UK – British multinational alcoholic beverages company, Diageo has appointed industry veteran Debra Crew as the new president its North America division, effective from 1 July 2020.

Debra will be replacing Deirdre Mahlan who will retire from the position on 30 June 2020 after serving in the role for nearly six years and working for the London headquartered company for 19 years.

Deirdre started her career in Diageo in 2001, where she joined the North America finance team, rising to become Chief Financial Officer of Diageo in 2010 before taking on the role of President Diageo North America in 2015.

“I am proud and privileged to have enjoyed a long and exciting career in Diageo and its predecessor companies,” Deirdre commented.

“I have particularly enjoyed my last five years leading the North America business, seeing it grow and prosper, working with my colleagues, in partnership with our key distributors who support and drive our business in this market.”

Following her appointment as the new President Diageo North America, Debra Crew will step down from Diageo board.

Debra has been serving as a non-executive director on the Diageo board since April 2019 and is stepping down from her non-executive director position, and from the audit, nomination and remuneration committees of the board.

Debra is the former president and CEO of Reynolds American having previously served as president and chief operating officer and president and chief commercial officer of RJ Reynolds.

Before joining Reynolds, Debra spent five years at PepsiCo, where she served as president, North America Nutrition; president, PepsiCo Americas Beverages; and president, Western Europe Region.

She has also held positions various positions in multinational food and beverage companies such as Kraft Foods, Nestlé and Mars.

Debra is a graduate of the University of Denver, earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, and previously served as an officer in the United States Army.

“I am excited to join the Diageo executive team. I have thoroughly enjoyed my year as a non-executive director of Diageo,” Debra Crew commented.

“This is a unique opportunity to work for a purpose led company with iconic consumer brands, unparalleled global reach and exciting growth prospects.

“I am looking forward to leading the Diageo North America team to help drive the achievement of our ambition.”