Diageo announces NED appointment

Global alcoholic beverages retailer Diageo plc has announced the appointment of Julie Brown as a non-executive director.

Brown has been chief financial officer and executive director of GSK plc since 1 May 2023, prior to which she served as chief operating and financial officer and executive director at Burberry Group plc, between 2017 and 2023.

Before Burberry, Brown was group CFO of Smith & Nephew plc from 2013 to 2017 and previously worked for 25 years at AstraZeneca PLC, latterly as interim group CFO.

In addition to her executive roles, Brown was a NED and audit chair of Roche Holding AG from 2016 to 2022 and has been a member of the UK prime minister’s business council. She also co-chairs the CFO Leadership Network, Accounting for Sustainability, which is part of King Charles III Charitable Foundation (formerly known as The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation).

Brown is a member of the Mayor of London’s business advisory board and of The 100 Group Main Committee, and patron of Oxford University Women in Business.

Diageo’s chair, Javier Ferrán, said: “Julie brings many years of experience in financial, commercial and strategic roles in international companies operating in highly regulated industries. She is strongly committed to enabling diversity in business and to creating sustainable, long-term value for stakeholders. I look forward to her contribution to board discussions and to working with her in progressing Diageo’s ambition to be one of the most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world.”