LONDON — Diageo has announced the appointment of Sally Grimes as chief executive officer, North America, and Claudia Schubert as president and chief operating officer, North America, effective Oct. 1.
North America is Diageo’s largest market, and, since fiscal '19, has grown 41%, in terms of net sales on a constant basis. Diageo is investing behind the further growth opportunity that the market presents including in its brands, portfolio and in its talent.
With over 25 years’ experience in the food and beverage sector, Grimes is a proven leader in consumer goods and is well-known as a world class innovator and brand builder. She has a passion for developing a winning culture and is a dedicated champion of inclusion and diversity. Sally was most recently the CEO at Clif Bar & Company, the leading maker of organic energy bars in North America. There, she successfully led the development of a 10-year strategic growth plan, designed the company's purpose, created a clear portfolio strategy, and ultimately completed the successful sale of the company to Mondelez International.
Previously, as president of the Prepared Foods segment of Tyson Foods, America’s largest food company, Sally ran a $10 billion, 25,000-person organization, reporting into the global CEO. Grimes' early career began in banking, followed by multiple positions within large consumer goods companies, from Kraft Foods to Newell Brands.
Highlights of Grimes' industry recognition include Fast Company's "Top 100 Most Creative People in Business" and Fortune’s "Most Powerful Women to Watch." Grimes will report to Debra Crew, chief executive, and will join the Diageo executive committee. Grimes is an experienced non-executive director, working on a number of boards, including on the boards of Beyond Meat, Inc., Continental Grain Company and Silver Oak Winery.
Schubert will report to Grimes. She has over 20 years of total beverage alcohol experiences and brings a proven strategic, performance and operations track record into this role. Over the last few years in North America, she successfully led the U.S. Spirits business through the disruption of COVID delivering significant growth, has managed the explosive rise of our tequila business and integrated several acquisitions. She has shaped and executed growth strategies in general management, commercial and marketing roles across North America, Europe and the Middle East and has been a board member of Distill Ventures. She is known for her trusted relationships across the industry, as well as building high-performing teams and her strong commitment to delivering Diageo’s Society 2030 goals.
