Diageo announces appointment of Kathryn Mikells as Chief Financial Officer

Diageo has today announced that Kathryn Mikells is to be appointed Chief Financial Officer based in London, effective 9 November 2015. Mikells joins from Xerox Corporation, where she is currently CFO, a position she has held since May 2013.

Kathryn has extensive experience, having worked in a number of senior finance roles for global consumer facing and b2b businesses, including United Airlines where she spent the majority of her career and was CFO from 2008-2010. She has a track record for capital discipline, for developing strong cost cultures and for creating efficient, agile organisations.

Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive of Diageo, said "I am delighted that Kathryn will join our executive team. Diageo is focused on driving performance from our core and on improving productivity to drive out cost to invest in growth. Kathryn has the experience of working with teams to drive disciplined performance management which will contribute to the achievement of our performance ambition. We are starting to see the benefits of the changes we have put in place and I am confident we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this growth sector."

Franz Humer, Chairman of Diageo, said "Diageo is focused on ensuring that the company thrives as the custodian of incredible brands, sought after by our customers worldwide and to do that we must continue to attract, recruit and retain the very best global talent. I am therefore very pleased to welcome Kathryn to our Board. On Kathryn’s appointment Deirdre Mahlan will step down from the Board and her role as CFO. I wish to thank Deirdre most sincerely for her contribution to the Board. The finance function and Diageo are stronger as a result of the changes Deirdre has made and the Board is delighted that she will continue to play a pivotal role for the company in leading our North American business."

Kathryn Mikells, said "I am excited to join the Diageo team. This is a unique opportunity to work for a company with leading consumer brands, unparalleled global reach and the marketing and innovation agility to drive performance locally. Diageo has a clear and compelling strategy and I am looking forward to working with Ivan and the team to deliver it."