Diageo shake-up: Former UK civil service chief to chair Scotland's biggest whisky producer

Sir John Manzoni is currently chairman of Perth-headquartered energy giant SSE.

FTSE-100 spirits giant Diageo has a vast portfolio that includes Johnnie Walker whisky, pictured. The group has almost 30 malt distilleries in Scotland.

A former head of the civil service is to chair Scotland’s largest whisky producer.

Sir John Manzoni, who was chief executive of the civil service from 2014 to 2020, will become chairman of Johnnie Walker-maker Diageo in early February when current chair Javier Ferrán retires from the board.

Manzoni is currently chairman of Perth-headquartered energy giant SSE and was previously a non-executive director of brewing major SABMiller for 11 years, from 2004 to 2015. Earlier in his career, he served as president and chief executive of Talisman Energy, and held a number of senior executive roles at BP.

Manzoni, who joined the Diageo board in October 2020, said: “It will be a privilege to take on this role and to succeed Javier, whose leadership and acumen have been so valuable to our business and to board colleagues. Diageo has an unrivalled portfolio, a global footprint and world-leading capabilities, and I look forward to supporting the executive team to ensure that we deliver on our potential.”

Diageo - the world’s largest spirits maker - has some 30 malt distilleries in Scotland and around 3,500 employees north of the Border out of a global workforce of around 30,000. It owns major global brands such as Guinness stout, Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan rum.

Chief executive Debra Crew said: “Javier has been an invaluable source of strategic counsel and advice for me and our wider leadership team, and I want to thank him personally for the role he has played in stewarding the business so successfully.

“With a strong focus on execution, we will continue to invest behind our iconic brands to create value for shareholders and maintain our position as an industry leader in total beverage alcohol, an attractive sector with a long runway for growth. I look forward to working with John as chair and the rest of the board to achieve those ambitions.”

In January, Diageo recorded an operating profit of $3.3 billion (£2.6bn) for the six months to the end of December, marking an 11.1 per cent drop compared with the same period a year earlier.

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