By Joe Hoppe
Diageo said Wednesday that former Chief Executive Officer Ivan Menezes has died following a brief illness.
The London-based maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Guinness stout and Smirnoff vodka said that Menezes was at the creation of Diageo and was with the company for more than 25 years.
On Monday, the company had named Debra Crew as interim chief executive officer with immediate effect, ahead of her planned joining date as CEO in July 1.
Menezes is credited with growing the business significantly since he became CEO in July 2013, with Diageo now selling around 200 brands in more than 180 markets.
“During his decade as CEO, Ivan oversaw an outstanding period of change, growth and high performance. Diageo made huge strides towards his ambition that Diageo should become one of the best performing, most trusted and respected companies in the world,” the company said.
Write to Joe Hoppe at joseph.hoppe@wsj.com
This article was originally published by Marketwatch.com. Read the original article here.
