Diageo : announces new Global Head of Investor Relations

Today, Diageo has announced that Global Head of Investor Relations Durga Doraisamy has decided to leave the company later this year to pursue her next career opportunity.

Following a thorough search process, Sonya Ghobrial is to be appointed as Global Head of Investor Relations, and will take up the role when Durga steps down in October 2024.

Durga joined Diageo from Starbucks in July 2021 and has since transformed and strengthened the IR function. She has established an IR team in the US, Diageo's largest market, as well as a significant pool of potential investors. During Durga's time at Diageo, the company's shareholder register has become more diverse, including an increase in US-based holdings and additional long-term global investment firms establishing or significantly increasing their positions in Diageo's stock.

Sonya is currently Head of Investor Relations at Haleon, the global consumer health business, which demerged from GSK in 2022 and subsequently listed on the London Stock Exchange, which was the largest listing in London in over a decade. Sonya joined GSK in 2020 to prepare for the listing and build the IR function, having previously run her own IR consultancy for three years. Prior to this, she led IR at Heineken for over three years. Earlier in her career, Sonya worked for over a decade predominantly as a sell-side analyst covering the beverages sector and latterly the broader consumer sector at a number of globally-regarded investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays. She is also a Non Executive Director and Member of the Remuneration and Audit and Risk Committees at LSL Property Services plc.

ENDS