The head of Diageo’s operations in the UK is preparing to step down, Global Drinks Intel has learned, less than a year after assuming his most recent position.
Reports in the UK this week have claimed that UK MD Barry O’Sullivan will be replaced by Unilever’s Marc Woodward at the end of this month. When contacted today (18 June), a group spokesperson declined to comment on the reports, but Global Drinks Intel understands the switch will take place shortly.
O’Sullivan worked as MD for Diageo Ireland between 2021 and 2025, before taking the helm at Diageo Great Britain in July last year.
Woodward (below) has been with Unilever since 2018, spending the last four years as the lead of the FMCG conglomerate’s UK unit. Diageo’s recently-appointed CEO, Dave Lewis, is also an ex-Unilever employee but was working for UK retail multiple Tesco by 2018.
The UK change comes as Diageo faces further speculation around employee number reductions following Lewis’s appointment in January. An article in UK newspaper The Financial Times yesterday claimed Lewis has asked his executive team to cut jobs and “other costs” as he begins a “significant restructuring”. The report said an internal announcement on the scale of the job losses would be held next week.
Asked about the report, the same company spokesperson said: “In February, at our interim results, we shared our intention to redesign our operating framework, to drive sustainable returns for shareholders by delivering a more competitive Diageo.
“We will always prioritise informing our colleagues of any organisational changes first and have committed to update shareholders on our progress at a capital markets day on 6 August.”
Last month, Global Drinks Intel learned that three senior executives were poised to leave the business: chief HR officer Louise Prashad, Africa president Hina Nagarajan and North America chief marketing & innovation officer Ed Pilkington, the last of whom had lined up his departure at the start of this year.
