AFRICA – Diageo has appointed Hina Nagarajan as the new President of Diageo Africa, effective April 1, 2025.
Nagarajan, who recently transitioned from her role as Managing Director (MD) and CEO of Diageo India to a position on Diageo’s Global Executive Committee, will return to the African market, where she previously served as Managing Director of Africa Emerging Markets.
Her appointment follows a leadership restructuring at the company, with Dayalan Nayager, the current President of Diageo Africa, moving to head the Europe region.
Nagarajan’s successor at Diageo India is Praveen Someshwar, former MD and CEO of HT Media.
This marks a return to Africa for Nagarajan, who, before leading Diageo India, oversaw Africa’s emerging markets for the company.
She takes over at a time when Diageo’s African business is undergoing structural shifts, including major divestments in key markets.
“Over the past four years as MD & CEO of Diageo India, it has been my honour to lead a passionate and dedicated team. Together, we have achieved remarkable milestones, delivered strong financial performance, navigated challenges, and celebrated numerous successes,” Nagarajan reflected on her tenure at Diageo India.
Under her leadership, Diageo India reported accelerated business growth, with the company’s Prestige & Above segment seeing an 11.9% increase, contributing 87.4% to total net sales for the financial year ending March 2024.
Before joining Diageo, Nagarajan held key leadership positions at Reckitt, including as Senior Vice-President, Regional Director for North Asia.
As part of the ongoing leadership transition, Nayager, who has led Diageo Africa since July 2022, will assume the role of President of Diageo Europe. He replaces John Kennedy, who had been serving as interim President following his departure from Diageo in 2023.
Nayager, who will retain his responsibilities as Diageo’s Chief Commercial Officer, has held various leadership roles over the past 12 years, overseeing Diageo’s businesses in Great Britain, Ireland, and France, as well as its Global Travel Retail division.
During his tenure in Africa, he managed significant divestments, including the sale of Diageo’s majority stake in Guinness Ghana Breweries to Castel Group for US$81 million. This followed previous sales of Guinness Nigeria and Guinness Cameroon, the latter also acquired by Castel.
Diageo recently reported a 1% rise in sales for the six months ending December 2024. However, the Africa region saw a decline in sales to US$944 million, while the Europe segment recorded a 0.7% increase despite a 2.8% drop in volume.
Nagarajan acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed optimism about returning to the African market.
“This is an incredible opportunity to work with our talented teams across the region and continue driving growth and innovation in one of the most dynamic markets in the world,” she stated.
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