Troubled drinks giant Diageo names former Tesco boss to lead turnaround push

Marks a significant coup for the drinks maker, which owns more than 200 brands including Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka, Baileys Irish Cream and Don Julio tequila.

Former Tesco boss Dave Lewis, who has been appointed as chief executive of Diageo. Picture: Joe Giddens

The executive credited with steering Tesco out of the worst financial crisis in its history has been handed the top job at the struggling Guinness maker Diageo.

On January 1, Dave Lewis will become chief executive of the drinks company, whose shares have fallen by a third this year. Lewis ran Tesco from 2014 to 2020 and previously spent nearly three decades at Marmite maker Unilever. He revived Britain’s biggest supermarket after revealing an accounting scandal, which threatened the future of the business.