Diageo Taps Clif Bar and Tyson Exec Sally Grimes to Lead as CEO
Diageo, which owns Guinness, Smirnoff, and Johnnie Walker, is bolstering its executive leadership team, naming Sally Grimes to the role of chief executive officer and Claudia Schubert to president and chief operating officer of North America.
Starting October 2023, Grimes, who joined the company from Clif Bar & Company where she was CEO, will bring more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry to the new role.
Her background also includes time with brands such as Tyson Foods, where she was group president of Prepared Foods and helped develop a 10-year strategic growth plan. There she ran a $10 billion-dollar, 25,000-person organization and reported to the global CEO.
She previously served as chief innovation officer and president of Hillshire Brands’ gourmet foods group, continuing through its acquisition by Tyson in 2014. Other brands include Kraft Foods and Newell Brands.
She’s also been on several relevant boards, including for Beyond Meat, Inc., Continental Grain Company, and Silver Oak Winery. She will be joining the Diageo Executive Committee.
Debra Crew, Tyson Foods chief executive, said Grimes has “a proven ability to drive substantial growth in businesses.”
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The company also has a new chief operating officer for its North America business. Schubert, who brings 20 years of beverage alcohol experience to the role and was on the board of Distill Ventures, will report directly to Grimes.
Grimes and Crew take on their respective roles during a digital transformation period at the company.
Earlier this year, Diageo began overhauling its IT infrastructure, moving its business finance operations to the cloud to introduce more intuitive, agile decision-making capabilities. The effort is part of a five-year plan to simplify and streamline the company’s tech stack under a single operating platform.
