Ex-Tesco Chief Sir Dave Lewis to Lead Diageo in 2026 as CEO

Diageo has named Sir Dave Lewis its new CEO and Executive Director, with the appointment taking effect from 1 January 2026.

The former Tesco Group CEO will be responsible for guiding Diageo through a period of evolving consumer trends and performance issues.

The move follows the unforeseen departure of the previous CEO, Debra Crew, in July 2025, which left Diageo without a clear succession plan.

Nik Jhangiani, the Chief Financial Officer, has served as Interim CEO since Crew’s departure and is set to continue in the role until the end of the year before returning to his CFO position.

Dave is expected to leverage his cross-industry experience in global consumer businesses to address Diageo's downturn in performance.

Diageo has reported declining sales figures in previous years. Diageo's net sales dropped in FY2024, which included a slump in Latin America and the Caribbean. The start to FY2026 has also been challenging, with net sales down approximately 2.2% in the first quarter.

Leadership and brand-building experience

Dave offers a background in senior leadership roles. Before this appointment, he was the CEO of Tesco from 2014 to 2020, where he oversaw a major transformation of the UK’s largest supermarket group.

During his tenure at Tesco, Tesco refocused its portfolio to strengthen its balance sheet and improve profitability.

According to company reports for FY2019/20, Tesco saw higher UK & ROI operating profitability with its margin up 59 bps year on year. Part of this turnaround included the closure of 43 loss-making UK stores.

Before his role at Tesco, Dave spent three decades at Unilever. His emphasis on cost reduction and focused marketing strategies earned him the moniker “Drastic Dave”.

His career also includes serving as Chair of the global consumer healthcare company Haleon and acting as the UK government’s Supply Chain Adviser during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Diageo’s Chair, Sir John Manzoni, explains: "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."

Addressing market headwinds

The appointment comes at a time when Diageo, a major spirits producer with brands like Guinness and Johnnie Walker, is navigating market difficulties. Diageo has been transparent about its sales decline and the challenges it faces. In response, Dave acknowledged the current climate.

He says of his appointment: “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 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."

His track record suggests a focus on operational and financial discipline may be central to his strategy for Diageo.

Executive leadership transition

Dave's appointment concludes a CEO search that spanned several months beginning in the summer of 2025. It followed the departure of Debra Crew, who had been in the role since June 2023. A Diageo statement noted that her departure was decided by “mutual agreement”.

At the time of Crew's departure, John says: “On behalf of Diageo and the board, I would like to thank Debra for her contributions to Diageo, including steering Diageo through the challenging aftermath of the global pandemic and the ensuing geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility.

"On behalf of all Diageo colleagues, I wish her every success in the future. The Board’s focus is on securing the best candidate to lead Diageo and take the company forward. We strongly believe Diageo is well placed to deliver long-term sustainable value creation.”

With Dave's start date set for the new year, the interim period under Nik Jhangiani’s leadership will draw to a close.