Diageo North America President Claudia Schubert To Depart In September

Diageo has announced the departure of North America president and COO Claudia Schubert, effective at the end of September. Schubert has been with Diageo since 2002 and served in a variety of positions, including general manager of Continental Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia, as well as president of U.S. control states and Canada, and president of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines. In 2018 Schubert was named the president of U.S. spirits and Canada, and in October 2022, she was promoted once more, taking charge of Diageo North America, the largest spirits player in the U.S. with annual volume of 40 million cases, according to Impact Databank.

“Through her more than two decades of service to Diageo, Claudia has made an indelible mark on our business, brands, and culture. Combining sharp business acumen with a strong strategic mindset, she has successfully driven performance and delivered bold, transformation plans,” said Sally Grimes, CEO Diageo North America. “Claudia has been a trusted colleague and invaluable partner from my first day in this role. I am grateful for her wise counsel and dedication to the business.”

Diageo added that during Schubert’s time leading the U.S. spirits and overall business, Schubert’s leadership was key to acquisitions like Aviation gin, 21Seeds Tequila, and Mr. Black coffee liqueur. She was also instrumental in developing Diageo’s data analytics and e-commerce programs.

During the first year of her tenure as president, Schubert oversaw a booming fiscal year 2023, guiding Diageo North America’s sales to $8.7 billion on a reported basis, an 11% gain for the region. Along with the wider industry, the company has faced headwinds in fiscal year 2024, with spirits sales slipping 2% to $4.1 billion in its fiscal first half ended in December, as it lapped double-digit gains from a year earlier across segments including Tequila, whiskey, and RTDs.

“Claudia has made an enormous contribution to Diageo. I want to thank Claudia for her dedication and extraordinary leadership, including her time helping steer North America through the unprecedented Covid pandemic and its aftermath,” said Debra Crew, Diageo’s global CEO. Following her retirement Schubert intends to focus on corporate board service and other advisory work.

At this time, the company has not announced Schubert’s successor as president and COO of the North America region. Schubert’s departure comes amid other leadership changes at Diageo, with the company’s president, U.S. Spirits, Gregorio Gutierrez, departing in May and Diageo chairman Javier Ferran announcing that he will retire from the board in early February 2025. Gutierrez was succeeded by Stephen Rust as president, U.S. Spirits, and John Manzoni will take over as chairman of the board next year.

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