade in Great Britain.
●
Having
steered Diageo through the Covid-19 pandemic, Ivan delivered a
company with net sales value 36% larger than in 2019.
●
Ivan
was an inspirational champion for both women and ethnic minorities
in business. In 2008 there were no women on Diageo's Executive
Committee, today over half are women, including his successor as
CEO, the CFO and the Presidents of Diageo's largest Markets - North
America, Europe and India, and almost half of the Executive
Committee are ethnically diverse.
●
Over
40% of Diageo's senior leadership positions globally are held by
women, while 37% are ethnically diverse, well on the way to his
target to achieve gender parity in senior leadership and 45% of our
leadership to be ethnically diverse by 2025.
●
Diageo was ranked the number one company in
Britain for female leadership representation in the final Hampton
Alexander Review in 2021, and
ranked number one in the UK, and number two globally, in Equileap's
2023 Gender Equality Report. In February 2023, Diageo was named the
top company for female representation at board level in the FTSE
Women Leaders Review.
●
Ivan
was determined to be a pioneer on environmental, social and
governance (ESG) issues, committing Diageo to deliver a positive
impact on society everywhere the company operates. Diageo halved
carbon emissions in absolute terms under his leadership - even as
the company significantly increased production and sales - and
water efficiency also improved by almost half.
●
During
the Covid-19 pandemic, Diageo produced more than 10 million bottles
of hand sanitiser for healthcare workers around the world,
including the NHS - with the Secretary of State for Health
commenting that "Diageo rode to the rescue" when supplies were
low.
●
Ivan
also announced the $100 million "Raising the Bar" programme to help
pubs and bars around the world reopen their doors safely again,
providing PPE, sanitation, equipment for safer outdoor socialising
spaces and staff training.
●
During
the past decade, Diageo's total shareholder returns have strongly
outperformed the FTSE100, and the Company has continued its
progressive policy to increase dividends every year.
●
Beyond
Diageo, Ivan was Chairman of 'Movement to Work' between 2017 and
2020, a UK voluntary collaboration of businesses committed to
tackling youth unemployment, in partnership with government, unions
and charities, delivering 100,000 structured work placements for
young people in the UK, with over 55% of participants securing
permanent jobs.
●
Ivan
had a long involvement with the Pratham charity as an ongoing
donor. Pratham is a charity which promotes literacy an provides
education to underprivileged children in India.
●
Ivan
is a Non-Executive Director of Tapestry Inc.; Chairman of the
Council of The Scotch Whisky Association; and a member of the
Global Advisory Board at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern
University.
●
Prior
to his career with Diageo, Sir Ivan worked across a variety of
sales, marketing and strategy roles for Whirlpool in Europe, Booz
Allen & Hamilton in North America, and Nestlé in
Asia.
●
In
January 2023, Ivan was awarded a Knighthood for services to
Business and to Equality in His Majesty The King's 2023 New Year
Honours List.
ENDS
1IWSR 2021
2CGA OPMS December
2022
Investor relations:
Durga
Doraisamy +44 (0) 7902
126906
investor.relations@diageo.com
Media relations:
Dominic
Redfearn +44 (0) 7971 9777 59
press@diageo.com
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an
outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer
categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal,
J&B and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One
vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and
Guinness.
Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than
180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).
For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and
performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global
responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information,
initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
Diageo plc LEI: 213800ZVIELEA55JMJ32
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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Diageo plc
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(Registrant)
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Date:
07 June 2023
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By:___/s/
James Edmunds
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James Edmunds
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Deputy Company Secretary
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