Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo’s Indian Origin and maker of Johnnie Walker Spirits, has died
The CEO of Diageo, the biggest spirits corporation in the world, Ivan Manuel Menezes, died suddenly on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear what caused his death in London.
A member of the Rajya Sabha named Abhishek Singhvi was among the first users to offer condolences on Twitter.
When Singhvi learned of the passing of Menezes, a former classmate from St. Columba’s School and St. Stephen’s College, he claimed he was both stunned and numb. The CEO of Diageo, according to him, is a “more gentle laid back” and “easy going soul” that is hard to find. Menezes and Singhvi used to make fun of the fact that Menezes could run a large corporation like Diageo while having such a mild disposition.
According to a statement released by the business on June 5, Menezes, a 64-year-old executive scheduled to retire at the end of this month, had been brought to the hospital for a number of ailments, including a stomach ulcer.
Diageo was reported by Reuters as stating, “Over the weekend, we learned that Ivan’s recovery suffered a significant setback due to complications, which followed emergency surgery on the ulcer.”
Menezes, who joined Diageo in 1997 when it merged with Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, was crucial in fostering considerable sales growth and guiding the business through a number of brand acquisitions, all while leading a big sustainability transition.
Diageo said that it will refrain from making any additional comments at this time out of respect for Ivan and his family’s privacy.
Menezes was raised in a distinguished family and was born in Pune, India. His father, Manuel Menezes, was the head of the Indian Railway Board. Ivan Menezes attended the prestigious St. Stephen’s College in Delhi as well as the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad for his studies.
