Diageo Names Sally Grimes as CEO, North America

Diageo, a global leader in alcoholic beverages, has announced the appointment of Indian American Sally Grimes as Chief Executive 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, according to a company press release.

“Sally’s appointment further strengthens our world class executive team at Diageo,” Debra Crew, Chief Executive, commented. “Sally brings a significant depth of experience in the consumer goods sector in North America and has a proven ability to drive substantial growth in businesses.”

“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,” the release stated.

The daughter of immigrant parents from India “has a passion for developing a winning culture and is a dedicated champion of inclusion and diversity.”

Grimes was most recently the Chief Executive Officer 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 Group President of the Prepared Foods segment of Tyson Foods, America’s largest food company, Grimes ran a $10 billion, 25,000-person organization, reporting to the Global CEO.

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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, having worked on a number of boards, including on the board of Beyond Meat, Inc., Continental Grain Company and Silver Oak Winery.

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Claudia Schubert who has been appointed as President & Chief Operating Officer, North America, will report to Grimes.

Diageo brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Grimes’ parents emigrated from India in the 1960s to pursue their education, according to a 2014 profile in the Chicago Tribune. She grew up in Bourbonnais, about an hour south of Chicago.

Grimes’ first name is Shobana, and her middle name, Sally, “was picked to honor her mother’s first American friend after she arrived in the US,” the Tribune report said.

Her mother was a dietitian focused on the science of food, while her father was an administrator at a veterans hospital.

Grimes told the Tribune that she “credits her parents for her empathy, remembering their open-door way of helping people, something she associates with the immigrant culture.”