Diageo, owner of some of the world’s best-known drinks brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Tanqueray and Guinness, has celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The company was created on December 17, 1997, through the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness. Diageo has since a global leader in beverage alcohol, with its products sold in 180 countries.
Over the past 20 years Diageo’s share price has increased by 340%, market capital has grown 440% and earnings per share (pre-exceptional items) are 220% higher.
The milestone was celebrated around the world by the company’s 30,400 employees. From a time capsule ceremony at Cardhu distillery in Scotland, the home of Johnnie Walker, to employees in Lagos, Nigeria and Sydney, Australia toasting the occasion with a dram of Johnnie Walker Black Label.
In London, to mark the occasion, Diageo’s Chief Executive Ivan Menezes, along with the company’s team of Scotch Whisky Blenders and fellow members of the senior leadership team opened the market at the London Stock Exchange (pictured).
Ivan Menezes, Diageo Chief Executive said: “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the past 20 years, which is testament to the commitment of our talented employees past and present. Diageo is a young company created from the incredible entrepreneurial legacy of John Walker, Pierre Smirnoff, Charles Tanqueray, Arthur Guinness and many more – and this spirit continues today.
“Our brands are part of celebrations globally every day, as we mark this milestone, it is not only the growth of our brands and business that I will be toasting, but the way we do business. We have made great strides in diversity and inclusion, minimising our environmental impact, our contribution to the communities where we operate and in our aim to reduce the harmful use of alcohol around the world.”
