Sir Ivan Manuel Menezes (10 July 1959 – 6 June 2023) was an Indian-born British-American business executive. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Diageo, a FTSE 100 British multinational alcoholic beverages company, from 2013 until his death in 2023, succeeding Paul S. Walsh.[1]
Early life
Menezes was born in Poona, India, on 10 July 1959, to Nina and Manuel Menezes.[2][3] His mother, Nina, was a French language and music teacher, while his father, Manuel, was the chairman of the Indian Railway Board.[4][5] The family was from Pomburpa village in Goa.[6] His brother Victor Menezes was the former senior vice-chairman and CFO of Citibank.[2][7][8]
Menezes joined Diageo in 1997 and held various senior positions, including chief operating officer; chairman; Latin America & the Caribbean; chairman, Asia Pacific; president and CEO, Diageo North America; and chief operating officer, Diageo North America before becoming its global CEO.[3]
Menezes joined Diageo from Guinness, when the company merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo.[11] As the marketing head at Diageo, he is credited for developing the Keep Walking! marketing campaign for Johnnie Walker.[12] As the CEO, he was credited for building the company to its current position owning over 200 brands in over 180 countries, including driving acquisitions of brands including Don Papa, a Philippine rum, Don Julio and Casamigos tequila brands.[13] During his time as the CEO, the market value of the company grew from £42B to £75B.[11] During this time, he led the company to sell most of its wines business and its low-margin mass-market beers and shift its focus toward premium brands like Guinness and spirits like Johnnie Walker.[14][8]
Menezes was knighted in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to business and equality.[15] During his tenure at Diageo, Menezes strove for diversifying its leadership, making more than 40% of Diageo's senior leadership positions held by women.[16] He held dual UK and United States citizenship. He was also an overseas citizen of India.[11]
Personal life
Menezes was married to Shibani Menezes, a journalist. The couple had met while studying at St. Stephen's College in Delhi.[8][13] The couple had two children,[3] Nikhil and Rohini.[16] He was known to be a cricket and theatre lover.[14]
Menezes died from complications of stomach ulcer surgery on 7 June 2023 in London, at age 63.[12][6]