Diageo appoints Hina Nagarajan as President of Africa amid leadership reshuffle 

AFRICA – Diageo has appointed Hina Nagarajan as the new President of Diageo Africa, effective April 1, 2025.  

Nagarajan, who recently transitioned from her role as MD and CEO of Diageo India to a position on Diageo’s Global Executive Committee, will return to the African market, where she previously served as Managing Director of Africa Emerging Markets for the company. 

Nagarajan’s move follows her departure from Diageo India earlier this year, where she was succeeded by Praveen Someshwar after nearly four years at the helm.  

Reflecting on her tenure, she said, “Over the past four years as MD & CEO of Diageo India, it has been my honour to lead a passionate and dedicated team. Together, we have achieved remarkable milestones, delivered strong financial performance, navigated challenges, and celebrated numerous successes.” 

She highlighted the company’s growth trajectory, stating, “Our overall business growth has nearly tripled in the period from 2021-23 versus 2016-21. With our continued focus on premiumization, our Prestige & Above segment growth doubled, growing by 11.9% and contributing 87.4% to our total net sales for the financial year ending March 2024.” 

Before joining Diageo, Nagarajan held key leadership roles, including Senior Vice-President, Regional Director North Asia at Reckitt. 

Nayager named President Diageo Europe

Meanwhile, as part of a broader leadership transition, Dayalan Nayager, who has served as President of Diageo Africa since July 2022, will assume the role of President of Diageo Europe, succeeding John Kennedy.  

Kennedy, who initially left Diageo in 2023, had been serving as interim President for Europe. 

Nayager will retain his responsibilities as Diageo’s Chief Commercial Officer. Over the last 12 years, he has led Diageo’s businesses in Great Britain, Ireland, and France, as well as its Global Travel Retail division.  

He has also overseen major divestments in Africa, including the recent sale of Diageo’s majority stake in Guinness Ghana Breweries to Castel Group for US$81 million. This follows previous divestments in Guinness Nigeria and Guinness Cameroon, the latter also acquired by Castel. 

Earlier this month, Diageo reported a 1% rise in six-month sales ending December 2024.  

However, the ‘Africa’ region saw a decline in sales to US$944 million, while ‘Europe’ recorded a 0.7% sales increase despite a 2.8% drop in volumes.