Diageo plc ('Diageo') announced that Nik Jhangiani will join the company as Chief Financial Officer, taking up the position and joining Diageo's Board and Executive Committee in Autumn 2024. Lavanya Chandrashekar will step down from the Executive Committee and Board, and will return to the US. Nik Jhangiani is currently Chief Financial Officer at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), a role he has held since 2016. Nik has more than 30 years of finance experience gained in roles in the UK, Europe, India, Africa and the US, including 20 years as Chief Financial Officer; and has spent most of his career in consumer and beverage industries including 20 years within the Coca-Cola system.

Prior to his current role, Nik was Chief Financial Officer and SVP at Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) from 2013 to 2016, having joined CCE in 2012. From 2009 to 2012 Nik was Group Chief Financial Officer at Bharti Enterprises. Lavanya Chandrashekar joined Diageo in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer North America and was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Diageo plc in July 2021. Nik is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York and holds a degree in economics and accounting from Rutgers University.  He began his career with Deloitte, then working at Bristol Myers Squibb in International Audit, and the Colgate Palmolive Company in roles including Group Financial Director for Nigeria, before joining the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1998.  In 2000, he joined the newly-formed Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, becoming Chief Financial Officer in 2004 where he held a number of senior responsibilities before joining Bharti Enterprises.  Nik will continue to be based in the UK when he joins Diageo. Lavanya later took on additional responsibilities as Global Head of Investor Relations, formulating the Group's new investor communications strategy in the midst of the Covid crisis.

Prior to joining Diageo in 2018, Lavanya Chandrashekar spent nearly five years at Mondelez International. As VP Finance, Global Cost Leadership and Supply Chain, Lavanya led a global productivity programme that delivered strong operating margin improvement during a period of shareholder activism. Prior to this, Lavanya was Regional CFO of the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa business based in Dubai during a period of extreme macro and geopolitical volatility, driving consistent revenue and profit growth while transitioning from a traditional finance organization to a shared service outsourcing model.

Prior to Mondelez International, Lavanya spent 18 years at Procter & Gamble in senior finance positions in India, Asia, Europe and North America.