In the New Year’s Honours list for 2023, the CEO of Diageo was awarded a knighthood
Ivan Menezes, the Chief Executive Officer of Diageo, was given the honor of “Knight Bachelor” on the list of New Year’s Honours for this year. This appointment recognizes that Diageo is responsible for 10%, or £2 billion, of the total food and drink exports from the United Kingdom. It also grants Menezes the right to address him as “sir.”
According to an article that was published on the website of the United Kingdom’s (UK) government, “Diageo is one of the world’s top firms on sustainability, getting a Double A grade for water security and climate change and is dedicated to net zero carbon emissions by the year 2030.” “He fights for both women and the BAME community in British business,” and as a result, today, 42% of Diageo’s top leadership positions around the globe are held by women, while 37% of them are held by people from ethnic minorities.
Menezes made the announcement in November 2020 that a one billion pound investment will be made in sustainable and community-based initiatives, as well as in efforts to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. Between the years 2017 and 2020, he served as the chairman of Movement to Work, a nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom that is dedicated to reducing the rate of youth unemployment by “delivering 100,000 structured work placements for young people, with over 55% of participants securing permanent jobs.”In addition to that, he is a member of the Founders Circle of the British-Asian Trust.
The article also emphasized the fact that the firm produced over 10 million bottles of hand sanitizer during the epidemic, which were distributed to healthcare professionals all across the world, including in the NHS.
After serving as an executive director beginning in July 2012, Menezes was promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Diageo in July 2013.
