Diageo has named Deirdre Mahlan, a former CFO of the business, as interim chief financial officer following Nik Jhangiani’s recent move into the interim CEO role.
The Johnnie Walker owner announced today (30 July) that Mahlan (below) will begin in the role on 18 August, following the recent departure of CEO Debra Crew earlier this month. Mahlan previously served as Diageo’s CFO from 2010 to 2015.
Mahlan spent 27 years at Diageo, including five years as president of North America, before being succeeded by Crew. After leaving the group, Mahlan held interim leadership roles at The Duckhorn Portfolio, including president, CEO and chairperson, ahead of its sale to Butterfly Equity. She was replaced there by Robert Hanson this January.
“I am delighted that she has agreed to return on an interim basis, and I have full confidence that she will provide invaluable guidance to our teams and partner with me as we deliver on our ‘Accelerate’ programme,” said Jhangiani.
The ‘Accelerate’ initiative, announced in May, includes plans to cut costs by US$500m over the next three years.
Separately, reports this week revealed Diageo is conducting a strategic review of its 65% stake in East African Breweries, as part of a broader reassessment of its brewing operations in Africa.
Diageo is scheduled to release its full-year results to 30 June 2025 on 5 August.
