Diageo's Lewis Installs Ex-Tesco Ally as CFO
Joanne Wilson will replace Nik Jhangiani as finance chief as Dave Lewis accelerates a turnaround focused on growth and cost cuts.
- Diageo CEO Dave Lewis appointed Joanne Wilson as the company's new finance chief, replacing Nik Jhangiani. Wilson, currently finance chief at British advertising group WPP, will assume the role in 2027 after Jhangiani's two-year tenure at the Guinness maker.
- Wilson previously worked with Lewis at Tesco, where he served as group CEO from 2014 to 2020. She also served as finance chief of Tesco-owned data science unit Dunnhumby before joining Diageo.
- Jhangiani's exit follows a capital markets day outlining a strategy to revive growth at Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff. He previously served as interim CEO after CEO Debra Crew departed in July 2025, emerging as a stabilizing figure.
- Securities analyst Seamus Cassidy said the move might "reflect efforts to build a leadership team more aligned with Lewis' strategic vision." The decision surprised investors, as Jhangiani was viewed as a potential CEO successor.
- Lewis, who joined in January, is pushing through a broad turnaround known as "Drastic Dave" for aggressive cost-cutting at Unilever and Tesco. His latest leadership change follows Jhangiani's departure, which Sky News reported yesterday.
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In the midst of the restructuring of its business, the British advertising group WPP announced on Wednesday (23) two movements in its executive board. Globally, the executive head of finance (CFO) Joanne Wilson will leave the company to take up the same position at Diageo, the world's largest distillate manufacturer. Already in Brazil, WPP Media, the group's media arm, unified the investment and media areas and promoted Mell Azevedo to command t…
WPP CFO Wilson Named Diageo Finance Chief
Joanne Wilson, WPP’s chief financial officer, is set to become Diageo’s CFO, with a transition period and no disruption to WPP’s 2026 guidance, though reports vary on the exact timing of her move from early 2023 to 2027. Diageo portrays the appointment as part of its turnaround and governance continuity, while WPP readies a successor to maintain momentum on its Elevate28 strategy. · 25 sources across the spectrum on IJR News.
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