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Diageo

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Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries
Employees 10,000+
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FY2023 Annual Report · Diageo
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Annual Report 2023

“Ivan was undoubtedly one of the finest leaders of his generation. He was there at 
the creation of Diageo and over 25 years, shaped the company to become one of the 
best performing, most trusted and respected consumer companies. I saw first-hand his 
steadfast commitment to our people and to creating a culture that enabled everyone 
to thrive. He invested his time and energy in people at every level of the company and 
saw potential that others may have overlooked. This is one of many reasons why he 
was beloved by our employees, past and present. 

Ivan’s energy and his commitment to diversity created an inclusive business and 
enabled Diageo to have a positive impact on the communities we serve. His passion 
for our brands was second-to-none and in his heart, he remained the Johnnie Walker 
marketer from his early days. The desire to build the world’s best brands never left 
him. We are truly privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside such a 
thoughtful and passionate colleague and friend – a true gentleman. He has built 
an extraordinary legacy.”

Javier Ferrán
Chairman

In memory of  
Sir Ivan Menezes

1959-2023

Career highlights
Ivan Manuel Menezes was born on 10 July 1959, 
in Pune, India. He held UK and US citizenship, 
and Overseas Citizenship for India.

Ivan joined Diageo at its creation in 1997  
and held many senior positions in a career 
spanning over 25 years at the company.  
He had been the Strategy Director for 
Guinness plc, and when Diageo was created 
through the merger of Guinness plc and 
Grand Metropolitan, Ivan was appointed 
Group Integration Director tasked with 
integrating this ‘merger of equals.’

He became Global Marketing Director, UDV, 
in 1998 and was responsible for developing 
the now iconic ‘Keep Walking’ campaign 
for Johnnie Walker.

He subsequently held several senior 
positions within Diageo including Chief 
Operating Officer; President, Diageo North 
America; Chairman, Diageo Asia Pacific; 
and Chairman, Diageo Latin America 
and Caribbean.

Ivan was appointed to the Board as an 
Executive Director of Diageo in July 2012 
and served as Chief Executive Officer 
since July 2013. He was due to retire on 
30 June 2023. 

During his decade as Chief Executive, Ivan 
oversaw an outstanding period of change, 
growth and high performance. Diageo made 
huge strides towards his ambition for the 
company to become one of the best 
performing, most trusted and respected 
companies in the world.

Now selling over 200 brands in nearly 180 
countries, today Diageo is the number one 
company by retail sales value in international 
spirits, including tequila(1), a category in which 
only eight years ago the company had no 
substantive position.

Ivan was determined to be a pioneer on 
environmental, social and governance (ESG) 
issues, committing that Diageo would have 
a positive impact on society everywhere it 
operates. Diageo reduced carbon emissions 
in absolute terms under his leadership – 
even as the company significantly 
increased production and sales.

Over the last five years, Diageo’s total 
shareholder returns have outperformed the 
FTSE 100, and the company has continued 
its progressive policy to increase dividends 
every year.

Ivan was particularly proud to announce that 
in December 2022, Guinness was ranked the 
number one selling beer by value for the first 
time in the on-trade in Great Britain.(2)

In January 2023, Ivan was awarded a 
knighthood for services to business and to 
equality in His Majesty The King’s 2023 
New Year Honours List. 

Ivan was an inspirational champion for both 
women and ethnic minorities in business.  
In 2008, there were no women on Diageo’s 
Executive Committee; today, over half are 
women, including his successor as Chief 
Executive, the Chief Financial Officer and the 
Presidents of Diageo’s largest markets – North 
America, Europe and India, and almost half of 
the Executive Committee are ethnically diverse. 

IWSR, 2022

(1) 
(2)  CGA, 4 weeks to 3 December 2022

We are a global leader in spirits. 
From centuries-old names to the 
latest innovations, we have over 
200 brands and sell in nearly 
180 countries.

At Diageo, we are committed to 
building and sustaining the very 
best portfolio of brands, in what  
we believe to be the most exciting 
consumer products category.

  Visit diageo.com for more information

 Cover: Guinness in the on-trade

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Take a look at how we 
build our brands 

Read our Chief 
Executive’s statement

Find out about our 
investment case 

See our core 
competencies in action

p6-7

p10-11

p14-15

p26-31

Strategic report:  
Our business
Diageo at a glance 
Our brands 
Chairman’s statement 
Chief Executive’s statement 
Market overview
Investment case
Strategy 
Strategic priorities 
Business model 
World-class brand building
Supply chain efficiency
Entrepreneurial spirit

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Strategic report:  
Our performance
Our performance
Summary financial review
Business review
Group financial review
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’
Promote positive drinking
Doing business the right way
Our people and culture
Health and safety
Champion inclusion and diversity
Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability
Our principal risks and risk management
Viability statement
Non-financial and sustainability 
information statement

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Governance report 

Letter from the Chairman of the Board 
of Directors
Governance at a glance
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Corporate governance report
Audit Committee report
Nomination Committee report
Directors’ remuneration report 
Directors’ report

Financial statements

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Additional information
Unaudited financial information  
Cautionary statement
Non-financial reporting boundaries and 
methodologies
Independent Limited Assurance Report 
to the Directors of Diageo plc on 
selected subject matter
Other additional information

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

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D I A G E O   A T   A   G L A N C E

A brilliant blend 
of people and 
brands

Since its formation more than  
25 years ago, Diageo has been 
committed to building and 
nurturing some of the world’s 
most iconic brands which are 
rooted in culture and local 
communities. 

From a pint of Guinness to a Johnnie Walker 
highball, a Don Julio margarita to a Tanqueray 
and tonic, the brands behind our drinks have 
become household names. And whether local 
or global, all our products share a common 
goal: to be part of celebrations, big or small.

Our position across total beverage alcohol 
(TBA) means we have a long runway for 
quality, sustainable growth and we are 
confident in our ability to deliver. We believe the 
TBA market remains very attractive; over the 
past five years it has grown at a 4% compound 
annual growth rate (CAGR) by retail sales 
value, with spirits growing considerably faster 
at a 6% CAGR.(1)

Two years ago we set out our 2030 share 
ambition to grow from a 4% to 6% value share 
of TBA. We are proud to be almost a third of 
the way there; we are now the leading 
international spirits player, holding a ~4.7% 
value share.(1) But we are confident that there is 
still plenty of headroom to grow.

(1) 

IWSR, 2022

 Colleague in The Bar at Home

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

The secret to our success is our understanding 
of those we serve. We constantly strive to know 
the consumers of our brands and our on-trade 
and off-trade customers better than anyone 
else. And we have invested in new digital 
and data capabilities to constantly evolve our 
insights, putting people at the heart of the way 
we make, market and sell our brands. With the 
right product in the right place at the right 
price, we are well positioned to win new 
consumers and retain existing ones.

But we know consumer habits are changing. 
Today, people prioritise quality over quantity 
– they are drinking better. We encourage this 
‘premiumisation’; in fact, in every region of the 
world, we have been steadily positioning our 
portfolio to capitalise on this long-term trend. 

We believe premiumisation goes hand in 
hand with moderation. And as we grow, we are 
committed to always encouraging moderation 
through the promotion of responsible drinking 
across our markets – it’s good for consumers, 
and good for business.

With more than 100 manufacturing sites and 
over 30,000 employees around the world, 
our culture is rooted in a deep sense of our 
purpose, the personal connections we have to 
our brands, our relationships with each other 
and our passion to win in the marketplace.  
Our footprint is truly global and we push 

ourselves to be worthy of people’s trust 
everywhere we live, work, source and sell. 

We are currently three years into our ten-year ESG 
action plan, ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’. This 
starts with our people. We are creating an inclusive 
culture and providing them with the skills and 
opportunities to progress. We are also focussed on 
protecting the natural world, preserving the water 
and resources on which we depend. By 2030, our 
ambition is to achieve net zero emissions across 
our direct operations (Scope 1 and 2) and to work 
in partnership with our suppliers to halve the 
emissions in our supply chain (Scope 3).

We know that purpose goes hand in hand with 
performance – never one without the other. This is 
why our ambition is to become one of the best 
performing, most trusted and respected consumer 
products companies. 

We delivered over £3.1 billion through dividends 
and share buybacks to our shareholders in 
fiscal 23. And future investors can be confident 
too: we aim to consistently re-invest back into the 
business to continue growing.

Our consumer insights, strong sense of purpose and 
pursuit of financial excellence fuel our passion to 
become one of the best brand builders in the world. 

In 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year 
lease on the St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, he 
wanted his business to last. This visionary thinking 
underpins why we must continue to do business the 
right way, from grain to glass.

Fiscal 23 financial performance

Volume
(equivalent units)

EU243.4m
(2022: EU263.0m)

Reported movement
Organic movement(1)

Net cash from  
operating activities
£3,024m

(2022: £3,935m)

2023 free cash flow(1)
2022 free cash flow(1)

Net sales(2)

£17,113m
(2022: £15,452m)

Operating profit

£4,632m
(2022: £4,409m)

(7)% 
(1)% 

Reported movement
Organic movement(1)

11% 
6% 

Reported movement
Organic movement(1)

5% 
7% 

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Earnings per share  
(eps)
164.9p

(2022: 140.2p)

Total recommended dividend 
per share(3)
80.00p

(2022: 76.18p)

£1,800m
£2,783m

Reported movement
Eps before exceptional items 
movement(1)

18% 

5% 

8% 

  Visit diageo.com for more information

Fiscal 23 non-financial performance

Positive drinking 

Inclusion and diversity 

Water efficiency(4) 

Carbon emissions(4)  

1,985,817∆

(2022: 607,374)

Number of people educated 
on the dangers of underage 
drinking through a Diageo 
supported education 
programme

44%∆

(2022: 44%)

4.14l/l∆

(2022: 4.09l/l)

401∆

(2022: 424)

Percentage of female 
leaders globally

Water use efficiency per litre of 
product packaged (litres/litre)

Total direct and indirect carbon 
emissions by weight (market/net 
based) (1,000 tonnes CO2e)

43%∆

(2022: 41%)

Percentage of ethnically diverse 
leaders globally

(1)  See Definitions and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to GAAP measures on pages 232-239
(2)  Net sales are sales less excise duties
(3) 
(4) 

Includes recommended final dividend of 49.17p
In accordance with Diageo’s environmental reporting methodologies and, where relevant, WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol; data for the baseline year 2020 and for the intervening period up 
to the end of last financial year has been restated where relevant

Δ  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting methodologies, see pages 242-266.

Unless otherwise stated in this document, percentage movements refer to organic movements. For a definition of organic movement and reconciliation of all non-GAAP measures to GAAP 
measures, see pages 232-239. Share refers to value share. Percentage figures presented are reflective of a year-on-year comparison, namely 2022-2023, unless otherwise specified.

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

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O U R   B R A N D S 

Brand building 
expertise

Our portfolio offers 
something for every taste 
and celebration. 
From much-loved, established brands, such as 
Johnnie Walker, to the latest innovations, like 
Tanqueray 0.0, we create products, tastes and 
experiences for people to enjoy.

This requires focus and investment in what we 
call a brilliant blend of ‘creativity with precision’. 
We combine data, insights and innovation with 
the creative flair our consumers expect from us 
as a custodian of some of the most iconic brands 
in the world.

Innovative spirit
We want to build brands that will stand the test of time. This is why  
we strive to move at pace with the latest consumer trends. And while 
we honour the past, we are passionate about creating the brands of 
the future.

Redefining categories
With a rich and actively managed portfolio and a proven innovation 
capability, we are well placed to seize new opportunities, recruit new 
consumers, continue to premiumise and drive ongoing performance. 

Advantaged portfolio
The breadth and depth of our portfolio has helped us grow across most 
categories, with strong net sales growth in our three largest categories: 
scotch, tequila and beer.

Premium-plus brands contributed 63% of reported net sales growth 
and drove 57% of organic net sales growth in fiscal 23. 

Organic net sales growth by category 

Reported net sales by price tier, F19–F23

Scotch 

Tequila 

Vodka 

Canadian whisky 

(9)%

Rum 

Liquers 

Gin 

IMFL whisky 

1%

2%

5%

(1)%

Chinese white spirits 

(14)%

US whiskey

Beer 

Ready to drink

(4)%

9%

0%

12%

Super-premium+

18%

27%

19%

Premium

38%

+7ppt

36%

15%

Standard

32%

Value

12%

F19

29%

8%

F23

Super-premium and above 
price points

Reported net sales(1)

£4,559m 

Premium price points

Reported net sales(1)

£6,258m 

Standard and below 
price points

Reported net sales(1)

£6,296m 

(1)  Net sales are sales less excise duties

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

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C H A I R M A N ’ S   S T A T E M E N T

Recommended final dividend  
per share

49.17p 

2022: 46.82p

Total dividend per share(1) 

5% to 80.00p 

2022: 76.18p

Total shareholder return

(2)% 

2022: 4% 

(1) 

Includes recommended final dividend of 49.17p

A solid platform
for future growth

It is impossible to reflect on the past year without thinking 
of Sir Ivan Menezes. 

Ivan’s leadership defined the culture of Diageo: diverse, 
creative, agile and entrepreneurial, passionately 
engaged, and committed to social responsibility and 
environmental sustainability. Today, our culture is our 
greatest strength in an uncertain world, and the living 
embodiment of Ivan’s legacy at Diageo. He will be  
missed by all of us. 

Global environment
The last year has been another period of 
broad and sustained uncertainty, and we 
continue to see re-adjustment in working 
patterns and consumer behaviour following 
the Covid-19 pandemic. Major economies 
are facing the challenge of inflation, 
compounding cost-of-living pressures. 
Geopolitical uncertainty remains elevated, 
and the terrible conflict in Ukraine continues.

As ever, my colleagues have responded to 
this operating environment with resilience 
and entrepreneurialism. On behalf of the 
Board, I would like to thank them for their 
sustained commitment and hard work. 

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Dealing with uncertainty and volatility is the 
‘new normal’ – and is likely to remain so for 
some time. While this inevitably brings some 
short-term challenges, especially for 
consumer goods companies like ours, the 
breadth and depth of our portfolio and our 
geographical footprint, harnessed to the 
passion and agility of our colleagues, mean 
we are well positioned to navigate those 
challenges and to take advantage of 
emerging opportunities, as we have done 
successfully in recent years.

Long-term view of the business
Despite this ongoing turbulence, the 
fundamentals of our category remain 
attractive, and we are well-placed to realise 

its potential. The growth of a global middle 
class and the appetite for increasing 
premiumisation and to ‘drink better, not 
more’ are long-term, sectoral trends. We 
expect to continue to drive value growth in 
the total beverage alcohol (TBA) category as 
hundreds of millions of consumers become 
able to access the premium drinks market, 
often moving away from informal or illicit 
alcohol in the process. 

At the same time, we have significant 
headroom to grow within TBA, reflected in 
our medium-term ambition to grow our value 
share of the global market by 50%, from 4% 
to 6% by 2030. We believe that share growth 
will be driven by sustained investment in our 

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brands and targeted innovation to 
respond to evolving consumer needs 
and tastes. Combined with active portfolio 
management, we believe that continuing to 
invest in our brands now is fundamental to 
sustaining performance for the future. 

Long-term value creation
Diageo continues to deliver long-term value 
creation for our shareholders. We achieved 
another strong year of performance for fiscal 23. 
We grew organic net sales by 6.5% at the top 
end of guidance, with strong price/mix 
performance mitigating a modest decline in 
volume. Pre-exceptional earnings per share 
increased 7.6%. We increased our final 
dividend by 5%, reflecting our continued 
strong performance and our commitment 
to a progressive dividend policy. 

Our philosophy of investing over the long-term 
can occasionally impact return on average 
invested capital (ROIC) in the short-term, as it 
did in fiscal 23. ROIC was 16.3%, a decline of 
50bps. In fiscal 23 we increased capex, 
invested in maturing stock and continued to 
actively and strategically manage our portfolio 
through acquisitions and disposals. Finally, total 
shareholder return (TSR) for the ten-year and 
five-year periods of 9% and 7%, respectively 
remains strong despite the 12‐month return of 
(2)% for fiscal 23 which was mainly driven by a 
lower year-on-year share price.

Employee engagement
This was my final year as the lead Board 
member for workforce engagement. I have 
enormously enjoyed engaging with hundreds 
of colleagues at all levels across Diageo, and I 
continue to be impressed by their passion. My 
fellow Board member, Karen Blackett OBE, has 
taken up this important role from July 2023.

That passion is reflected once again in the 
results of our annual Your Voice employee 
survey. Employee engagement remains very 
high at 84% – two points ahead of last year, 
while pride in Diageo is at an all-time high of 
91% – 14 points above our external benchmark. 
The proportion of our colleagues who would 
recommend Diageo as a place to work is also 
the highest ever recorded, and our Net 
Promoter Score now stands at +36.

I believe that our culture – the combination of 
passion and commitment with agility, speed 
and entrepreneurial talent – is a major 
differentiator for Diageo and a significant 
source of our ongoing competitive advantage. 

Board changes
I would like to extend a very warm welcome 
to Debra Crew who re-joins the Board having 
taken over as Chief Executive a little sooner 
than we had planned.

At our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 
September, Lady Mendelsohn will have 
reached her nine-year term as a Non-Executive 
Director and will not stand for re-appointment. 
On behalf of our Board, employees and 
shareholders, I would like to express my 
heartfelt thanks to Nicola for her significant 
contribution to Diageo. 

Alan Stewart will also reach his nine-year 
anniversary in September; however, he will 
stand for re-appointment for a further year at 
the request of the company to enable a smooth 
transition during fiscal 24 to a successor who 
will take over as Chair of the Audit Committee.

Leadership
The Board diligently planned for Ivan’s succession, 
and we are delighted to have appointed a leader 
of Debra’s calibre to the role. 

Debra has been a highly valued member of 
Diageo’s leadership team in recent years with 
an impressive track record of delivery both at 
Diageo and across other global consumer 
goods companies. She has deep consumer 
industry expertise as well as proven strategic 
capabilities, strong operational performance 
and a clear ability to build and lead teams. 

I have no doubt that Diageo is in the right hands 
for the next phase of its growth and I look forward 
to working with Debra in her new role.

Delivering ‘Society 2030: Spirit  
of Progress’
I am encouraged by the energy, progress 
and ingenuity I see in our work to deliver our 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ESG action 
plan. For example, agave is a key ingredient in 
our tequilas, and we have been using targeted 
drone technology on our agave farms in 
Jalisco, Mexico to help us minimise water 
and fertiliser use. 

We expect this innovation to contribute to our 
2030 target to deliver a 40% improvement in 
water use efficiency in water stressed areas.  
We are proud that Don Julio Blanco has become 
the first brand to receive Environmentally 
Responsible Agave certification from the 
Tequila Regulatory Council and the 
government of Jalisco. 

We also believe in the power of partnerships. 
In the UK, we’re investing in a new recycled 
aluminium production facility, saving raw 
materials and cutting carbon emissions. 
Our backing will help the British Aluminium 
Consortium for Advanced Alloys, a collective 
of industry experts, develop a closed-loop, 
circular approach to aluminium. Its recycling 
and manufacturing plant will roll hundreds of 
thousands of tonnes of aluminium sheet – 
enough for over 400 million Guinness and 
premixed Gordon’s and tonic cans a year. 

We have again incorporated the Task Force 
on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
framework into our reporting. While our 
analysis indicates the financial impact is not 
likely to be significant to 2030, we know that 
managing the increasing climate risks we face, 
such as water stress, remains a priority.

Summary
While sustained volatility and uncertainty 
will continue to present challenges for the 
consumer goods sector, we believe Diageo 
remains well-positioned and resilient. We 
are diversified by category, price point and 
geography. Our people are highly engaged 
and have a track record of delivery through 
uncertainty. And, our continued investment 
in our brands and deep understanding of 
our consumers position us well to capture 
opportunities in TBA, a market we believe 
has very attractive fundamentals.

Diageo’s Board and leadership team remain 
focussed on securing long-term, sustainable 
value creation, by nurturing Diageo’s culture, 
building our brands, and delivering our 
Performance Ambition.

Javier Ferrán
Chairman

Statement on Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires 
the Directors to promote the success of the 
company for the benefit of the members as a 
whole, having regard to the interests of 
stakeholders in their decision-making. In making 
decisions, the Directors consider what is most 
likely to promote the success of the company for 

its shareholders in the long term, as well as the 
interests of the group’s stakeholders. The Directors 
understand the importance of taking into account 
the views of stakeholders and the impact of the 
company’s activities on local communities, the 
environment, including climate change, and the 
group’s reputation. 

 Read more about how stakeholders were 
taken into account in decision-making on pages 
110-113 

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C H I E F   E X E C U T I V E ’ S   S T A T E M E N T

Reported volume movement
(7.4)% 

2022: 10.3% 

Organic volume movement
(0.8)% 

2022: 10.3% 

Reported net sales movement
10.7% 

2022: 21.4% 

Organic net sales movement
6.5% 

2022: 21.4% 

Another year of 
strong performance

Reported operating profit movement
5.1% 

2022: 18.2% 

Organic operating profit movement
7.0% 

2022: 26.3% 

Like everyone at Diageo, I will miss Ivan’s kindness, 
wisdom and counsel in the months and years ahead.  
It was an extraordinary privilege to know, work with and 
learn from Ivan over the last four years, and to benefit 
from his experience and generosity of spirit. Together with 
all my colleagues, I am determined that we will build on 
and do justice to his legacy. 

Fiscal 23 performance
Diageo today is a business built to deliver 
resilient performance, even in turbulent times. 
We are geographically diverse, with a 
product portfolio built on long-term 
investment in our brands, and a culture that 
delivers everyday efficiency while pursuing 
opportunities with focus and agility.

Those underlying strengths are reflected in 
our performance over the last year. We drove 
strong growth in four of our five regions, with 
Europe and Asia Pacific growing double-digit. 

Even with North America sales flat, following 
a period of very rapid growth, we have still 
been able to deliver overall organic net sales 
value growth of 6.5% within our medium-
term guidance, and organic operating 
margin expanded by 15bps. 

Our pre-exceptional earnings per share rose 
7.6% in fiscal 23 to 163.5 pence. And, we 
have once again been able to increase the 
dividend by 5% to a full-year dividend of 
80.00 pence.

Fiscal 23 also saw standout performance 
from our scotch, tequila and beer categories. 
Scotch grew 12%, tequila grew 19% and beer 
was up 9% respectively. Johnnie Walker, the 
world’s leading international spirit brand, 
delivered another year of strong double-digit 
growth, increasing 15%. Tequila continues to 
have strong consumer momentum and our 
global market share of tequila rose 120bps to 
just over 23% of retail sales value. We also 
launched our strategy to ignite a new 
‘Golden Age for Guinness’, with immediate 
results: organic net sales were up 16% in the 

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Diageo is well-placed to take advantage of 
these opportunities. Our geographic reach offers 
not just resilience through diversification, but also 
exposure to consumers looking to ‘drink better, 
not more’ around the world. Our long-term 
investment in building and actively shaping our 
portfolio gives us an advantaged position in the 
market, and our deep understanding of our 
consumers allows us to strengthen our 
relationship with them as we innovate to meet 
their needs and expectations. Underpinning 
these advantages, our core capabilities in 
digital, world-class brand building, supply chain 
and everyday efficiency allow us to execute 
effectively and with precision, while our ‘Society 
2030: Spirit of Progress’ ESG action plan ensures 
that our business will become more responsible, 
diverse and sustainable as it grows.

These are strengths that we will build on in the 
year ahead. With the potential we see across our 
business and our brands, we are confident that 
we will continue to navigate successfully through 
a volatile external environment while delivering 
our medium-term guidance: consistent organic 
net sales growth in the range of 5% to 7% and 
sustainable organic operating profit of 6% to 
9%. At the same time, we remain focussed on 
investing in our brands to meet our ambition of 
increasing Diageo’s share of the total beverage 
alcohol market by 50%, from 4% to 6%, over 
the decade to 2030.

Debra Crew
Chief Executive

period, and in December 2022, Guinness 
became the number one beer brand by 
value share in the on-trade in Great Britain.(1)

We have also continued to benefit from 
sustained investment in our brand portfolio, 
with our premium-plus brands now 
accounting for 57% of net sales growth. 
Our premium-plus brands now account for 
63% of Diageo’s net sales, up 7ppts from 
fiscal 19.

While I am pleased that our business can 
deliver this performance even in the face of 
significant turbulence in major markets, the 
prospect of ongoing volatility in our operating 
environment means that there is no room for 
complacency. We will continue to deliver 
investment in our brands for the long-term 
hand-in-hand with efficiency in our day-to-
day operations. At the same time, I want to 
see our execution focus sharpen as we 
sustain high-quality growth and continue to 
build market share. 

Engine for growth 
We are confident that Diageo remains 
well-positioned to deliver our medium-term 
guidance of consistent organic net sales 
growth in the range of 5% to 7% and 
sustainable organic operating profit of 6% 
to 9%. To achieve this, winning quality 
market share remains a primary focus and it 
is one of the key areas of opportunity I see for 
improvement in fiscal 24. With our 
advantaged portfolio of brands, core 
capabilities and competitive advantages, 
I believe we can drive market share gains of 
at least two-thirds of our total net sales value. 
I’m pleased that we gained or held share in 
markets that total 70% of our net sales value 
in fiscal 23.(2)

Productivity, our culture of everyday efficiency 
and smart investment will be critical to deliver 
our medium-term guidance. Notably, we 
unlocked a further £450 million of 
productivity savings during fiscal 23.

Even as the leading company in international 
spirits, as of 2022, we only held a ∼4.7% 
share of the TBA market.(3) This is up from 4% 
in 2020 when we set our ambition to deliver 
a 50% increase by 2030. The opportunity is 
significant. We are a company with a 
diversified geographic footprint and 
advantaged portfolio in a very large and 
attractive industry. Our business is set up for 
consistent, sustainable long-term growth 
driven by premiumisation and active 
portfolio management.

Doing business the right way
Doing business the right way remains at the 
heart of our plans for growth, and we have 
made good progress in the past year on our 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ESG action 
plan to build a responsible, inclusive and 
sustainable business as we grow.

We want to change the way people drink for 
the better, recognising that there is no drink of 
moderation, only the practice of moderation. 
This is why we promote moderate drinking 
and invest in education and programmes to 
discourage the harmful use of alcohol. 
Increasingly we are fully integrating our work 
to promote responsible drinking into our brand 
messages, such as in Captain Morgan’s ‘Enjoy 
Slow’ campaign last year.

We continue to build a strong, diverse 
leadership team to better reflect the 
consumers we serve. 44% of our leaders 
globally are female, maintaining our progress 
against our 2030 ambition to reach 50%, 
while 43% of our leadership are now ethnically 
diverse, an increase of 2% from fiscal 22.

We have also made significant headway on 
our objective to embed sustainability in our 
business. We have continued our progress 
towards our net zero carbon goal in our direct 
operations by 2030, with an absolute Scope 1 
and 2 greenhouse gas emission reduction of 
5.4% in fiscal 23. This was partly the result of 
our continuing investments in renewable 
energy, which now accounts for 45% of our 
total energy use, an increase of 1.9% from 
fiscal 22.

Our other major sustainability focus is on 
water stewardship. In the last year, we have 
reduced the amount of water it takes to make 
each litre of our brands by 2.6% in our 
water-stressed areas. 

We also completed water efficiency projects 
that will deliver future benefit in several 
water-stressed areas including Kenya, Uganda 
and Nigeria. Beyond our own operations, we 
are working in partnership with CARE to 
empower women and make them stewards of 
our investments in water sanitation in the 
communities in which we live and work 
around the world.

Looking forward
I am very proud to become the Chief Executive 
of Diageo at a moment of enormous potential 
for our business. We believe the TBA market is 
the most exciting and creative consumer 
category in the world. Within it, spirits continue 
to gain share, and premiumisation is proving to 
be a resilient trend. 

(1)  CGA, 4 weeks to 3 December 2022
(2) 

Internal estimates incorporating Nielsen, Association of Canadian Distillers, Dichter & Neira, Frontline, INTAGE, IRI, ISCAM, NABCA, Scentia, State Monopolies, TRAC, IPSOS and other 
third-party providers. All analysis of data has been applied with a tolerance of +/- 3 bps. Percentages represent percent of markets by total Diageo net sales contribution that have held 
or gained total trade share fiscal year to date. Measured markets indicate a market where we have purchased any market share data. Market share data may include beer, wine, spirits 
or other elements. Measured market net sales value sums to 87% of total Diageo net sales value in fiscal 23
IWSR, 2022

(3) 

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M A R K E T   O V E R V I E W 

An attractive industry  
with a runway  
for growth

Total beverage alcohol (TBA) has seen a strong record of value 
growth over the last 10 years. And international spirits, where 
Diageo is the number one player, has grown faster than TBA.(1)

We believe TBA presents sustainable long-term growth 
opportunities for Diageo, underpinned by attractive consumer 
fundamentals. This includes three key factors: a growing middle 
class; increased spirits penetration; and premiumisation in both 
developed and emerging markets.

Retail sales value of global  
alcohol market(1)
$1.17 trillion

Equivalent units of alcohol sold(1)
5.4 billion

1  Consumer base that can 
afford premium spirits is growing
The latest projections by the United Nations 
suggest that the global population could 
grow to around 8.5 billion by 2030.(2)

Globally, an emerging middle class continues 
to grow in key markets such as China, where 
it is estimated that, between 2022 and 2030, 
the middle class and affluent consumer will 
increase by 80 million, reaching nearly 40% 
of the population.(3) 

This continued growth of the ‘middle class 
and above’ income bracket should enable 
470 million(4) more consumers to access and 
enjoy our brands by 2032.

2  Consumers are increasingly 
choosing spirits over beer 
and wine
Over the past five years, the TBA market 
worldwide grew at a 4% compound annual 
growth rate.(1) Spirits grew considerably faster 
at a 6% compound annual growth rate as 
consumers increasingly move away from 
beer and wine.(1)

Spirits, which are versatile and adaptable, 
have a strong position and considerable 
runway for growth given consumers’ interest 
in new serves suitable for a broader range of 
occasions, including with food and at home.

3  Consumers across the  
world are trading up, choosing 
superior quality
Consumers are ‘drinking better, not more’ 
and are increasingly choosing brands and 
categories that stand out for superior quality, 
authenticity and taste. 

We call this trend premiumisation, in which 
consumers have a greater desire to explore 
new aspirational experiences, driving demand 
for quality drinks at a range of price points.

IWSR, 2022

(1) 
(2)  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2022
(3)  Mind the Generation Gap, Boston Consulting Group, 2023
(4)  World Bank, 2022

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546 million

new legal purchase age  
consumers estimated to enter  
the market by 2033(4)

470 million

estimated to join the middle class and 
above income bracket by 2032(4)

+9% 

increase in spirits TBA share(1)

 Ketel One Bloody Mary

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I N V E S T M E N T   C A S E

Investing for  
the long term

Active portfolio management 
We use our deep consumer insights to 
acquire strategic brands in higher-growth 
categories. In fiscal 23, we acquired Balcones 
Distilling, a leading producer of award-
winning super-premium and above US 
whiskey. We also acquired Don Papa Rum, a 
super-premium dark rum from the Philippines, 
strengthening our position in the rum 
category, which is premium

sing.
i

Our active portfolio management also 
includes strategic disposals. In fiscal 23, we 
sold Guinness Cameroun S.A., following a 
strategic review which identified a more 
efficient model to support the strong growth 
of the brand in Cameroon. We also disposed 
of Archers, as well as the disposal and 
franchising of a portfolio of brands in India.

Our core competencies
Diageo is a world-class brand builder 
and has supply chain expertise, as well 
as an entrepreneurial spirit and 
advantaged culture. 

Our world-class brand building is 
underpinned by deep consumer 
understanding, which fuels innovation and 
recruits consumers. We combine our 
consumer insights with marketing creativity 
which we execute with precision. This is 
underpinned by smart investment in 
marketing effectiveness tools, such as 
Catalyst, Sensor and CreativeX. 

We believe that our diverse supply chain 
across the markets where we source, make 
and sell is a key competitive advantage. We 
leverage the scale and breadth of our 
business to build strategic relationships with 
suppliers that deliver regular cost savings, 
which we reinvest. Our culture of everyday 
efficiency and strong pipeline of productivity 
initiatives drove £450 million of savings in 
fiscal 23, fuelling sustained investment in 
brand building.

We are consumer-focussed and brand 
obsessed, and our workforce is encouraged 
to have an entrepreneurial spirit, where new 
ways of thinking are welcomed. Our ability to 
adapt to market challenges and our 
consistent focus on consumers and trade 
partners are the foundations from which we 
deliver our Performance Ambition. As an 
organisation, we are restless and we work 
hard to operate with agility and urgency to 
deliver consistent quality growth.

 Read more about our core competencies on 

pages 26-31

Delivering consistent 
performance and quality growth
To help ensure we deliver consistent 
performance and sustainable quality growth, 
we invest smartly in the areas we believe will 
bring the greatest benefits: capital 
expenditure for our strategic categories, 
digital capabilities, our ambitious 
sustainability agenda and our supply chain 
agility programme.

Production capacity and 
maturing inventories
In fiscal 23, scotch and tequila grew by 12% 
and 19% in net sales, respectively. Investing 
capital in production capacity is key to 
delivering long-term sustainable growth. We 
are investing in new whiskey distilleries in 
North America and China and increasing our 
tequila manufacturing footprint in Mexico. 

We are also investing in maturing inventories 
to support the future growth of these 
fast-growing categories. Over the last five 
years, we have increased maturing 
inventories from £4.0 billion to £5.8 billion, 
including investments of £0.6 billion in 
fiscal 23.

Diageo has a bold ambition 
and is well-positioned to 
capture more of the total 
beverage alcohol (TBA) 
market opportunity. 

With only 4.7% of global TBA share(1), we 
believe we have significant headroom for 
sustainable, long-term growth, and our 
ambition is to outperform the market and 
increase our TBA value share to 6% by 2030. 

Increasing spirits penetration 
Diageo has a diversified footprint globally 
with an advantaged portfolio of brands. 
The breadth and depth of our portfolio 
across attractive categories and price 
points positions us to capture large 
consumer growth opportunities, and 
provides resilience to international trading 
volatility. Globally, there is a significant 
opportunity to increase spirits penetration. 

In markets where the spirits category is less 
mature, our mainstream brands give 
emerging market consumers access to our 
products at affordable prices. For example 
McDowell’s No. 1 in India and Black & White 
in Latin America offer quality products at 
more affordable price points and give 
opportunities to consumers to trade up in 
the future.

Quality growth for Guinness
Beer is our second largest category after 
scotch. Our business model for the category 
is differentiated, increasingly asset-light, 
highly profitable and provides exposure to 
both emerging and developed markets. We 
use a variety of routes to the consumer, 
depending on the most efficient model for 
each market. Guinness leads our beer 
portfolio and is available in more than 100 
countries and territories. 

 Read more about how Guinness became the 
number one pint in Great Britain on pages 26-27

(1) 

IWSR, 2022

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Shareholder value creation 

We expect to deliver organic 
net sales growth consistently 
in the range of 5% to 7% 
and organic operating profit 
growth sustainably in the 
range of 6% to 9% for fiscal 
23 to fiscal 25. Sustainable 
top-line growth and 
productivity savings enable 
smart re-investment to drive 
long-term growth. 

Digital and data capabilities
We’re investing in transformational digital 
and data capabilities. In marketing, 
CreativeX, our latest tool, enables us to 
assess the effectiveness of our digital content 
before deployment to ensure we provide the 
perfect serve of advertising content to 
consumers. It is now deployed in markets 
covering 75% of our net sales value. We’re 
also supporting our customers and our global 
sales teams leverage data and insights from 
digital tools such as EDGE365 to extend our 
sales reach and improve our execution.

Continuing the digital transformation journey we 
embarked on in 2017, in fiscal 23, we launched 
a five-year programme to modernise our IT 
environment and standardise our business 
operations. This makes us more agile in our 
response to customer needs, provides us with 
world-class actionable insights and allows us to 
be more efficient in our day-to-day operations.

Investing in sustainability 
By 2030, we expect to have invested around 
£1 billion of capital to support our drive to be 
global champions for water stewardship and 
a strong contributor to a low-carbon world. 
We are doing this by improving water use 
efficiency, investing in water replenishment, 
using renewable energy, scaling circular 
solutions and implementing regenerative 
agriculture. These investments will also help 
us to be more efficient, reduce our resource 
consumption, develop innovative solutions 
and ensure a more resilient supply chain.

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Total shareholder return (TSR)

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 FTSE 100

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200

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S T R A T E G Y

Delivering our  
Performance Ambition

At the core of our strategy 
is the flywheel for growth. 
After several years of 
strong performance at 
Diageo, it has a proven 
track record.

Our six strategic priorities support the achievement of our ambition to be one of the best 
performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Through 
these priorities, we deliver the strategic outcomes against which we measure our performance.

 Read more on pages 18-23

 Read more on pages 18-19

 Read more on pages 20-21

 Read more on pages 22-23

Sustain quality growth
Creating sustainable and consistent quality 
growth is at the heart of our ambition to be 
one of the best performing consumer 
products companies. It means delivering 
consistent net sales and margin growth as 
well as top-tier shareholder returns.

Embed everyday efficiency
Everyday efficiency creates the fuel that 
allows us to invest smartly and sustain quality 
growth. At its heart, everyday efficiency is a 
mindset and a culture, which everyone in 
Diageo is encouraged to bring to life in their 
daily work.

Invest smartly
We are investing in the future success of our 
business – but that investment needs to be 
smart to support the delivery of consistent 
performance and enable sustainable, 
quality growth.

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OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

OUR AMBITION
To be one of the best  
performing, most trusted  
and respected consumer 
products companies  
in the world.

OUR STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

EG

CVC

CT

EP

Efficient growth
Consistently grow organic net 
sales, grow operating profit, 
deliver strong free cash flow

Consistent value creation
Top-tier total shareholder  
returns, increase return 
on invested capital

Credibility and trust
Trusted by stakeholders for 
doing business the right way, 
from grain to glass

Engaged people
High-performing and engaged 
teams, continuous learning, 
inclusive culture

Promote positive drinking
We are determined to change the way the 
world drinks for the better. We will promote 
moderation and continue to invest in 
education programmes around the world to 
help reduce the harmful use of alcohol. As 
we reach more people with our programmes, 
we will change attitudes on underage 
drinking, drink driving and binge drinking. 

Champion inclusion and diversity
We believe that everybody should be able to 
thrive in an environment that values their 
contribution and celebrates what makes 
them unique. Across Diageo, we champion 
inclusion and diversity, from how we attract, 
recruit and develop our teams, to 
representation in our supply chain, the ways 
we portray the richness of society across our 
brands and our work to make a positive 
difference in our communities.

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability
We are focussed on preserving the resources 
upon which our business and our 
communities depend. We are working to 
preserve water for life, accelerate to a 
low-carbon world and become sustainable 
by design – helping to create a better future 
for communities everywhere.

Find out more about our performance 
against all our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress’ ESG action plan on pages 57-87.

 Read more on pages 58-60

 Read more on pages 67-70

 Read more on pages 71-87

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Pioneer grain-to-glassdrinkingand diversityChampion inclusionsustainabilityPromote positiveInvest smartlyEmbed everyday efficiencySustain quality growth 
 
S T R A T E G I C   P R I O R I T I E S

Sustain 
quality 
growth

To achieve our ambition of being one of the best 
performing, most trusted and respected consumer 
products companies in the world, delivering and 
sustaining quality growth is key. This means consistent 
net sales and margin growth, as well as top-tier 
shareholder returns.

Delivering sustained, quality growth is not new to us. 
Brands such as Johnnie Walker and Don Julio show how 
the right approach to quality, brand building, innovation 
and investing for the long-term can build lasting value. 

To sustain quality growth, we focus on: 
developing new brands of the future; 
balancing volume, price and mix – what we 
call Revenue Growth Management; 
executing the most effective route to our 
consumers; and working with governments 
and stakeholders around the world to ensure 
our brands compete on a more equal 
playing field for alcohol taxation and 
regulatory policy. 

Alongside this, we have a disciplined 
approach to portfolio management, 
making acquisitions and disposals in line 
with our strategy. 

Examples of progress in fiscal 23: 
 • We drove strong growth in four of our five 

regions, with Europe and Asia Pacific 
growing double-digit 

 • Continued to generate quality growth 

across key brands, including Guinness, 
which became the number one beer in the 
Great Britain on-trade for the first time in 
December 2022.(3)

 • Launched new innovations in premium 

categories, including Don Julio Rosado in 
tequila and Elusive Expressions in scotch 

 • Made considered acquisitions focussed on 
fast-growing, premium categories such as 
Don Papa Rum and Mr Black coffee liqueur

 • Equally we made considered disposals 

in aid of our long-term growth ambitions, 
including the sale of Archers and the 
sale and franchise of selected local 
brands in India  

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Case study:  
Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker has been a key 
driver of our strong scotch 
performance this year, seeing 
sales growth of 15%.  

This is the brand’s third consecutive year of 
double-digit net sales growth, with sales at an 
all-time high.

Premiumising scotch
Johnnie Walker’s growth has been primarily 
driven by premiumisation. Ensuring we offer 
consumers choice and provide options to 
easily trade up (e.g. moving from Johnnie 
Walker Red Label to Johnnie Walker Black 
Label) have meant that price and volume have 
had strong growth across all our regions and 
variants. In fact, the proportion of net sales 
from Johnnie Walker premium products – 
Johnnie Walker Black Label and above – 
reached 73% for the first time in fiscal 23.   

This broad-based strong volume, price and 
mix performance allowed us to offset record 
inflation seen globally as well as strong 
foreign exchange headwinds to grow gross 
margin by +1.1ppt.

Record share performance
Johnnie Walker has also extended its lead 
as number one international spirits brand by 
34bps.(1) Every month, 93 million people who 
choose to drink alcoholic beverages choose 
Johnnie Walker.(2)

As ever, this year we also looked to the 
future, and continued to invest ahead with a 
record high advertising and promotion (A&P) 
spend of £545 million and 22% sales return 
on A&P investment level with all markets 
increasing spend versus last year.

Sustaining quality growth in Latin 
America and Caribbean
This financial year, Johnnie Walker’s 
performance in Latin America and 
Caribbean stands out, with the region heavily 
focussed on premiumisation.

Net sales grew +16% to a record high, and 
gross margin percent grew +1ppt. Likewise 
A&P grew +36% which funded double-digit 
net sales growth of core variants (Johnnie 
Walker Red Label +15%, Johnnie Walker 
Black Label +18% and Johnnie Walker Blue 
Label +22%). We were also excited to roll out 
Johnnie Walker Blonde special edition across 
Mexico, Brazil and Chile.

IWSR, 2022

(1) 
(2)  How the world drinks, Kantar 2022
(3)  CGA, 4 weeks to 3 December 2022

 Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve (left)

 Johnnie Walker Blonde (right)

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Embed 
everyday 
efficiency 

Everyday efficiency creates the fuel that 
allows us to invest smartly and sustain 
quality growth. We want to ensure our 
resources are deployed where they are 
most effective.

This means using technology and data 
analytics to make better, faster decisions. 
It also means simplifying our business so 
that we can better meet the needs of our 
consumers and customers.

In the face of heightened inflation, more than 
ever, we have focussed on agility and speed 
to enable efficiencies across everything we 
do. These savings have been realised and 
have enabled us to continue to meet the 
needs of our customers and consumers, 
whilst still generating sufficient amounts to 
reinvest smartly.

Examples of progress in fiscal 23:
 • Delivered £450 million annualised savings 

across the end-to-end value chain

 • Began the first year of the five-year supply 

chain agility programme which will 
strengthen and make fit for the future our 
supply chain

 • Made an £82 million saving from 
procurement efficiency, which was 
impactful across all regions

 • Drove greater efficiency in our 

advertising and promotional (A&P)  
investment, with savings made through 
marketing effectiveness

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Case study: 
Logistics reinvention 

Through our logistics 
interventions, we are driving 
sufficiency, efficiency, 
sustainability, agility and 
resilience by focussing  
on five key areas.

1  Synchronised fulfilment 
We revised our operating strategy by identifying 
never out of stock and strategic brands and 
products, which account for 80% of our revenue. 
Focussing on these stock keeping units has 
enabled us to service our customers faster, 
cutting cost, lead-time and carbon.

2  Alternative routes, ports,  
carriers and modes
In order to avoid congestion, we contracted 
alternative transportation routes, ports, 
carriers and modes. For example, we 
transferred a significant portion of our 
movements in Scotland from ships to rail.

3  Multi-dimensional  
partnerships with suppliers, 
customers and industry 
We built stronger partnerships with our 
customers, our suppliers and the industry, 
working closer and more collaboratively. For 
example, we evolved our partnership with 
ocean freight carrier CMA, becoming their 
largest transatlantic customer to better 
support both parties.

4  Supply network design  
and investment 
We studied our logistics process end-to-end, 
from the plant to the customer, which helped 
us anticipate and manage disruptions, 
allowing us to deliver to markets more quickly 
and efficiently. Additionally, by using regional 
hubs, we also brought products closer to our 
end customers and consumers.

5  Digitisation
All of this has been underpinned by strategic 
interventions on digitisation. We have 
real-time insights to anticipate supply chain 
blockages, enabling us to take timely action. 
We have been spearheading the use of 
automation such as bots and intelligent 
automation as a way to make the best 
decision at any point. We are also 
implementing artificial intelligence in our 
order cycle to optimise product availability, 
container fill rate and pricing.

 Colleague in Cambus (left) 

 Guinness keg plant (right)

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S T R A T E G I C   P R I O R I T I E S  c o n t i n u e d

Invest  
smartly

We continually invest in the future success 
of our business – but that investment needs 
to be smart to support the delivery of 
consistent performance and enable 
sustainable, quality growth.

This year, we have balanced quality 
growth and volume by driving pricing and 
mix to increase premiumisation. We have 
also optimised commercial decisions to 
best sustain long-term growth.

We are constantly making investments across 
our business in different areas to ensure we 
are delivering consistent growth. 

This includes investing in our supply chain, 
including transforming the end-to-end supply 
network across our physical assets, as well as 
in our technical and digital capabilities.

Examples of progress in fiscal 23: 
 • Maintained our 18% investment in A&P, 
enabling us to continue to invest behind 
and grow our brands

 • Invested in premium, high-growth 

categories, such as tequila, as well as 
brands like Don Papa Rum

 • We significantly stepped up investments in 

key digital and experiential areas, including 
our Direct to Consumer (D2C) platform

 • In sustainability, we invested capex in 

data foundations and decarbonising our 
supply chain

 • Committed more than £60 million in capex 
funding for water efficiency projects over 
the next three years 

 • We have hired colleagues with the aim of 
building the internal capabilities necessary 
to deliver on our 2030 target

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Case study: 
Tequila

With the popularity of tequila 
on the rise(1), we saw an 
opportunity to be a driver of 
growth in the category. 

We did this by investing in 
strategic key areas.

(1) 

IWSR, 2022

 Casamigos mason jar (above)

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Saving water
The drone is also more efficient from a water 
saving perspective, using 70% less water than 
manual applications, as well as decreasing 
costs and having a positive impact on our 
carbon footprint through reducing the 
requirement for vehicles.

Because of this, water savings in fiscal 23 are 
expected to be 5.5 million litres, aiding us 
further in our water stewardship ambitions.

Digitising our supply chain
As we seek to further digitise our supply chain 
processes, we have designed and implemented 
the first ever digital planning tool on aged 
liquid, including the rotation of barrels 
between different age groups. 

In addition, we have introduced an advanced 
supply planning tool which should enable us 
to drive end-to-end scenario planning and 
inventory optimisation.

The investment actions that we are taking now, 
and those we have planned for the future, will 
support our plans to take tequila global.

Investing in new distilleries
In September 2021, we announced plans to 
expand our tequila manufacturing footprint 
in Mexico through an investment of more 
than £400 million. 

In fiscal 23, £160 million of this investment was 
spent on the construction of two new distilleries 
in the state of Jalisco, building further resiliency 
into our tequila supply chain and supporting 
growth in the category by increasing production 
capacity. Because of this, we can now operate 
24 hours a day. 

The first of the two distilleries is expected to be 
operational by fiscal 24 Q1, and the second 
expected in fiscal 25 Q1.

Using new technologies to drive 
efficiency 
As part of our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ 
ESG action plan, we have been investing 
in innovative environmentally friendly 
technologies. This includes drones which can 
count the number of agave plants in a field 
with greater accuracy and efficiency than 
manual processes. 

Traditionally, spraying agave fields was done 
manually and had to take place in the night 
or very early in the morning. Operating in 
darkness created high complexity, including 
the risk of injury, wildlife attacks and exposure 
to harmful agricultural supplies. 

Using drones has not only ensured the safety of 
our workers, but has also meant we can spray 
between 20-30 hectares of agave a day, the 
equivalent of the work of 30 people.

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B U S I N E S S   M O D E L 

Creating a 
sustainable business 

We deliver our strategic priorities through a business model 
that leverages global and local expertise, has the consumer at 
its heart and puts our responsibilities to our stakeholders front 
and centre. Since launching our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress’ ESG action plan, we have set out to help create 
a more inclusive and sustainable world, creating a positive 
impact in our company, and for our society.

What we do

1. We source  
From smallholder farmers in 
Africa and Mexico to 
multinational companies, we 
work with our suppliers to 
procure high-quality raw 
materials and services, with 
environmental sustainability in 
mind. Where it is practicable, 
we source locally

2. We innovate 
Using our deep understanding 
of trends and consumer 
socialising occasions, we focus 
on driving sustainable 
innovation that provides new 
products and experiences for 
consumers, whether they choose 
to drink alcohol or not

3. We make 
We distil, brew and bottle our 
spirits and beer brands through 
a globally coordinated supply 
operation, working to the 
highest quality and 
manufacturing standards. 
Where it makes sense, we 
produce locally

4. We transport
We move our products to where 
they need to be in the world, 
whether that’s from a local 
distillery in market or shipping 
scotch around the world

5. We sell to customers  
We grow by working closely 
with our customers. Our global 
and local sales teams use our 
data, digital tools and insights to 
extend our sales reach, improve 
our execution and help 
generate value for us and for 
our customers. When our 
customers grow, we grow too

6. We market  
to consumers 
We invest in world-class 
marketing to responsibly 
build vibrant brands that resonate 
with our consumers. We have a 
rigorous global Marketing Code 
and belong to the Global Alliance 
for Responsible Media, working 
with peers to push for 
further consumer and 
brand safeguards

7. We help consumers 
celebrate
We continually evolve our 
data tools to understand 
consumers’ attitudes and 
motivations. We convert this 
information into insights which 
enable us to respond with 
agility to our consumers’ 
interests and preferences

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Our core competencies

The ability to work our business model hard to deliver success comes from our strength 
across several key areas. These core competencies set us apart from our competition.

World-class brand 
building
Our track record shows us to be 
experts in innovation and brand 
building. This is vital in order to 
first make the right products, 
and then be able to take those 
products to consumers and help 
them celebrate.  

Supply chain  
efficiency 
We are constantly striving for 
excellence across our supply 
chain, finding ways to improve 
across all components and 
sites, whether that’s research 
and development, brewing 
or packaging.  

Entrepreneurial  
spirit
Our inclusive, collaborative 
culture enables us to work 
together in a dynamic and agile 
manner, creating a vibrant 
workplace as well as delivering 
our Performance Ambition. 

 Read more on pages 26-27

 Read more on pages 28-29

 Read more on pages 30-31

Creating value

Our business model allows us  
to create value across four  
main areas: 

Financial – for  
our investors

Human – for our people, 
suppliers, customers and 
consumers

Social – for our 
communities

Natural – for our 
environment

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 Smirnoff orange smash

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W O R L D - C L A S S   B R A N D   B U I L D I N G

The year Guinness 
became Great Britain’s 
favourite pint

This includes scaling up our alcohol-free 
option, Guinness 0.0, growing our distribution 
and introducing new packs in the off-trade 
and launching in the on-trade. In the 
off-trade, the Guinness 0.0 four-pack was 
recently the number one non-alcoholic item 
by value and volume in Great Britain.(4) 

And, in support of our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress’ ESG action plan to promote positive 
drinking, we put Guinness 0.0 at the heart of 
the Six Nations Championship. 

New products have also been key. ‘Guinness 
Nitrosurge’, a first-of-its-kind device that 
allows Guinness fans to enjoy the two-part 
pour at home, was rolled out in Great Britain 
in fiscal 23, premiumising the Guinness  
experience in new spaces.

These unique abilities are underpinned 
by world-class brand building. We are 
consistently leveraging our distinctive assets 
and deep understanding of our consumers, 
all powered by precision marketing. 

This is the reason why in fiscal 23, more new 
consumers drank Guinness than ever before.

Secrets to success
Guinness, which has been around for over 
two centuries, still manages to firmly embed 
itself in culture with its visual distinctiveness.  
In Great Britain, ‘the black stuff’ is heavily 
associated with events like St Patrick’s Day 
and the Six Nations rugby – because of this, 
Guinness saw a record on-trade share of  
12.1% in March 2023.(2)

But the brand is not only focussed on select 
moments or seasons. Guinness has been 
making its biggest marketing investment to 
date in celebrations around the calendar 
such as Christmas and summer – including 
launching the ‘Lovely Day For A Guinness’ 
campaign which truly captures the 
summer feeling.

Guinness also has an ability to spot trends 
and jump on new opportunities. This year, the 
brand partnered with the Women’s Six 
Nations and viral DJ, Fred Again. 

Choosing authentic partners in Great Britain, 
who are both established and emerging 
in terms of recognition, has enabled the 
brand to increase +60bps to 3.6% among 
women and +80bps to 7.7% amongst 
18-34 year olds.(3)

While the recipe remains relatively 
unchanged, the Guinness brand is 
continually evolving and we actively 
pursue innovation. In fact, we are currently 
sustaining our biggest innovation pipeline 
in the last 30 years. 

Great Britain 
loves Guinness. 
So much so, for the first 
time ever, in December 
2022, Guinness became 
Britain’s number one beer 
in the on-trade.(1)

(1)  CGA, 4 weeks to 3 December 2022
(2)  Neilsen, 2023
(3)  Kantar, 2023 
(4) 

IWSR, 2022

 Guinness 0.0. (above)

 ‘Lovely Day For A Guinness’ campaign (right)

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Unboxing premium  
scotch to reduce waste

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After a successful test, we were able to 
expand the project internationally. The first 
phase was delivered over fiscal 23, and we 
plan to roll it out to new markets in fiscal 24. 
The work is a continuation of Diageo’s 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ESG action 
plan to help create a more inclusive and 
sustainable world. 

Promising results
In fiscal 23, this new workstream has 
resulted in: 

141 million 

cardboard boxes eliminated from  
our supply chain

c.5,520 tonnes

reduction in carbon emissions

A little over 150 years ago, 
Johnnie Walker had a 
packaging problem. Too 
many bottles were being 
broken in transit over 
choppy seas. The solution? 
The iconic ‘square’ bottle: 
packaging that could 
be stacked safely 
and efficiently. 

Today, we continue that 
tradition of finding new 
ways to solve problems.

Bottles included in the trial

Diageo remains as proud of its whiskies as 
ever, and no less careful with its packaging. 
But in the modern world, the task is different. 
Our packaging is already robust; now it must 
become sustainable too.  

Packaging is synonymous with waste, and 
too many industries have adopted a 
‘take-make-dispose’ model. At Diageo, 
we want to change this. We believe 
convenience should not come at the cost 
of our natural resources. 

At the beginning of fiscal 23, we began a 
thorough review of our whiskies and came to 
the conclusion that not only could we change 
our packaging, but in some places, we could 
get rid of it altogether. 

This is why we started our work to phase out 
cardboard gift boxes across a selection of 
products in our premium scotch portfolio. 
After all, the luxury of our products is in the 
liquid, not the packaging.

Solving a problem at scale 
The next step was to bring a team together. 
With the sheer scale of the project, and the 
range of packaging across different markets, 
we gathered a group with global and 
cross-functional expertise. The taskforce 
worked to scope out the project, agree 
timelines, communicate to customers and 
make sure every market was aligned. To 
minimise disruption to our supply chain, the 
project was initially rolled out across selected 
markets, testing the consumer response and 
assessing if waste could really be reduced. 

 Bottling Johnnie Walker (left)

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E N T R E P R E N E U R I A L   S P I R I T

Challenging 
traditional marketing 
concepts in Brazil

In fiscal 23, organic net 
sales in Latin America 
and Caribbean increased 
by 9% and we plan 
to keep growing. 

Part of our growth plan in 
the region is making critical 
investments in one of the 
most rapidly advancing 
parts of our business: 
digital marketing.  

Led by consumers
In Brazil, we have invested in a new content 
laboratory. This is an interactive, digital 
platform run by a team of creators who 
monitor everything consumers are talking 
about, searching for, listening to or sharing 
online – in real time. It’s part of our evolution 
from precision marketing to predictive 
marketing, not only listening to what 
consumers want, but anticipating future 
trends, too. The content lab is a complete 
shift in communication, putting our brands at 
the heart of communities. 

Together, these innovations are challenging 
the notions of traditional marketing. Diageo’s 
digital tools mean communication is no 
longer one-way, with brands talking to 
consumers, but consumers talking to each 
other: a more collective way of engaging with 
online culture. And it’s working. Since our 
content lab was launched, Diageo’s whisky 
brands in the region have expanded their 
leading share of consumer engagement, 
growing ‘talkability’ share by +7ppt.(1)

Growing our  
e-commerce offering
For more than a decade, our award-winning 
website, TheBar.com, has helped customers 
to make cocktails at home. It has also been 
a key driver of our digital performance, 
connecting people directly to Diageo’s 
brands through recipes, luxury gifts and 
personalised engraving. Brazil now hosts 
the site’s biggest operation worldwide, with 
an omnichannel approach that combines 
physical stores and online engagement in 
a powerful media engine.

Expertise across borders
This year, we also set up Diageo’s first 
digital hub in Latin America, allowing us to 
share analytics, media insights, online 
commerce and scalable content 
across countries. 

The new hub has helped us engage more 
closely with the people buying our brands. 
It means we can create more relevant 
content, engage in live conversations,  
and be more responsive to what 
consumers are saying online. 

The hub has also enabled Diageo to scale up 
its key capabilities from one market to 
another – getting data from Colombia to 
Mexico, fast. Artificial intelligence helps tailor 
our work to local social media algorithms, 
which has enabled us to optimise our media 
in more than 37% of the region.

(1)  Sprinklr, 2022

 Colleagues meeting (above)

 Johnnie Walker Brasil Instagram (right)

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Monitoring performance and progress

Reported measures
Reported measures

Net sales growth (%)
Net sales growth (%)

Operating profit growth (%)
Operating profit growth (%)

Basic earnings per share (pence)
Basic earnings per share (pence)

2023

2022

2021

2020

(8.7)

2019

10.7

8.3

5.8

21.4

2023

2022

2021

2020

(47.1)

2019

5.1

18.2

9.5

74.6

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

164.9

140.2

60.1

113.8

130.7

Definition
Definition
Sales growth after deducting excise duties.
Sales growth after deducting excise duties.

Non-GAAP measures
Non-GAAP measures

Organic net sales growth (%)(1) 
Organic net sales growth (%)(1) 

6.5%
6.5%

2023

2022

2021

2020

(8.4)

2019

6.5

6.1

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K

21.4

16.0

Definition
Definition
Sales growth after deducting excise duties, 
Sales growth after deducting excise duties, 
excluding the impact of exchange rate 
excluding the impact of exchange rate 
movements, hyperinflation adjustment and 
movements, hyperinflation adjustment and 
acquisitions and disposals. 
acquisitions and disposals. 

Why we measure
Why we measure
This measure reflects our delivery of efficient 
This measure reflects our delivery of efficient 
growth and consistent value creation. Organic net 
growth and consistent value creation. Organic net 
sales growth is the result of the choices we make 
sales growth is the result of the choices we make 
between categories and market participation, 
between categories and market participation, 
and reflects Diageo’s ability to build brand equity, 
and reflects Diageo’s ability to build brand equity, 
increase prices and grow market share.
increase prices and grow market share.

Performance
Performance
Reported net sales grew 10.7%, driven by strong 
Reported net sales grew 10.7%, driven by strong 
organic growth and favourable foreign exchange 
organic growth and favourable foreign exchange 
impacts. Organic net sales growth of 6.5% 
impacts. Organic net sales growth of 6.5% 
reflects 7.3 percentage points of positive price/
reflects 7.3 percentage points of positive price/
mix and a decline in organic volume of 0.8%. 
mix and a decline in organic volume of 0.8%. 
Four out of five regions delivered growth, despite 
Four out of five regions delivered growth, despite 
lapping strong double-digit growth at the group 
lapping strong double-digit growth at the group 
level in fiscal 22. Price/mix was driven by price 
level in fiscal 22. Price/mix was driven by price 
increases and premiumisation. 
increases and premiumisation. 

Operating profit growth, including  
Operating profit growth, including  
exceptional operating items.
exceptional operating items.

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of 
Profit attributable to equity shareholders of 
the parent company, divided by the weighted 
the parent company, divided by the weighted 
average number of shares in issue.
average number of shares in issue.

Organic operating profit  
Organic operating profit  
growth (%)(1)
growth (%)(1)
7.0%
7.0%

2023

2022

2021

2020

(14.4)

2019

7.0

9.0

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26.3

17.7

Earnings per share before  
Earnings per share before  
exceptional items (pence)(1)
exceptional items (pence)(1)
163.5p
163.5p

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

117.5

109.4

130.8

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K

163.5

151.9

Organic operating profit growth is calculated  
Organic operating profit growth is calculated  
on a constant currency basis, excluding the 
on a constant currency basis, excluding the 
impact of exceptional items, certain fair value 
impact of exceptional items, certain fair value 
remeasurement, hyperinflation adjustment and 
remeasurement, hyperinflation adjustment and 
acquisitions and disposals.
acquisitions and disposals.

Profit before exceptional items attributable to 
Profit before exceptional items attributable to 
equity shareholders of the parent company, 
equity shareholders of the parent company, 
divided by the weighted average number of 
divided by the weighted average number of 
shares in issue.
shares in issue.

The movement in operating profit measures our 
The movement in operating profit measures our 
delivery of efficient growth and consistent value 
delivery of efficient growth and consistent value 
creation. Consistent operating profit growth  
creation. Consistent operating profit growth  
is a business imperative, driven by investment 
is a business imperative, driven by investment 
choices, our focus on driving out costs across the 
choices, our focus on driving out costs across the 
business and improving mix.
business and improving mix.

Earnings per share reflects the profitability of the 
Earnings per share reflects the profitability of the 
business and how effectively we finance our 
business and how effectively we finance our 
balance sheet. Eps measures our delivery of 
balance sheet. Eps measures our delivery of 
efficient growth in the year and consistent value 
efficient growth in the year and consistent value 
creation over time.
creation over time.

Reported operating profit grew 5.1%, mainly 
Reported operating profit grew 5.1%, mainly 
driven by growth in organic operating profit and 
driven by growth in organic operating profit and 
positive impacts from exchange rate movements. 
positive impacts from exchange rate movements. 
These favourable items were largely offset by the 
These favourable items were largely offset by the 
negative impact of exceptional operating items, 
negative impact of exceptional operating items, 
primarily non-cash impairments related to India 
primarily non-cash impairments related to India 
and the supply chain agility programme. Organic 
and the supply chain agility programme. Organic 
operating profit grew 7.0%, ahead of organic net 
operating profit grew 7.0%, ahead of organic net 
sales growth, driven by growth across all regions 
sales growth, driven by growth across all regions 
except North America. 
except North America. 

Basic eps increased 24.7 pence, mainly driven by 
Basic eps increased 24.7 pence, mainly driven by 
organic operating profit growth and exceptional 
organic operating profit growth and exceptional 
items, partially offset by increased finance 
items, partially offset by increased finance 
charges and higher tax. Basic eps before 
charges and higher tax. Basic eps before 
exceptional items increased 11.6 pence. 
exceptional items increased 11.6 pence. 

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Reported measures
Reported measures

Net cash from operating activities  
Net cash from operating activities  
(£ million)
(£ million)

Return on closing invested  
Return on closing invested  
capital (%)
capital (%)

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

3,024

3,935

3,654

2,320

3,248

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

40.5

35.1

33.2

32.9

17.2

Definition
Definition
Net cash from operating activities  
Net cash from operating activities  
comprises the net cash flow from operating 
comprises the net cash flow from operating 
activities as disclosed on the face of the 
activities as disclosed on the face of the 
consolidated statement of cash flows.
consolidated statement of cash flows.

Non-GAAP measures
Non-GAAP measures

Free cash flow (£ million)(1),(2) 
Free cash flow (£ million)(1),(2) 

1,800m
1,800m

R

K

Profit for the year divided by net assets at the 
Profit for the year divided by net assets at the 
end of the financial year.
end of the financial year.

Return on average invested  
Return on average invested  
capital (ROIC) (%)(1)
capital (ROIC) (%)(1)
16.3%
16.3%

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

1,800

1,634

2,783

3,037

2,608

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

13.5

12.4

Total shareholder return (TSR) (%) 
Total shareholder return (TSR) (%) 

K

16.3

16.8

(2)%
(2)%

2023

2022

2021

2020

(19)

15.1

2019

(2)

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Definition
Definition
Free cash flow comprises the net cash flow from 
Free cash flow comprises the net cash flow from 
operating activities aggregated with the net cash 
operating activities aggregated with the net cash 
received/paid for working capital loans 
received/paid for working capital loans 
receivable and other investments, and the net 
receivable and other investments, and the net 
cash expenditure paid for property, plant and 
cash expenditure paid for property, plant and 
equipment, and computer software.
equipment, and computer software.

Why we measure
Why we measure
Free cash flow is a key indicator of the financial 
Free cash flow is a key indicator of the financial 
management of the business. Free cash flow 
management of the business. Free cash flow 
reflects the delivery of efficient growth and 
reflects the delivery of efficient growth and 
consistent value creation as it measures the cash 
consistent value creation as it measures the cash 
generated by the business to fund payments to 
generated by the business to fund payments to 
our shareholders and future growth. 
our shareholders and future growth. 

Performance
Performance
Net cash from operating activities was £3,024 
Net cash from operating activities was £3,024 
million, a decrease of £911 million compared to 
million, a decrease of £911 million compared to 
fiscal 22. Free cash flow declined by £983 million 
fiscal 22. Free cash flow declined by £983 million 
to £1,800 million. Free cash flow declined as 
to £1,800 million. Free cash flow declined as 
strong growth in operating profit and favourable 
strong growth in operating profit and favourable 
foreign exchange impacts were more than 
foreign exchange impacts were more than 
offset by higher year-on-year working capital 
offset by higher year-on-year working capital 
outflows, tax payments, interest paid and 
outflows, tax payments, interest paid and 
capital investment.
capital investment.

Profit before finance charges and exceptional 
Profit before finance charges and exceptional 
items attributable to equity shareholders divided 
items attributable to equity shareholders divided 
by average invested capital. Invested capital 
by average invested capital. Invested capital 
comprises net assets aggregated with 
comprises net assets aggregated with 
exceptional restructuring costs and goodwill 
exceptional restructuring costs and goodwill 
at the date of transition to IFRS, excluding net  
at the date of transition to IFRS, excluding net  
post employment benefit assets/liabilities, 
post employment benefit assets/liabilities, 
net borrowings and non-controlling interests.
net borrowings and non-controlling interests.

Percentage growth in the value of a Diageo share 
Percentage growth in the value of a Diageo share 
(assuming all dividends and capital distributions 
(assuming all dividends and capital distributions 
are re-invested).
are re-invested).

ROIC is used by management to assess the 
ROIC is used by management to assess the 
return obtained from the group’s asset base. 
return obtained from the group’s asset base. 
Over time, ROIC reflects consistent value creation, 
Over time, ROIC reflects consistent value creation, 
as the returns Diageo generates from its asset 
as the returns Diageo generates from its asset 
base are both reinvested in the business and 
base are both reinvested in the business and 
used to generate returns for investors through 
used to generate returns for investors through 
dividends and return of capital programmes. 
dividends and return of capital programmes. 

Diageo’s Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to 
Diageo’s Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to 
maximise long-term value for shareholders. TSR 
maximise long-term value for shareholders. TSR 
measures consistent value creation as it reflects the 
measures consistent value creation as it reflects the 
returns Diageo has delivered to investors in the 
returns Diageo has delivered to investors in the 
year and over time. We also monitor our relative 
year and over time. We also monitor our relative 
TSR performance against our peers.
TSR performance against our peers.

ROIC decreased 50bps, mainly driven by 
ROIC decreased 50bps, mainly driven by 
increased capex, maturing stock investment and 
increased capex, maturing stock investment and 
continued portfolio optimisation through 
continued portfolio optimisation through 
acquisitions and disposals. The decline was 
acquisitions and disposals. The decline was 
partially offset by higher organic operating profit 
partially offset by higher organic operating profit 
growth, net of higher tax. 
growth, net of higher tax. 

TSR was down 2% over the past 12 months driven 
TSR was down 2% over the past 12 months driven 
by the lower year-on-year share price. 
by the lower year-on-year share price. 

 More detail on page 37

 More detail on page 37

 More detail on page 38

 More detail on page 39

 More detail on page 39

(1)  Organic net sales growth, organic operating profit growth, earnings per share before exceptional items, free cash flow and return on average invested capital are non-GAAP measures. 

See definitions and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to GAAP measures on pages 232-239.

(2)  For reward purposes this measure is further adjusted for the impact of exchange rates, hyperinflation adjustment and other factors not controlled by management, to ensure focus on our 

R

Remuneration: Some KPIs are used as a measure in the incentive plan for the remuneration of executives. 
See our Directors’ remuneration report from page 126 for more detail. 

K

KPI: Key Performance Indicator

underlying performance drivers.

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Non-financial performance
Non-financial performance

Positive drinking
Positive drinking

Employee engagement (%)
Employee engagement (%)
84%
84%

Health and safety (LTA) 
Health and safety (LTA) 
0.91
0.91

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Number of people 
Number of people 
educated on the 
educated on the 
dangers of underage 
dangers of underage 
drinking through a 
drinking through a 
Diageo supported 
Diageo supported 
education programme
education programme

1,985,817
1,985,817
(2022: 607,374)
(2022: 607,374)

Total to date: 
Total to date: 
3.8m(1)
3.8m(1)

2023

2022

2021

2020

N/A(2)

2019

84%

82%

81%

80%

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

0.91

0.92

1.03

0.98

0.60

Definition
Definition
Number of people educated on the dangers 
Number of people educated on the dangers 
of underage drinking through a Diageo 
of underage drinking through a Diageo 
supported education programme. 
supported education programme. 

Measured through our Your Voice survey; 
Measured through our Your Voice survey; 
includes metrics for employee satisfaction, 
includes metrics for employee satisfaction, 
advocacy and pride.(3)
advocacy and pride.(3)

Number of accidents per 1,000 full-time 
Number of accidents per 1,000 full-time 
employees, directly supervised temporary 
employees, directly supervised temporary 
staff and contractors resulting in time lost 
staff and contractors resulting in time lost 
from work of one calendar day or more.
from work of one calendar day or more.

Why we measure
Why we measure
We want to change the way the world drinks 
We want to change the way the world drinks 
for the better by promoting moderation and 
for the better by promoting moderation and 
addressing the harmful use of alcohol. We 
addressing the harmful use of alcohol. We 
build credibility and trust by transparently 
build credibility and trust by transparently 
reporting the total number of people 
reporting the total number of people 
educated on the dangers of underage 
educated on the dangers of underage 
drinking. This figure also demonstrates our 
drinking. This figure also demonstrates our 
commitment to engaging people on the 
commitment to engaging people on the 
dangers of harmful alcohol use.
dangers of harmful alcohol use.

Performance
Performance
This year we implemented SMASHED Live in 
This year we implemented SMASHED Live in 
10 new countries and SMASHED Online in 
10 new countries and SMASHED Online in 
12 new countries. We educated 1,985,817 
12 new countries. We educated 1,985,817 
young people about the dangers of 
young people about the dangers of 
underage drinking.
underage drinking.

Employee engagement is a key enabler of 
Employee engagement is a key enabler of 
our performance, as our people deliver our 
our performance, as our people deliver our 
strategy. The survey allows us to measure the 
strategy. The survey allows us to measure the 
extent to which employees believe we are 
extent to which employees believe we are 
living our values and is a measure of our 
living our values and is a measure of our 
culture. Reflecting on the results of our 
culture. Reflecting on the results of our 
employee engagement level and taking 
employee engagement level and taking 
action where needed each year helps us 
action where needed each year helps us 
build credibility and trust with our people.
build credibility and trust with our people.

Health and safety is a basic human right; our 
Health and safety is a basic human right; our 
Zero Harm philosophy is that everyone 
Zero Harm philosophy is that everyone 
should go home safe and healthy, every day, 
should go home safe and healthy, every day, 
everywhere. The LTA measure demonstrates 
everywhere. The LTA measure demonstrates 
our engagement with our people on safety 
our engagement with our people on safety 
and delivering on our Zero Harm philosophy 
and delivering on our Zero Harm philosophy 
and through reduced LTA builds credibility 
and through reduced LTA builds credibility 
and trust.
and trust.

This year 90% of our people completed our 
This year 90% of our people completed our 
Your Voice survey. 84% were identified as 
Your Voice survey. 84% were identified as 
engaged. 91% declared themselves proud to 
engaged. 91% declared themselves proud to 
work for Diageo, 84% would recommend 
work for Diageo, 84% would recommend 
Diageo as a great place to work and 77% 
Diageo as a great place to work and 77% 
were extremely satisfied with Diageo as a 
were extremely satisfied with Diageo as a 
place to work. 
place to work. 

This year’s rate of 0.91 is a marginal 
This year’s rate of 0.91 is a marginal 
improvement on fiscal 22 performance. 
improvement on fiscal 22 performance. 
Whilst the numbers of lost-time accidents 
Whilst the numbers of lost-time accidents 
decreased, the severity rate relating to 
decreased, the severity rate relating to 
lost-time accidents increased due to a 
lost-time accidents increased due to a 
carry-over of days lost for accidents in 2022. 
carry-over of days lost for accidents in 2022. 
Severity rate is a measure of the seriousness 
Severity rate is a measure of the seriousness 
of the incident and consequent absence 
of the incident and consequent absence 
from work.
from work.

Non-financial performance
Non-financial performance

Inclusion and diversity
Inclusion and diversity

Water efficiency(4)
Water efficiency(4)
4.14
4.14

Carbon emissions(4)
Carbon emissions(4)
401
401

Percentage of female leaders 
globally

Percentage of ethnically 
diverse leaders globally

R

K

44%
(2022: 44%)

 43%
(2022: 41%)

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

R

K

R

K

4.14

4.09

4.26

4.57

4.70

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

401

424

445

470

508

S
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A
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I

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Definition
Definition
The percentage of women and the 
The percentage of women and the 
percentage of ethnically diverse individuals 
percentage of ethnically diverse individuals 
who are in Diageo leadership roles. 
who are in Diageo leadership roles. 

Why we measure
Why we measure
Nurturing an inclusive and diverse culture 
Nurturing an inclusive and diverse culture 
drives commercial performance and is the 
drives commercial performance and is the 
right thing to do. Transparently reporting the 
right thing to do. Transparently reporting the 
gender and ethnic diversity of our leadership 
gender and ethnic diversity of our leadership 
cohort reflects our commitment to consistent 
cohort reflects our commitment to consistent 
value creation through our diverse workforce, 
value creation through our diverse workforce, 
building credibility and trust with our 
building credibility and trust with our 
stakeholders and engaging with our people 
stakeholders and engaging with our people 
on inclusion and diversity.
on inclusion and diversity.

Performance
Performance
This year 44% of our leadership roles were 
This year 44% of our leadership roles were 
held by women, the same percentage as last 
held by women, the same percentage as last 
year and 43% of our leaders were ethnically 
year and 43% of our leaders were ethnically 
diverse, compared with 41% last year. 
diverse, compared with 41% last year. 

Water use efficiency per litre of product 
Water use efficiency per litre of product 
packaged (litres/litre).
packaged (litres/litre).

Total direct and indirect carbon 
Total direct and indirect carbon 
emissions by weight (market/net based) 
emissions by weight (market/net based) 
(1,000 tonnes CO2e).
(1,000 tonnes CO2e).

Water is the main ingredient in all of our 
Water is the main ingredient in all of our 
brands. We aim to improve efficiency, and 
brands. We aim to improve efficiency, and 
minimise our water use, particularly in 
minimise our water use, particularly in 
water-stressed areas. Reporting on our efforts 
water-stressed areas. Reporting on our efforts 
to increase water efficiency builds credibility 
to increase water efficiency builds credibility 
and trust and helps us engage with our 
and trust and helps us engage with our 
stakeholders on this important topic. Our 
stakeholders on this important topic. Our 
efforts to increase our water efficiency also 
efforts to increase our water efficiency also 
reflect our commitment to deliver consistent 
reflect our commitment to deliver consistent 
value creation by future proofing our business 
value creation by future proofing our business 
to the impacts of climate change.
to the impacts of climate change.

Mitigating our impact on climate change is a 
Mitigating our impact on climate change is a 
business imperative. Reporting in detail on 
business imperative. Reporting in detail on 
our efforts to reduce carbon emissions from 
our efforts to reduce carbon emissions from 
our direct operations, even when it is 
our direct operations, even when it is 
challenging to do, demonstrates our 
challenging to do, demonstrates our 
commitment to reduce our contribution to 
commitment to reduce our contribution to 
global warming and helps build credibility 
global warming and helps build credibility 
and trust. This is an important topic for our 
and trust. This is an important topic for our 
business and external stakeholders and 
business and external stakeholders and 
supports our commitment to consistent value 
supports our commitment to consistent value 
creation by future proofing our business. 
creation by future proofing our business. 

Fiscal 23 saw changes to our production 
Fiscal 23 saw changes to our production 
profile which drove a 1.2% reduction in 
profile which drove a 1.2% reduction in 
efficiency overall despite implementation of a 
efficiency overall despite implementation of a 
number of water efficiency projects. Our 
number of water efficiency projects. Our 
water efficiency has increased by 9.4% 
water efficiency has increased by 9.4% 
against the 2020 baseline.
against the 2020 baseline.

Our direct operations carbon emissions 
Our direct operations carbon emissions 
reduced by 5.4% in fiscal 23. The main 
reduced by 5.4% in fiscal 23. The main 
drivers contributing to the lower emissions are 
drivers contributing to the lower emissions are 
the beneficial impact from our East Africa 
the beneficial impact from our East Africa 
biomass plants and increases in use of liquid 
biomass plants and increases in use of liquid 
biofuel and renewable electricity.
biofuel and renewable electricity.

 More detail on page 58

 More detail on page 63

 More detail on page 65

 More detail on page 67

 More detail on page 79

 More detail on page 82

(1) 

The baseline year for our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ goals is 2020 unless otherwise stated. For our target to educate 10 million young people, parents and teachers on the dangers 
of underage drinking the baseline year is 2018.

(2)  Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 we did not run a full Your Voice survey. Instead we used a pulse survey tool to listen to employees’ feedback and learn from their experiences 

(3) 

(4) 

of working during the pandemic. We therefore do not have a comparable employee engagement metric for 2020.
In 2021, we updated the way we measure employee engagement in our Your Voice survey to bring it in line with standard practice. The 2019 survey results have been restated to reflect 
the use of the same three questions applied in the 2021-2023 surveys (satisfaction, advocacy and pride).
In accordance with Diageo’s environmental reporting methodologies and, where relevant, WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol; data for 2019, the baseline year 2020 and for the intervening 
period up to the end of last financial year has been restated where relevant.

R

Remuneration: Some KPIs are used as a measure in the incentive plan for the remuneration of executives. 
See our Directors’ remuneration report from page 126 for more detail. 

K

KPI: Key Performance Indicator

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

35

 
SU MMARY  FI NANCIAL REVIEW

Chief Financial Officer’s introduction

Chief Financial Officer's introduction
Summary financial review
Business review

Intro
North America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America and Caribbean
Africa
Category and brand review

Group financial review

Pages
36
37-39

40-41
42-43
44-45
46-47
48-49
50-51
52-53
54-56

Reported net sales growth
10.7% á

Organic net sales growth(1)
6.5% á

Net cash from operating 
activities
£3,024m â
Free cash flow(1)
£1,800m â

Return on closing 
invested capital
40.5% á
Return on average 
invested capital(1)
16.3% â
Total shareholder return
(2)% â

Reported operating profit 
growth
5.1% á
Organic operating profit 
growth(1)
7.0% á
Basic earnings per share
164.9 pence á

Earnings per share before 
exceptional items(1)
163.5 pence á

(1) Organic net sales growth, organic operating profit growth, earnings per share before 
exceptional items, free cash flow and return on average invested capital are non-
GAAP measures. See definitions and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to GAAP 
measures on pages 232-239.

"I am encouraged by our fiscal 23 results which 
were in line with our medium-term guidance 
despite ongoing economic volatility and 
continued inflationary pressure. Our diversified 
portfolio and profitable growth algorithm 
continue to deliver sustainable growth, and our 
consistent productivity savings enables us to 
smartly reinvest in our brands.
I am pleased with our performance in fiscal 23. We delivered a strong 
set of results, despite ongoing global economic volatility and continued 
inflationary pressure. Both organic net sales and organic operating profit 
growth were within our medium-term guidance. Our advantaged portfolio 
of brands and diversified global footprint continue to fuel sustainable 
growth on top of two consecutive years of double-digit growth. 

Our profitable growth algorithm underpins this strong top line 
performance. Our focus on quality sustainable growth is backed by 
investing smartly in marketing and data analytics tools to support our 
outstanding brand-building capabilities, active portfolio management 
and consumer-led innovation. Combined with our agile and dynamic 
supply chain and operational capabilities, they enable us to deliver 
sustainable, long-term growth. Alongside premiumising our portfolio, 
we are strategically increasing price and driving productivity, all of 
which enables us to invest smartly in the long-term. 

We drove £450 million in productivity savings in fiscal 23 and delivered 
our highest-ever contribution from supply initiatives. These productivity 
savings fuelled a 6% increase in marketing spend and delivered 
organic operating margin expansion of 15bps. 

We continued our disciplined conversion of profit into cash and delivered 
free cash flow of £1.8 billion. Strong operating discipline led to a reduction in 
debtors. However, creditors declined due to the moderation of sales growth 
in the year. We remain a progressive dividend payer and in addition to 
completing our £4.5 billion multi-year return of capital programme, we also 
returned an additional half a billion pounds of capital to shareholders. In 
total, we returned £3.1 billion to shareholders through dividends and share 
buybacks in fiscal 23.

Our core capabilities, strategic priorities and highly-engaged people give 
me confidence in our ability to navigate short-term volatility and uncertainty 
while continuing to drive sustainable long-term growth and deliver 
shareholder value. 

Finally, starting in fiscal 24, in line with reporting requirements the functional 
currency of Diageo plc changed from sterling to US dollar. Diageo has also 
changed its presentation currency to US dollar."

Lavanya Chandrashekar (Chief Financial Officer)

36

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Net sales (£ million)

Reported net sales grew 10.7%  

Organic net sales grew 6.5%

Reported net sales grew 10.7%, driven by strong organic growth and 
favourable foreign exchange impacts.

Organic net sales growth of 6.5% reflects 7.3 percentage points of 
positive price/mix and a decline in organic volume of 0.8%. Four out 
of five regions delivered growth, despite lapping strong double-digit 
growth at the group level in fiscal 22. Price/mix was driven by price 
increases and premiumisation.

Organic movement

15,452

702

104

(114)

(114)

1,083

17,113

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2022

Exchange(1)

Acquisitions and 
disposals

Hyperinflation(2)

Volume

Price/mix

2023

(1)  Exchange rate movements reflect the adjustment to recalculate the reported results as if they had been generated at the prior period weighted average exchange rates. 
(2)  See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation adjustment. 

Operating profit (£ million) 
Reported operating profit grew 5.1%
Organic operating profit grew 7.0% 

Reported operating profit grew 5.1%, mainly driven by growth in 
organic operating profit and positive impacts from exchange rate 
movements. These favourable items were largely offset by the 
negative impact of exceptional operating items, primarily  non-cash 
impairments related to India and the supply chain agility programme. 

Organic operating profit grew 7.0%, ahead of organic net sales 
growth, driven by growth across all regions except North America. 

4,409

122

53

22

321

4,632

(234)

(61)

2022

Exceptional 
operating items(1)

Exchange

Acquisitions and 
disposals

FVR(2)

Hyperinflation(3)

Organic movement

2023

For further details on exceptional operating items see pages 179-181. 

(1) 
(2)  Fair value remeasurements. For further details see page 55.
(3)  See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation adjustment. 

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

37

 
  
 
SU MMARY  FI NANCIAL REVIEW   contin u ed

Operating margin (%)
Reported operating margin declined by 147bps

Organic operating margin expanded by 15bps

Reported operating margin declined by 147bps, with organic 
operating margin expansion more than offset by exceptional 
operating items, negative impact of foreign exchange, acquisitions, 
disposals and other items.

Organic operating margin expanded by 15bps, reflecting disciplined 
cost management despite inflation. Strong operating margin 
expansion in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America and Caribbean 
was partially offset by declines in North America and Europe.

Organic gross margin declined by 97bps, primarily driven by cost 
pressures. Price increases more than offset the absolute impact of 
cost inflation.

Organic movement 
 15bps

Net cash from operating activities and free 
cash flow (£ million)
Generated £3,024 million net cash from operating 
activities(1) and £1,800 million free cash flow 

Net cash from operating activities was £3,024 million, a decrease of 
£911 million compared to fiscal 22. Free cash flow declined by £983 
million to £1,800 million. 

Free cash flow declined as strong growth in operating profit and 
favourable foreign exchange impacts were more than offset by 
higher year-on-year working capital outflows, tax payments, interest 
paid and capital investment.

The higher year-on-year working capital outflow was primarily driven 
by normalisation of creditors relative to fiscal 22 as our growth rate 
moderated in fiscal 23. 

The additional tax payments were the result of increased profit 
impacting tax instalments and higher balancing payments. The 
increase in interest paid reflects the higher interest rate environment 
globally.     

S
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28.5%

23bps

14bps

98bps

27.1%

(112)bps

(58)bps

(15)bps

(97)bps

2022

Exceptional 
operating items(2)

Exchange

Acquisitions and 
disposals

Other(3)

Gross margin

Marketing

Other operating 
items

2023(1)

(1)  Operating margin in waterfall is rounded to nearest decimal place.
(2)  For further details on exceptional operating items see pages 179-181.
(3)  Fair value remeasurements and hyperinflation adjustment. For further details on fair value remeasurements see page 55. See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation 

adjustment.  

Basic earnings per share (pence)
Basic eps increased 17.6% from 140.2 pence to 164.9 
pence
Basic eps before exceptional items(1) increased 7.6% 
from 151.9 pence to 163.5 pence 

Basic eps increased 24.7 pence, mainly driven by organic operating 
profit growth and exceptional items, partially offset by increased 
finance charges and higher tax.

Basic eps before exceptional items increased 11.6 pence.

140.2

13.1

5.3

13.8

2.0

0.8

2.3

0.9

164.9

(1.7)

(2.0)

(5.5)

(4.3)

3,935

(1,152)

2,783

122

384

(996)

(87)

(252)

(226)

72

1,800

1,224

3,024

F22 Free 
cash flow

Exchange(2) Operating
  profit(3)

 Working
capital(4)

Capex

Tax

Interest

Other(5)

F22 Net 
cash from 
operating 
activities

F22 Capex 
and 
movements 
in loans 
and other 
investments

F23 Free 
cash flow

F23 Net 
cash from 
operating 
activities

F23 Capex 
and 
movements 
in loans 
and other 
investments

(1) Net cash from operating activities excludes net capex (2023 – £(1,167) million; 2022 – £(1,080) million) and movements in loans and other investments.
(2)  Exchange on operating profit before exceptional items. 
(3)  Operating profit excludes exchange, depreciation and amortisation, post employment charges of £36 million and other non-cash items.
(4)  Working capital movement includes maturing inventory. 
(5)  Other items include dividends received from associates and joint ventures, movements in loans and other investments and post employment payments.  

Return on average invested capital (%)(1)  
ROIC decreased (50)bps 

ROIC decreased (50)bps, mainly driven by increased capex, 
maturing stock investment and continued portfolio optimisation 
through acquisitions and disposals. The decline was partially offset by 
higher organic operating profit growth, net of higher tax.

16.8%

1bps

132bps

16.3%

(39)bps

(33)bps

(46)bps

(65)bps

2022

Exceptional      
items after 
tax(2)

Exchange 
on 
operating 
profit

Acquisitions      

and  
disposals(3)

Organic 
operating 
profit

Associates 
and joint 
ventures

Finance 
charges(4)

Tax(5)

Share 
buyback(3)

Non-
controlling 
interests

FVR(6)

Hyperinflation 
(operating 
profit) (7)

2023

2022

Exchange

Acquisitions and
     disposals

      Organic
operating profit

Associates and
  joint ventures

Tax

Other

2023

Includes finance charges net of tax. 

(1)  See pages 232-239 for explanation of the calculation and use of non-GAAP measures.
(2)  For further details on exceptional items see pages 179-181.
(3) 
(4)  Excludes finance charges related to acquisitions, disposals, share buybacks and includes finance charges related to hyperinflation adjustments.
(5)  Excludes tax related to acquisitions, disposals and share buybacks. 
(6)  Fair value remeasurements. For further details see page 55. 
(7)  Operating profit hyperinflation adjustment movement was £12 million compared to fiscal 22 (F23 – £22 million; F22 – £10 million). 

(1)  ROIC calculation excludes exceptional operating items from operating profit. For further details on ROIC see page 238.  

38

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39

 
Our regional profile maximises the opportunity for 
growth in our sector. Where our products are sold 
each market is accountable for its own 
performance and driving growth. 

Production facilities
The company owns manufacturing production facilities across the globe, including distilleries, breweries, packaging plants, maturation warehouses, 
cooperages, and distribution warehouses. Diageo’s brands are also produced at plants owned and operated by third parties and joint ventures at 
several locations around the world. We believe that our facilities are in good condition and working order. We have adequate capacity to meet our 
current needs, and, in the beer and spirit categories, we have undertaken activities to increase our production capacity to address our anticipated 
future demand.

The major facilities with locations, principal activities, and products are presented in the below table.

BUSINESS REV IEW 

Our global 
reach

% share of reported net sales by region(1)(2) 

North America
39%

US Spirits

Diageo Beer Company (DBC) USA
Canada
Other (principally Travel Retail)

Latin America and Caribbean
11%

Brazil

Mexico

CCA (Central America and Caribbean)

South LAC
Andean
Other
(principally Travel Retail)

Africa
10%

East Africa

Africa Regional Markets (ARM)
including Ghana, Cameroon,
Indian Ocean and Angola

Nigeria

South Africa
Other (principally Travel Retail)

Europe
21%

Great Britain 

Southern Europe

Northern Europe

Ireland
Eastern Europe
Turkey
Other (principally Travel Retail)

Asia Pacific
19%

India

Greater China

Australia
South East Asia
North Asia
Other 
(principally Travel Retail Asia and Middle East)

(1)

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a presence and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a
presence in and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a geographic region.

(2) Based on reported net sales for the year ended 30 June 2023. Does not include corporate net sales of £88 million (2022 – £54 million).

Fiscal 23

North America

Volume (EUm)
Reported net sales(1) (£ million)
Reported operating profit(2) (£ million)
Operating profit before exceptional items(3) (£ million)

Water efficiency (litres per litre of product packaged) 

Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net 
based) (1,000 tonnes CO2e)
Average number of employees(4)

52.4   

6,758   

2,592   

2,689   

5.11   

83

3,115   

Europe 

51.3   

3,569   

1,097   

1,105   

4.98   

80.8   

3,200   

432   

905   

2.91   

194

9

10,062   

9,000   

26.2   

1,799   

661   

661   

4.15   

26

4,325   

Africa

32.7 

1,699 

176 

220 

3.19 

89

3,735 

Asia Pacific

Latin America
and Caribbean

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Location
United Kingdom

Principal activities
distilling, bottling, warehousing, cooperage

Ireland

Italy

Turkey

distilling, brewing, bottling, warehousing

distilling, bottling, warehousing

distilling, bottling, warehousing

Products 
beer, scotch, gin, vodka, rum, ready to drink, non-alcoholic

beer, liqueur, Irish whiskey, non-alcoholic

vodka, rum, ready to drink, non-alcoholic

raki, vodka, gin

North America

distilling, bottling, warehousing

vodka, gin, rum, Canadian whisky, US whiskey, ready to drink

distilling, bottling,  warehousing

distilling, bottling, warehousing

cachaça, vodka, ready to drink

tequila

distilling, brewing, bottling, packaging, warehousing

beer, rum, vodka, gin, whisky, brandy, liqueur

Brazil

Mexico

East Africa

Nigeria

distilling, brewing, bottling, packaging

South Africa

distilling, bottling, warehousing

ARM

India

distilling, brewing, bottling, warehousing

distilling, bottling, warehousing

beer, rum, vodka, gin

rum, vodka, gin

beer, vodka, gin

rum, vodka, Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), whisky, scotch, gin

Australia

distilling, bottling, warehousing

rum, vodka, gin, ready to drink

For more details about our capital investments please see page 267. 

Our route to consumer
We have five different route to consumer models across our business. Most of the regions employ four of the five high level models defined below; 
however, how each model operates in certain countries will vary, as will the percentage of net sales delivered through the respective models in each 
market.  

Wholesalers and Distributors
Diageo sells to a wholesaler or distributor who also sells a range of other brands and categories directly to end outlets where consumers can 
purchase our brands. Where required, this model may include a government control board (or similar), such as in certain states in the US and 
Canada.

Modern Trade 
Diageo sells directly to a customer who owns and manages retail outlets, who then in turn sells to consumers via their outlets.  

eMarketplace
Diageo sells to a third-party digital market place customer where that customer sells to B2B customers and consumers.

Direct to Consumer
Diageo sells directly to consumers, predominantly through portals such as Thebar.com, which is a growing route to consumer model for our 
business. It allows for direct interface with our consumers rather than through third-party sites as in the eMarketplace model above. 

Direct to Store
Diageo sells and delivers directly to end outlets rather than via a central purchasing customer as in the Modern Trade model above. This model is 
less common than the other models. For example, it is used in Ireland for beer distribution.

Excluding corporate net sales of £88 million (2022 – £54 million).
Excluding net corporate operating costs of £326 million (2022 – £238 million).
Excluding exceptional operating charges of £622 million (2022 – £388 million) and net corporate operating costs of £326 million (2022 – £238 million).

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)  Employees have been allocated to the region where they live.

40

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41

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

North America

North America is the largest market for Diageo and represents 
over one-third of our net sales. We have a well-positioned 
portfolio of brands that leans into premiumisation and high-
growth categories such as whiskey and tequila. Our strategy is 
focused on accelerating sustainable growth through data-led 
insights, targeted investment, and excellence in innovation and 
our route to market.

Key financials

Net sales

Marketing

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional operating items(2)
Operating profit

Exchange

£ million

Acquisitions and 
disposals

£ million 

Organic 
movement

£ million 

632   

122   

249   

20   
15   
(12)   

11 

22 

(57)   

Other(1)

£ million 

— 

1 

55 

2022

£ million
6,095   

1,200   

2,454   

(1) 

2,453 

2023

£ million

6,758 

1,360 

2,689 

(97) 

2,592 

Reported 
movement

%

 11 

 13 

 10 

6 

Markets

Brands

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a 
presence and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a 
presence in and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a 
geographic region.

Reported net sales by market (%)

Reported net sales by category (%)

ò US Spirits
ò Diageo Beer Company USA
ò Canada
ò Other (principally Travel Retail)

ò Spirits
ò Beer
ò Ready to drink
ò Other 

Markets and categories
North America(3)

US Spirits(3)
DBC USA(4)
Canada

Spirits(3)
Beer

Ready to drink

Organic
volume
movement
%

Reported
volume
movement
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported
net sales
movement
%

 (5) 

 (6) 

 (3) 

 (2) 

 (5) 

 (2) 

 (11) 

 (4) 

 (6) 

 (3) 

 (2) 

 (4) 

 (2) 

 (11) 

 — 

 (1) 

 1 

 4 

 — 

 2 

 11 

 10 

 12 

 8 

 11 

 12 

 (16) 

 (10) 

Fair value remeasurements. For further details see page 55.

(1) 
(2)  For further details on exceptional operating items see pages 179-181.
(3)  Reported volume movement has been impacted by acquisitions and/or disposals. For 

further details see pages 232-236.

(4)  Certain  spirits-based  ready  to  drink  products  in  certain  states  are  distributed  through 

DBC USA and those net sales are captured within DBC USA.

42

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Global giants, local stars 
and reserve(5)
Crown Royal

Don Julio
Casamigos(7)
Johnnie Walker

Smirnoff

Captain Morgan

Ketel One

Guinness

Baileys
Bulleit whiskey(8)
Buchanan's

Organic 
volume
movement(6)
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported 
net sales
movement
%

 (12) 

 8 

 6 

 (5) 

 (1) 

 (5) 

 (3) 

 4 

 (4) 

 (8) 

 — 

 (10) 

 13 

 13 

 (10) 

 4 

 (1) 

 — 

 9 

 1 

 (6) 

 9 

 — 

 25 

 26 

 (1) 

 14 

 9 

 11 

 20 

 11 

 4 

 21 

(5)  Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants.
(6)  Organic equals reported volume movement. 
(7)  Casamigos trademark includes both tequila and mezcal.
(8)  Bulleit whiskey excludes Bulleit Crafted Cocktails.

Regional performance:
Regional performance:
• Reported net sales grew 11%, primarily driven by a favourable 
• Reported net sales grew 11%, primarily driven by a favourable 
foreign exchange impact from the strengthening US dollar.
foreign exchange impact from the strengthening US dollar.

• Organic net sales were flat as growth in Canada and Diageo Beer 
• Organic net sales were flat as growth in Canada and Diageo Beer 
Company USA (DBC USA) were offset by a decline in US Spirits. 
Company USA (DBC USA) were offset by a decline in US Spirits. 
• Strong  price/mix  growth  was  offset  by  a  decline  in  volume,  while 
• Strong  price/mix  growth  was  offset  by  a  decline  in  volume,  while 

the region held share of TBA.
the region held share of TBA.

• US Spirits net sales declined 1%, lapping strong double-digit growth 
• US Spirits net sales declined 1%, lapping strong double-digit growth 

impacted by distributor stock replenishment and increased 
impacted by distributor stock replenishment and increased 
inventories of imported products in fiscal 22. Depletion growth was 
inventories of imported products in fiscal 22. Depletion growth was 
approximately two percentage points ahead of shipment growth in 
approximately two percentage points ahead of shipment growth in 
fiscal 23, with some variation across brands. Overall inventory levels 
fiscal 23, with some variation across brands. Overall inventory levels 
at distributors at the end of fiscal 23 were in line with historical levels.
at distributors at the end of fiscal 23 were in line with historical levels.

• DBC USA net sales grew 1% reflecting strong growth in Guinness, 
• DBC USA net sales grew 1% reflecting strong growth in Guinness, 
partially offset by a decline in Smirnoff flavoured malt beverages.
partially offset by a decline in Smirnoff flavoured malt beverages.
• Organic  operating  margin  declined  by  101bps,  primarily  driven  by 
• Organic  operating  margin  declined  by  101bps,  primarily  driven  by 
cost inflation and an adverse category mix. Strategic price increases 
cost inflation and an adverse category mix. Strategic price increases 
and  productivity  savings  more  than  offset  the  absolute  impact  of 
and  productivity  savings  more  than  offset  the  absolute  impact  of 
cost inflation.
cost inflation.

• Marketing investment grew 2% as we continue to invest and 
• Marketing investment grew 2% as we continue to invest and 

support growth across key categories.
support growth across key categories.

• Doubling the number of brands running responsible drinking 
• Doubling the number of brands running responsible drinking 

campaigns, we reached more than 150 million consumers. We also 
campaigns, we reached more than 150 million consumers. We also 
led efforts with Black, Latino, and Native American organisations to 
led efforts with Black, Latino, and Native American organisations to 
address the harmful use of alcohol in the United States through our 
address the harmful use of alcohol in the United States through our 
Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking. 
Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking. 

• Our operations reduced Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 17% 
• Our operations reduced Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 17% 
through continued energy efficiency and renewable energy 
through continued energy efficiency and renewable energy 
initiatives. Key factors in this included a full year of operation for our 
initiatives. Key factors in this included a full year of operation for our 
carbon neutral distillery at Lebanon, powered by 100% renewable 
carbon neutral distillery at Lebanon, powered by 100% renewable 
electricity, and running our Valleyfield site on renewable natural 
electricity, and running our Valleyfield site on renewable natural 
gas.
gas.

• Due to higher volume of distilled products going to maturation, 
• Due to higher volume of distilled products going to maturation, 
overall water efficiency decreased by 0.8%. We implemented 
overall water efficiency decreased by 0.8%. We implemented 
water-saving initiatives across our sites that enabled us to reduce 
water-saving initiatives across our sites that enabled us to reduce 
total water usage compared to last year.
total water usage compared to last year.

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Market highlights - US Spirits:
Market highlights - US Spirits:
• Tequila net sales grew 15%, and drove significant share gains in 
• Tequila net sales grew 15%, and drove significant share gains in 

both the spirits industry and tequila category. Casamigos net sales 
both the spirits industry and tequila category. Casamigos net sales 
grew 14% driven by strong price/mix and volume growth, and the 
grew 14% driven by strong price/mix and volume growth, and the 
launch of Casamigos Cristalino. Don Julio net sales grew 13%, 
launch of Casamigos Cristalino. Don Julio net sales grew 13%, 
primarily driven by aged variants and the launch of ultra-premium 
primarily driven by aged variants and the launch of ultra-premium 
Don Julio Rosado Reposado. Both Casamigos and Don Julio 
Don Julio Rosado Reposado. Both Casamigos and Don Julio 
shipments grew ahead of depletions as supply availability enabled 
shipments grew ahead of depletions as supply availability enabled 
distributors to increase inventory to more optimal levels.
distributors to increase inventory to more optimal levels.

• Crown Royal whisky net sales declined 10%, lapping inventory 
• Crown Royal whisky net sales declined 10%, lapping inventory 

replenishment in fiscal 22 when the brand recovered from supply 
replenishment in fiscal 22 when the brand recovered from supply 
constraints. Crown Royal gained double-digit share of the Canadian 
constraints. Crown Royal gained double-digit share of the Canadian 
whisky category, and depletions grew ahead of shipments in fiscal 
whisky category, and depletions grew ahead of shipments in fiscal 
23.
23.

• Vodka net sales declined 7%, primarily due to Cîroc, partially offset 
• Vodka net sales declined 7%, primarily due to Cîroc, partially offset 
by growth in Smirnoff. Smirnoff growth of 4% was driven by core 
by growth in Smirnoff. Smirnoff growth of 4% was driven by core 
and flavoured variants. Ketel One net sales were flat, reflecting 
and flavoured variants. Ketel One net sales were flat, reflecting 
growth in the core variant offset by a decline in Ketel One 
growth in the core variant offset by a decline in Ketel One 
Botanicals. Cîroc net sales declined 32% as consumers shifted into 
Botanicals. Cîroc net sales declined 32% as consumers shifted into 
other spirits categories.
other spirits categories.

• Johnnie Walker net sales declined 13%. Johnnie Walker gained 
• Johnnie Walker net sales declined 13%. Johnnie Walker gained 

share of the scotch category driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label 
share of the scotch category driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label 
and Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and depletions grew ahead of 
and Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and depletions grew ahead of 
shipments.
shipments.

• Rum net sales declined 1%, primarily due to Captain Morgan, which 
• Rum net sales declined 1%, primarily due to Captain Morgan, which 

declined 2%. Zacapa grew 13% driven by super-premium and 
declined 2%. Zacapa grew 13% driven by super-premium and 
luxury variants.
luxury variants.

• Bulleit whiskey net sales declined 6%, lapping inventory 
• Bulleit whiskey net sales declined 6%, lapping inventory 

replenishment in fiscal 22 when the brand recovered from supply 
replenishment in fiscal 22 when the brand recovered from supply 
constraints. Bulleit whiskey gained both spirits industry and US 
constraints. Bulleit whiskey gained both spirits industry and US 
whiskey category share, and depletions grew double-digit.
whiskey category share, and depletions grew double-digit.

• Buchanan's net sales grew 10%, primarily driven by the launch of 
• Buchanan's net sales grew 10%, primarily driven by the launch of 
Buchanan's Pineapple, an innovation that gained spirits industry 
Buchanan's Pineapple, an innovation that gained spirits industry 
share. Buchanan's scotch declined 4%, but gained both spirits 
share. Buchanan's scotch declined 4%, but gained both spirits 
industry and scotch category share, and depletions grew ahead of 
industry and scotch category share, and depletions grew ahead of 
shipments.
shipments.

• Single Malts net sales grew 25%, primarily driven by ultra-premium 
• Single Malts net sales grew 25%, primarily driven by ultra-premium 
Lagavulin 16YO and luxury innovation Lagavulin 11YO Charred Oak 
Lagavulin 16YO and luxury innovation Lagavulin 11YO Charred Oak 
Cask. 
Cask. 

• Spirit-based ready to drink (RTD) net sales declined 44% primarily 
• Spirit-based ready to drink (RTD) net sales declined 44% primarily 

due to lapping the launch of Crown Royal RTD in fiscal 22 and Loyal 
due to lapping the launch of Crown Royal RTD in fiscal 22 and Loyal 
9 underperformance in certain US states.
9 underperformance in certain US states.

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

43

US SpiritsDBC USACanadaOther (principally Travel Retail) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Regional performance:
Regional performance:
• Reported net sales grew 11%, driven by organic growth and the 
• Reported net sales grew 11%, driven by organic growth and the 

hyperinflation adjustment   related to Turkey, partially offset by an 
hyperinflation adjustment   related to Turkey, partially offset by an 
unfavourable impact from foreign exchange. 
unfavourable impact from foreign exchange. 

(1)
(1)

• Organic net sales grew 11%, driven by double-digit growth across 
• Organic net sales grew 11%, driven by double-digit growth across 
most markets. Growth was mainly driven by price/mix, while 
most markets. Growth was mainly driven by price/mix, while 
holding volume.
holding volume.

• Price/mix was primarily driven by strong price increases across all 
• Price/mix was primarily driven by strong price increases across all 

markets, and supported by positive mix in beer and scotch.
markets, and supported by positive mix in beer and scotch.
• Spirits net sales grew 10%, driven by growth in scotch, vodka, 
• Spirits net sales grew 10%, driven by growth in scotch, vodka, 
tequila. Johnnie Walker grew 29% driven by Northern Europe, 
tequila. Johnnie Walker grew 29% driven by Northern Europe, 
Southern Europe and Travel Retail.
Southern Europe and Travel Retail.

Market highlights:
Market highlights:
• Great Britain net sales grew 7%, mostly driven by strong 
• Great Britain net sales grew 7%, mostly driven by strong 

performance in Guinness with strong market share gains. Spirits net 
performance in Guinness with strong market share gains. Spirits net 
sales growth was driven by tequila, vodka and RTDs, partially offset 
sales growth was driven by tequila, vodka and RTDs, partially offset 
by gin.
by gin.

• Northern Europe net sales grew 11%. Growth was primarily driven 
• Northern Europe net sales grew 11%. Growth was primarily driven 
by scotch with strong double-digit growth in Johnnie Walker, and 
by scotch with strong double-digit growth in Johnnie Walker, and 
strong growth in vodka and tequila. Spirits gained market share.
strong growth in vodka and tequila. Spirits gained market share.
• Southern Europe net sales grew 12%, led by strong performance in 
• Southern Europe net sales grew 12%, led by strong performance in 
scotch, in addition to tequila and gin. Growth reflected continued 
scotch, in addition to tequila and gin. Growth reflected continued 
recovery in the on-trade and increased tourism, alongside market 
recovery in the on-trade and increased tourism, alongside market 
share gains in spirits. 
share gains in spirits. 

• Beer net sales grew 18%, driven by price increases and volume 
• Beer net sales grew 18%, driven by price increases and volume 

• Ireland net sales grew 16%, primarily driven by growth in Guinness 
• Ireland net sales grew 16%, primarily driven by growth in Guinness 

reflecting share gains in a recovering on- trade. 
reflecting share gains in a recovering on- trade. 

• Eastern Europe net sales declined 3%, due to the suspension of 
• Eastern Europe net sales declined 3%, due to the suspension of 

exports to and sales in Russia as announced in March 2022 and the 
exports to and sales in Russia as announced in March 2022 and the 
winding down of its operations announced in June 2022. In the rest 
winding down of its operations announced in June 2022. In the rest 
of the market, spirits grew double-digit and gained market share 
of the market, spirits grew double-digit and gained market share 
primarily driven by Johnnie Walker.
primarily driven by Johnnie Walker.

• Turkey net sales grew 38%, with volume growth of 9%. Growth was 
• Turkey net sales grew 38%, with volume growth of 9%. Growth was 
driven by price increases in response to inflation and higher excise 
driven by price increases in response to inflation and higher excise 
duties. Growth was broad-based, led by scotch, vodka and raki.
duties. Growth was broad-based, led by scotch, vodka and raki.

growth. Guinness net sales grew 20% and gained share in the on-
growth. Guinness net sales grew 20% and gained share in the on-
trade in Great Britain and Ireland.  
trade in Great Britain and Ireland.  

• Organic operating margin declined by 13bps, primarily driven by 
• Organic operating margin declined by 13bps, primarily driven by 

cost inflation, partially offset by price increases, improved category 
cost inflation, partially offset by price increases, improved category 
mix and productivity savings.
mix and productivity savings.

• Marketing investment grew 7%, with focused investment in 
• Marketing investment grew 7%, with focused investment in 

Tanqueray, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Guinness.
Tanqueray, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Guinness.

• The SMASHED programme educated 112,910 young people on the 
• The SMASHED programme educated 112,910 young people on the 

dangers of underage drinking. 
dangers of underage drinking. 

• We built strong momentum in year two of our water replenishment 
• We built strong momentum in year two of our water replenishment 
projects in Turkey, generating the annual capacity to replenish 
projects in Turkey, generating the annual capacity to replenish 
137,349m3 water.
137,349m3 water.

• Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions increased by 35%, primarily driven 
• Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions increased by 35%, primarily driven 
by increased scotch distillation. To mitigate some of this growth we 
by increased scotch distillation. To mitigate some of this growth we 
switched some key distilleries (Auchroisk, Talisker and Cardhu) to 
switched some key distilleries (Auchroisk, Talisker and Cardhu) to 
biofuels. Our GHG emissions for beer stayed flat, even though 
biofuels. Our GHG emissions for beer stayed flat, even though 
production volumes were higher than planned. 
production volumes were higher than planned. 

• Water efficiency decreased by 2.4% due to the volume of distilled 
• Water efficiency decreased by 2.4% due to the volume of distilled 
product increasing faster than packaged product, because of its 
product increasing faster than packaged product, because of its 
maturation period. For beer, optimising pasteurisation in Runcorn 
maturation period. For beer, optimising pasteurisation in Runcorn 
and water recovery in St James’s Gate led to a 9% improvement in 
and water recovery in St James’s Gate led to a 9% improvement in 
water efficiency. 
water efficiency. 

• In year two of our three-year Guinness regenerative agriculture pilot, 
• In year two of our three-year Guinness regenerative agriculture pilot, 
launched in February 2022, we recruited 44 farms across Ireland 
launched in February 2022, we recruited 44 farms across Ireland 
and gathered baseline data to let us accurately track the project’s 
and gathered baseline data to let us accurately track the project’s 
impact.
impact.

(1)  See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation adjustment.  
(1)  See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation adjustment.  

BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

Europe

Key financials 

Europe is a diverse region with a trend-leading on-trade channel and tourism 
hotspots, all of which offer a strong platform for the development of our premium 
brands. We hold a leadership positions across major categories and markets, and 
have been able to achieve strong share gains in the last fiscal to deliver another 
year of double-digit organic net sales growth.

2022

Exchange

Acquisitions and 
disposals

Organic 
movement

Other(1) Hyperinflation(2)

£ million

 £ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

Net sales

Marketing

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional operating items(3)

Operating profit

3,212   

577   

1,017   

(146) 

871 

(85)   

3   

5   

(9)   

2   

(31)   

347 

42 

103 

— 

— 

(11)   

104 

11 

22 

2023

£ million

3,569 

635 

1,105 

(8) 

1,097 

Reported 
movement 

%

 11 

 10 

 9 

26 

Markets

Brands

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a presence 
and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a presence in 
and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a geographic region.

Reported net sales by market (%)

Reported net sales by category (%)

ò Great Britain
ò Northern Europe
ò Southern Europe
ò Ireland
ò Eastern Europe
ò Turkey
ò Other (principally Travel Retail)

Organic
volume
movement
%

 — 

 (8) 

 4 

 8 

 3 

 (15) 

 9 

 — 

 5 

Reported 
volume
movement
%

 — 

 (8) 

 5 

 6 

 3 

 (15) 

 9 

 — 

 5 

 (2) 

 (2) 

Organic net 
sales
movement
%

Reported net 
sales
movement
%

 11 

 7 

 12 

 11 

 16 

 (3) 

 38 

 10 

 18 

 10 

 11 

 6 

 13 

 12 

 18 

 — 

 10 

 10 

 20 

 12 

Markets and categories
Europe(4)

Great Britain(4)
Southern Europe(4)
Northern Europe(4)
Ireland(4)
Eastern Europe(4)
Turkey(4)

Spirits(4)
Beer
Ready to drink(4)

ò Spirits
ò Beer
ò Ready to drink
ò Other

Global giants and local stars(5)
Guinness

Johnnie Walker

Baileys

Smirnoff

Captain Morgan

Tanqueray

JεB

Yenì Raki

Organic 
volume
movement(6)
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported 
net sales
movement
%

 6 

 18 

 (3) 

 (1) 

 — 

 — 

 (7) 

 — 

 20 

 29 

 (1) 

 14 

 9 

 6 

 (1) 

 7 

 21 

 25 

 1 

 16 

 10 

 7 

 2 

 (10) 

Fair value remeasurements. For further details see page 55.

(1) 
(2)  See pages 181 and 232-239 for details of hyperinflation adjustment.  
(3)  Exceptional items are in respect of Diageo’s decision, announced on 28 June 2022, to 
wind down its operations in Russia. For further details on exceptional operating items 
see pages 179-181.  

(4)  Reported volume movement has been impacted by acquisitions and/or disposals. For 

further details see pages 232-236.

(5)  Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants.
(6)  Organic equals reported volume movement, except for Tanqueray and JεB, which had 

reported volume movement of 1% and (6)% respectively. 

44

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

45

Great Britain Northern Europe Southern Europe Ireland Eastern Europe Turkey  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Regional performance: 
• Reported net sales grew 11%, primarily reflecting strong organic 

growth and a favourable impact from foreign exchange. 
• Organic net sales grew 13%. All markets grew, except Greater 

China, with strong double-digit growth in India, South East Asia, 
Travel Retail Asia and Middle East and North Asia.

• Price/mix of 7% was led by strong price increases across all 

markets. Positive mix was driven by strength in premium-plus scotch 
in most markets. Volume grew 8% in premium-plus price tiers. 

• Spirits net sales grew 14%, primarily driven by double-digit growth in 
scotch, the region’s largest category. IMFL whisky(1) also contributed 
to growth, partially offset by a decline in Chinese white spirits.
• Organic operating margin expanded by 363bps as the benefits 
from the continued recovery of Travel Retail, price increases and 
operational efficiencies more than offset the impact of cost inflation.
• Marketing investment grew 9%, with focused investment in scotch in 

South East Asia, India, and Greater China.

• Advocating for responsible consumption of alcohol through 

DRINKiQ and brand campaigns, we reached more than 134 million 
consumers with messages that promote moderation.

• The SMASHED programme educated 340,216 young people on the 

dangers of underage drinking. 

• We trained more than 8,236 people on business and hospitality 

skills through our Learning for Life programme and delivered 38,467 
training sessions through Diageo Bar Academy.

• Our water efficiency improved by 16.2% this year, mainly by 

focussing on continuous improvement across the region. We piloted 
waterless cooling towers successfully in India and plan to introduce 
them more widely.

• Our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions decreased by 9%, mainly 

because of a green energy tariff in Australia and focussed energy 
improvement across the region.

(1) 

Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) whisky.

Market highlights:
• India net sales grew 17%, driven by strong consumer demand and  

continued premiumisation. IMFL whisky and scotch delivered 
double-digit growth. Scotch growth was driven by Black Dog, 
Johnnie Walker Black Label and Black & White. 

• Greater China net sales declined 4%. Strong performance in scotch 
was more than offset by a decline in Chinese white spirits which 
continued to be impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, especially in the 
on-trade. Scotch grew 13%, driven primarily by Taiwan, with strong 
performance in the super-premium-plus segment led by Johnnie 
Walker and The Singleton.

• Australia net sales grew 2%, primarily driven by price increases. 

Growth was led by rum, tequila and beer.

• South East Asia net sales grew 33%, benefitting from a strong 

recovery following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and strong 
growth in the super-premium-plus segment. Scotch grew 31%, 
mostly driven by Johnnie Walker premium variants, and single 
malts, primarily The Singleton and Mortlach.

• North Asia (Korea and Japan) net sales grew 15%, benefitting from 

the recovery of the on-trade. Growth was primarily driven by 
double-digit growth in Windsor and Johnnie Walker premium-plus 
variants led by Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Johnnie Walker 
Black Label.

• Travel Retail Asia and Middle East net sales grew 67% primarily 
driven by Johnnie Walker premium-plus variants, led by Johnnie 
Walker Blue Label and Johnnie Walker Black Label.

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BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

Asia Pacific

Key financials 

Net sales

Marketing

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional operating items(1)

Operating profit

In Asia Pacific, our focus is to grow in both developed and 
emerging markets across our entire portfolio. We manage our 
portfolio to meet the increasing demands of the growing middle 
class, and aim to inspire our consumers to drink better, not more.

Exchange

£ million

Acquisitions and 
disposals

£ million

65   

10   

15   

(102)   

—   

(21)   

Organic 
movement

£ million

353 

46 

200 

2022

£ million

2,884   

490   

711   

(241) 

470 

2023

£ million

3,200 

546 

905 

(473) 

432 

Reported 
movement

%

 11 

 11 

 27 

(8) 

Markets

Brands

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a 
presence and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a 
presence in and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a 
geographic region.

Reported net sales by market (%)

Reported net sales by category (%)

ò India
ò Greater China
ò Australia
ò South East Asia
ò North Asia
ò Other (principally Travel Retail Asia and 

Middle East)

ò Spirits
ò Beer
ò Ready to drink
ò Other

Markets and 
categories
Asia Pacific(2)

India(2)
Greater China

Australia
South East Asia(2)
North Asia
Travel Retail Asia 
and Middle East

Spirits(2)(3)
Beer

Ready to drink

Organic volume
movement
%

Reported 
volume
movement
%

Organic net 
sales
movement
%

Reported net 
sales 
movement
%

 5 

 6 

 (2) 

 (10) 

 20 

 6 

 38 

 6 

 5 

 (8) 

 (14) 

 (18) 

 (2) 

 (10) 

 20 

 6 

 38 

 (15) 

 5 

 (8) 

 13 

 17 

 (4) 

 2 

 33 

 15 

 67 

 14 

 10 

 1 

 11 

 7 

 (1) 

 5 

 36 

 14 

 65 

 11 

 12 

 4 

Global giants and local stars(3)
Johnnie Walker
Shui Jing Fang(5)
McDowell's

Guinness

The Singleton

Smirnoff

Windsor

Black & White

Organic 
volume
movement(4)
%

Organic 
net sales
movement
%

Reported 
net sales 
movement
%

 13 

 (15) 

 (1) 

 4 

 26 

 8 

 29 

 28 

 29 

 (14) 

 4 

 10 

 26 

 15 

 41 

 36 

 30 

 (12) 

 7 

 13 

 31 

 19 

 42 

 39 

For further details on exceptional operating items see pages 179-181.

(1) 
(2)  Reported volume movement has been impacted by acquisitions and/or disposals. For 

further details see pages 232-236.

(3)  Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants. 
(4)  Organic equals reported volume movement.
(5)  Growth figures represent total Chinese white spirits of which Shui Jing Fang is the 

principal brand. 

46

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

47

India (including Nepal and Sri Lanka) Greater China (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau) Australia (including New Zealand) South East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) North Asia (Korea and Japan) and Travel Retail Asia and Middle East  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Market highlights:
• Brazil net sales grew 8%, led by double-digit growth in Johnnie 
Walker and Old Parr. Growth was driven by price increases and 
higher marketing investment, leading to market share growth. 
• Mexico net sales grew 9%, primarily driven by scotch and tequila. 
Scotch growth was led by Johnnie Walker Red Label and Johnnie 
Walker Black Label, driven by price increases. Tequila growth was 
driven by price increases, the lapping of aged liquid supply 
constraints in fiscal 22 and increased marketing investment. 

• Central America and Caribbean (CCA) net sales grew 14%, mainly 
driven by scotch and tequila. Growth was driven by price increases, 
premiumisation and continuing momentum in the on-trade. Scotch 
growth was mostly driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label and 
Buchanan's, supported by increased marketing investment. Tequila 
growth was driven by Don Julio 1942.

• South LAC (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and 

Uruguay) net sales grew 21%, primarily driven by scotch, vodka and 
gin. Growth was driven by price increases and premiumisation, 
partially offset by a decline in volume. 

• Andean (Colombia and Venezuela) net sales declined 7%, due to 

an adverse macroeconomic environment in Colombia. Strong price 
increases and premiumisation were more than offset by a decline in 
volume.

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Regional performance:
• Reported net sales grew 18%, reflecting organic growth and a 
favourable impact from foreign exchange, mainly due to a 
strengthening of the Mexican peso and Brazilian real.

• Organic net sales grew 9%, with most markets delivering growth, 

despite lapping strong double-digit growth in fiscal 22. Growth was 
broad-based across price tiers, except for value, which declined as 
a result of our premiumisation strategy. Strong price/mix was 
partially offset by a 3% decline in volume, primarily in the value 
price tier. Double-digit sales growth in the first half of fiscal 23 was 
followed by inventory normalisation in the second half.

• Price/mix was driven by strong price increases across all markets, 
and positive mix supported by the strength in premium-plus scotch 
in most markets. 

• Spirits net sales grew 11%, primarily led by double-digit growth in 
scotch, particularly Johnnie Walker Black Label, Johnnie Walker 
Red Label and Old Parr. Growth was also driven by strong double-
digit growth in Don Julio and Smirnoff.

• Organic operating margin expanded by 72bps. The positive impact 
of price increases, premiumisation, leverage on operating costs and 
one-off tax benefits more than offset the increases in marketing 
investment and cost inflation.

• Marketing investment grew 14%, ahead of organic net sales growth, 

with increased investment in most markets.

• We reached more than 176 million people with campaigns 
promoting moderation. They included ‘Derribando Mitos’, a 
campaign created in fiscal 21 for Peru and expanded this year to 
the Caribbean and Central America market. It aims to challenge 
myths about alcohol consumption. In fiscal 23, 'Derribando Mitos' 
reached more than 51 million people. 

• The SMASHED programme educated 984,213 young people on the 

dangers of underage drinking. 

• We reduced our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 32%. Tequila 
was the biggest contributor, through new or upgraded biomass 
boilers in Mexico, and our changing production mix has also played 
a part.

• We generated the annual capacity to replenish more than 280,977 
m3 through water sanitation and hygiene, tree planting and water 
catchment rehabilitation projects for communities in Brazil and 
Mexico.

BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

Latin America 
and Caribbean

In Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), we are aiming to increase our 
market share through focussed consumer-centric delivery across core 
categories including scotch, gin, tequila and vodka. We do this through 
targeted marketing investment in consumer focussed occasions where 
traditionally non-spirit TBA products have had a strong presence. 

Key financials 

Net sales

Marketing

Operating profit

2022

£ million

1,525   

243   

538   

Exchange

£ million

Acquisitions and 
disposals

£ million

Organic 
movement

£ million

129   

18   

52   

3   

1   

—   

142 

34 

62 

Other(1)

£ million

— 

— 

9 

2023

£ million

1,799 

296 

661 

Reported 
movement

%

 18 

 22 

 23 

Markets

Brands

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a 
presence and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a 
presence in and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a 
geographic region.

Reported net sales by market (%) 

Reported net sales by category (%)

ò Brazil
ò Mexico
ò CCA
ò South LAC
ò Andean
ò Other (principally Travel Retail)

Organic 
volume 
movement
%

Reported 
volume 
movement
%

Organic net 
sales
movement
%

Reported net 
sales
movement
%

 (3) 

 (1) 

 (4) 

 1 

 (3) 

 (24) 

 (3) 

 9 

 (13) 

 (3) 

 3 

 (3) 

 1 

 (11) 

 (24) 

 (3) 

 9 

 (13) 

 9 

 8 

 9 

 14 

 21 

 (7) 

 11 

 16 

 (7) 

 18 

 29 

 30 

 21 

 — 

 (13) 

 19 

 25 

 — 

Markets and categories
Latin America and 
Caribbean(2)

Brazil(3)
Mexico(2)
CCA
South LAC(3)
Andean(2)

Spirits(2)
Beer

Ready to drink

ò Spirits
ò Beer
ò Ready to drink
ò Other

Global giants and local stars(4)
Johnnie Walker
Buchanan’s

Don Julio

Old Parr

Smirnoff

Black & White

Tanqueray

Baileys

Organic 
volume 
movement(5)
%

Organic 
net sales
movement
%

Reported 
net sales
movement
%

 4 

 (5) 

 6 

 10 

 3 

 (7) 

 — 

 (18) 

 16 

 6 

 22 

 20 

 18 

 13 

 — 

 (5) 

 23 

 11 

 40 

 26 

 24 

 26 

 5 

 1 

Fair value remeasurements. For further details see page 55.  

(1) 
(2)  Reported volume movement has been impacted by acquisitions and/or disposals. For 

further details see pages 232-236.

(3)  From 1 July 2022 Uruguay and Paraguay domestic channels moved on a 

management basis from PUB (Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) to PEBAC (Peru, 
Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile) and the new cluster has been called South 
LAC. This reflects how management reviews performance.

(4)  Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants.  
(5)  Organic equals reported volume movement. 

48

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

49

PUB (Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) Mexico CCA (Central America and Caribbean) Andean (Colombia and Venezuela) PEBAC (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile)   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Market highlights:
Market highlights:
• East Africa net sales declined 2%. Growth in spirits was more than 
• East Africa net sales declined 2%. Growth in spirits was more than 

offset by a volume decline in beer following price and duty 
offset by a volume decline in beer following price and duty 
increases. Spirits growth was primarily driven by scotch, particularly 
increases. Spirits growth was primarily driven by scotch, particularly 
Johnnie Walker.
Johnnie Walker.

• Africa Regional Markets net sales grew 22% led by growth in beer, 
• Africa Regional Markets net sales grew 22% led by growth in beer, 
primarily driven by Malta Guinness supported by price increases. 
primarily driven by Malta Guinness supported by price increases. 
Spirits growth was primarily driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label. 
Spirits growth was primarily driven by Johnnie Walker Black Label. 
• Nigeria net sales grew 11%. Growth was led by Guinness and Orijin.
• Nigeria net sales grew 11%. Growth was led by Guinness and Orijin.
• South Africa net sales grew 1%, primarily driven by growth in tequila 
• South Africa net sales grew 1%, primarily driven by growth in tequila 
and rum, which offset declines in vodka and gin. Super-premium-
and rum, which offset declines in vodka and gin. Super-premium-
plus brands grew strongly at 38%.  
plus brands grew strongly at 38%.  

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Regional performance:
Regional performance:
• Reported net sales grew 1%, primarily driven by organic growth and 
• Reported net sales grew 1%, primarily driven by organic growth and 
disposals, mostly offset by an unfavourable impact from foreign 
disposals, mostly offset by an unfavourable impact from foreign 
exchange.
exchange.

• Organic net sales grew 5%, with growth across all markets, except 
• Organic net sales grew 5%, with growth across all markets, except 
East Africa. Growth was driven by price increases, partially offset by 
East Africa. Growth was driven by price increases, partially offset by 
a decline in volume. 
a decline in volume. 

• Price/mix of 12% was driven by price increases across all markets 
• Price/mix of 12% was driven by price increases across all markets 
and positive mix. Volume declines were primarily in the value and 
and positive mix. Volume declines were primarily in the value and 
standard price tiers.
standard price tiers.

• Spirits net sales grew 8%, driven by growth in international spirits 
• Spirits net sales grew 8%, driven by growth in international spirits 

particularly Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Orijin.
particularly Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Orijin.

• Beer net sales grew 3%, with strong growth in Africa Regional 
• Beer net sales grew 3%, with strong growth in Africa Regional 

Markets and Nigeria, partially offset by a decline in East Africa. 
Markets and Nigeria, partially offset by a decline in East Africa. 
Growth was primarily driven by Malta Guinness and Guinness, 
Growth was primarily driven by Malta Guinness and Guinness, 
which grew 22% and 7% respectively. 
which grew 22% and 7% respectively. 

• Organic operating margin expanded by 126bps, primarily driven by 
• Organic operating margin expanded by 126bps, primarily driven by 
price increases, productivity savings, positive category mix and 
price increases, productivity savings, positive category mix and 
lapping prior year one-off costs. These impacts were partially offset 
lapping prior year one-off costs. These impacts were partially offset 
by cost inflation.
by cost inflation.

• Marketing investment grew 2%, focused on supporting spirits 
• Marketing investment grew 2%, focused on supporting spirits 

premiumisation and Guinness.
premiumisation and Guinness.

• The SMASHED programme educated 548,478 young people on the 
• The SMASHED programme educated 548,478 young people on the 

dangers of underage drinking.
dangers of underage drinking.

• We reduced our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33%, thanks 
• We reduced our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33%, thanks 
largely to commissioning and optimising three biomass facilities in 
largely to commissioning and optimising three biomass facilities in 
Kenya and Uganda. 
Kenya and Uganda. 

• Our water efficiency decreased by 2.6% because of lower 
• Our water efficiency decreased by 2.6% because of lower 

production volumes.  We partly mitigated this by commissioning our 
production volumes.  We partly mitigated this by commissioning our 
water recovery plants in Nigeria and further optimising our water 
water recovery plants in Nigeria and further optimising our water 
recovery plants in Kenya and Uganda.
recovery plants in Kenya and Uganda.

• We trained more than 9,517 people (51% women) in business and 
• We trained more than 9,517 people (51% women) in business and 
hospitality skills through our Learning for Life programme in seven 
hospitality skills through our Learning for Life programme in seven 
countries, including for the first time, Mozambique.
countries, including for the first time, Mozambique.

• Our community water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes 
• Our community water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes 
provided clean water, sanitation and hygiene for water-stressed 
provided clean water, sanitation and hygiene for water-stressed 
communities near our sites in all our water-stressed markets.
communities near our sites in all our water-stressed markets.

BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

Africa

Key financials

Net sales

Marketing

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional operating items(1)

Operating profit

In Africa, our strategy is to grow our beers fast and our spirits 
faster. Our operating model seeks to build resilience, agility and 
strength into our African businesses as they develop. We drive 
smart investments through local manufacturing, innovation and 
partnerships to unlock growth.

Exchange

£ million

Acquisitions and 
disposals

£ million 

Organic 
movement

£ million 

(40)   

(3)   

(141)   

(26)   

(5)   

9   

83 

4 

37 

2022

£ million

1,682 

199 

315 

— 

315 

2023

£ million

1,699 

195 

220 

(44) 

176 

Reported 
movement 

% 

1 

(2) 

(30) 

(44) 

Markets

Brands 

The above map is intended to illustrate general geographic regions where Diageo has a 
presence and/or in which its products are sold. It is not intended to imply that Diageo has a 
presence in and/or that its products are sold in every country or territory within a 
geographic region.

Reported net sales by market (%)

Reported net sales by category (%)

ò East Africa
ò Africa Regional Markets
ò Nigeria
ò South Africa
ò Other (principally
Travel Retail)

ò Spirits
ò Beer
ò Ready to drink
ò Other

Markets and categories
Africa(2)

East Africa

Nigeria
Africa Regional Markets(2)
South Africa

Spirits(2)
Beer(2)
Ready to drink(2)

Organic 
volume
movement
%

Reported 
volume
movement
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported
net sales
movement
%

 (7) 

 (8) 

 (7) 

 (4) 

 (1) 

 (18) 

 (2) 

 (13) 
 — 

 (7) 

 (4) 

 (9) 

 (18) 

 (2) 

 (14) 
 (4) 

 5 

 (2) 

 11 

 22 

 1 

 8 

 3 
 11 

 1 

 — 

 12 

 (5) 

 (3) 

 7 

 (3) 
 5 

Global giants and local stars(3)
Guinness

Johnnie Walker

Smirnoff

Other beer:
Malta Guinness

Senator

Tusker

Serengeti

Organic 
volume
movement(4)
%

Organic net 
sales
movement
%

Reported net 
sales
movement
%

 (8) 

 5 

 (23) 

 (7) 

 (17) 

 (8) 

 (7) 

 7 

 11 

 (6) 

 22 

 (4) 

 (5) 

 (1) 

 1 

 8 

 (9) 

 2 

 (4) 

 (4) 

 8 

For further details on exceptional operating items see pages 179-181.

(1) 
(2)  Reported volume movement has been impacted by acquisitions and/or disposals. For 

further details see pages 232-236.

(3)  Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants.
(4)  Organic equals reported volume movement, except for Guinness and Malta Guinness, 

which had reported volume movement of (9)% and (9)% respectively.

50

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

51

East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) Africa Regional Markets (including Ghana, Cameroon, Indian Ocean and Angola) Nigeria South Africa  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BUSINESS REV IEW  contin ued

Category and brand review

Global giants, local stars and reserve(1):

Key categories

Spirits(2)
Scotch

Tequila
Vodka(3)(4)
Canadian whisky(5)
Rum(4)

Liqueurs
Gin(4)
IMFL whisky(5)
Chinese white spirits(5)
US whiskey(5)

Beer

Ready to drink

Organic
volume
movement(1)
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported
net sales
movement
%

Reported
net sales
by category
%

 — 

 2 

 10 

 (3) 

 (10) 

 (7) 

 (4) 

 — 

 8 

 (15) 

 (8) 

 (7) 

 (6) 

 6 

 12 

 19 

 1 

 (9) 

 2 

 (1) 

 5 

 15 

 (14) 

 (4) 

 9 

 — 

 12 

 16 

 32 

 7 

 — 

 9 

 3 

 8 

 — 

 (12) 

 7 

 9 

 3 

 79 

 25 

 12 

 9 

 6 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 4 

 3 

 2 

 15 

 4 

Spirits brands excluding ready to drink and non-alcoholic variants. 

(1)  Organic equals reported volume movement except for spirits (7)%, tequila 11%, vodka (4)%, gin (1)%, IMFL whisky (20)%, US whiskey (7)%, beer (8)% and ready to drink (7)%. 
(2) 
(3)  Vodka includes Ketel One Botanical.  
(4)  Vodka, rum and gin include IMFL variants. 
(5)  See pages 42-43 for details of Canadian whisky, US whiskey and pages 46-47 for details of IMFL whisky and Chinese white spirits.

Reported volume by 
category

Reported net sales by 
category

Reported marketing 
spend by category

Global giants

Johnnie Walker

Guinness

Smirnoff

Baileys

Captain Morgan

Tanqueray

Local stars

Crown Royal

Buchanan’s

McDowell's
Shui Jing Fang(3)

Old Parr

Black & White

JεB

Yenì Raki

Windsor

Bundaberg

Ypióca

Reserve

Don Julio
Casamigos(4)

Scotch malts
Ketel One(5)
Bulleit whiskey(6)

Cîroc vodka

Organic
volume
movement(2)
%

Organic
net sales
movement
%

Reported
net sales
movement
%

 9 

 1 

 (2) 

 (5) 

 (2) 

 (4) 

 (12) 

 (3) 

 (1) 

 (15) 

 9 

 2 

 (9) 

 — 

 29 

 — 

 (9) 

 11 

 7 

 3 

 (3) 

 (9) 

 (23) 

 15 

 16 

 8 

 — 

 5 

 1 

 (10) 

 7 

 4 

 (14) 

 18 

 20 

 (3) 

 8 

 41 

 18 

 7 

 20 

 15 

 16 

 1 

 (6) 

 (23) 

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 19 

 17 

 14 

 5 

 11 

 6 

 — 

 15 

 6 

 (12) 

 24 

 28 

 — 

 (10) 

 42 

 21 

 21 

 32 

 27 

 19 

 11 

 4 

 (17) 

ò Liqueurs
ò Gin
ò Tequila

ò Scotch
ò Vodka
ò US whiskey
ò Canadian whisky ò Beer
ò Rum
ò IMFL whisky

ò Ready to drink
ò Other

• Spirits net sales grew 6%, with flat volume. Growth was across most categories, including double-digit performance in scotch, tequila and IMFL 

whisky.

• Scotch net sales grew 12%, with 2% volume growth. Growth was led by Johnnie Walker, with strong growth of 15%, and scotch malts also grew 

strongly at 16%.
• Johnnie Walker Black Label grew 16%, with particularly strong growth in Asia Pacific, where it grew 30%.
• Johnnie Walker Blue Label grew 3%, supported by the return of Travel Retail.
• Johnnie Walker Red Label grew 16%, with double-digit growth in all regions except Africa. 
• Scotch malts grew 16%, primarily driven by strong double-digit growth in Asia Pacific and North America.

• Tequila net sales grew 19%, reflecting strong performance of Don Julio and Casamigos which grew 20% and 16% respectively, driven by North 

America.

• Vodka net sales grew 1% with a volume decline of 3%. Declines in North America and Africa were offset by double-digit growth across all other 

regions. 

• Rum net sales grew 2% driven by Captain Morgan growth across all regions except North America. Rum volume declined 7%.
• Liqueurs net sales declined 1%, driven by Godiva.
• Beer  net  sales  grew  9%,  with  growth  in  all  regions  driven  by  strong  performance  from  Guinness  in  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  North  America  and 

Africa.

• Ready to drink net sales were flat, with growth in Europe and Africa offset by a decline in North America.  

(1)  Brands excluding ready to drink, non-alcoholic variants and beer except Guinness. 
(2)  Organic equals reported volume movement except for Guinness 0% and McDowell's (2)%. 
(3)  Growth figures represent total Chinese white spirits of which Shui Jing Fang is the principal brand. 
(4)  Casamigos trademark includes both tequila and mezcal. 
(5)  Ketel One includes Ketel One vodka and Ketel One Botanical.
(6)  Bulleit whiskey excludes Bulleit Crafted Cocktails. 

Global giants 
39% of Diageo’s reported net sales and grew 10%.

Local stars 
18% of Diageo’s reported net sales and declined 2%.

Reserve 
29% of Diageo’s reported net sales and grew 7%. 

52

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

53

 
  
 
GROU P FI NANCIAL REVIEW

Summary income statement

Sales

Excise duties

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

 Marketing

Other operating items

Operating profit before exceptional items

Exceptional operating items (c)

Operating profit

Non-operating items (c)

Net finance charges

Share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures

Profit before taxation

Taxation (e)

Profit for the year

30 June 2022

£ million

22,448   

(6,996)   

15,452   

(5,973)   

9,479   

(2,721)   

(1,961)   

4,797   

(388) 

4,409 

(17) 

(422) 

417 

4,387 

(1,049) 

3,338 

(1)   For the definition of organic movement and hyperinflation see pages 232-233.

(a) Exchange
The impact of movements in exchange rates on reported figures for 
operating profit was principally in respect of the favourable exchange 
impact of the strengthening of the US dollar and Mexican peso against 
the sterling, partially offset by the weakening of the Nigerian naira, 
Ghanaian cedi and the Turkish lira. 

The effect of movements in exchange rates and other movements on 
profit before exceptional items and taxation for the year ended 30 
June 2023 is set out in the table below.

Translation impact

Transaction impact

Operating profit before exceptional items

Net finance charges – translation impact

Net finance charges – transaction impact

Net finance charges

Associates – translation impact

Profit before exceptional items and taxation

Gains/
(losses)
£ million

246 

(124) 

122 

(32) 

6 

(26) 

8 

104 

Exchange
(a)

£ million

Acquisitions and 
disposals
(b)

£ million

588 

114 

702 

(363)   

339 

(151)   

(66)   

122 

(683)   

569 

(114)   

84 

(30)   

(15)   

(16)   

(61)   

Organic 
movement(1)

£ million

1,091 

(122)   

969 

(522)   

447 

(152)   

26 

321 

Exchange rates

Translation £1 =

Transaction £1 =

Translation £1 =

Transaction £1 =

Fair value 
remeasurement
(d)

Hyperinflation(1)

30 June 2023

£ million

£ million

— 

— 

— 

5 

5 

(1)   

49 

53 

71 

33 

104 

£ million

23,515 

(6,402) 

17,113 

(63)   

(6,832) 

41 

(11)   

(8)   

22 

10,281 

(3,051) 

(1,976) 

5,254 

(622) 

4,632 

328 

(594) 

370 

4,736 

(970) 

3,766 

Year ended

Year ended

30 June 2023

30 June 2022

$1.20   

$1.30   

€1.15   

€1.16   

$1.33 

$1.29 

€1.18 

€1.15 

(b) Acquisitions and disposals 
The acquisitions and disposals movement in the year ended 30 June 
2023 was primarily attributable to the disposal of the United Spirits 
Limited (USL) Popular brands and Guinness Cameroun S.A.

See pages 186-189 for further details. 

(c) Exceptional items 
In the year ended 30 June 2023, exceptional operating items were a 
loss of £622 million (2022 – a loss of £388 million), mainly due to 
charges related to brand impairment (£498 million) and the supply 
chain agility programme (£100 million).

In the year ended 30 June 2023, exceptional non-operating items were a 
gain of £328 million (2022 – a loss of £17 million), mainly driven by the gain 
in relation to the sale of Guinness Cameroun S.A. (£310 million).

See pages 179-181 for further details and the definition of exceptional 
items.

(d) Fair value remeasurement
The adjustments to marketing and other operating expenses were the 
elimination of fair value changes to contingent consideration liabilities 
and earn out arrangements in respect of prior year acquisitions of £113 
million gain for the year ended 30 June 2023 and £65 million gain for 
the year ended 30 June 2022. 

(e) Taxation 
The reported tax rate for the year ended 30 June 2023 was 20.5% 
compared with 23.9% for the year ended 30 June 2022.

Included in the tax charge of £970 million in the year ended 30 June 
2023 is a net exceptional tax credit of £186 million, including an 
exceptional tax credit of £124 million in respect of brand impairments, 
mainly the McDowell's brand, a tax credit of £57 million in respect of 
the deductibility of fees paid to Diageo plc for guaranteeing externally 
issued debt of its US group entities, a tax credit of £23 million in respect 
of the supply chain agility programme, partly offset by a tax charge of 
£42 million in respect of the sale of Guinness Cameroun S.A.

The reported tax charge for the year ended 30 June 2022 included an 
exceptional tax credit of £31 million, comprising exceptional tax credits 
of £35 million and £20 million on the impairment of the McDowell's 
and Bell's brands respectively, partly offset by an exceptional tax 
charge of £23 million in respect of the gain on the sale of the Picon 
brand and a further tax charge of £3 million in respect of winding 
down operations in Russia.

The tax rate before exceptional items for the year ended 30 June 2023 
was 23.0% compared with 22.5% for the year ended 30 June 2022.

We expect the tax rate before exceptional items for the year ending 30 
June 2024 to be in the region of 24%. 

(f) Dividend  
The group aims to increase the dividend each year. The decision in 
respect of the dividend is made with reference to the dividend cover, as 
well as current performance trends, including sales and profit after tax 
together with cash generation. Diageo targets dividend cover (the ratio 
of basic earnings per share before exceptional items to dividend per 
share) within the range of 1.8-2.2 times. For the year ended 30 June 
2023, dividend cover is 2.0 times. The recommended final dividend for 
the year ended 30 June 2023, to be put to the shareholders for 
approval at the Annual General Meeting is 49.17 pence, an increase of 
5% on the prior year final dividend. This would bring the full year 
dividend to 80.00 pence per share, an increase of 5% on the prior 
year. The group will keep future returns of capital, including dividends, 
under review through the year ending 30 June 2024, to ensure 
Diageo’s capital is allocated in the best way to maximise value for the 
business and its stakeholders.

Subject to approval by shareholders, the final dividend will be paid to 
holders of ordinary shares and US ADRs on the register as of 25 August 
2023. The ex-dividend date both for holders of ordinary shares and for 
US ADR holders is 24 August 2023. The final dividend, once approved 
by shareholders, will be paid to shareholders on 12 October 2023 and 
payment to US ADR holders will be made on 17 October 2023. A 
dividend reinvestment plan is available to holders of ordinary shares in 
respect of the final dividend and the plan notice date is 22 September 
2023.

(g) Return of capital  
Diageo completed a total of £1.4 billion return of capital for the year 
ended 30 June 2023, which included £0.9 billion related to the 
successful completion of Diageo’s previous share buyback programme 
in which £4.5 billion of capital was returned to shareholders, and 
returned an additional £0.5 billion of capital to shareholders which was 
announced as a new share buyback programme on 16 February 2023 
and completed on 2 June 2023.

In the year ended 30 June 2023, the company purchased 37.8 million 
ordinary shares (2022 – 61.2 million) at a cost of £1,381 million 
(including transaction costs of £13 million) (2022 – £2,284 million 
including transaction costs of £16 million). All shares purchased under 
the share buyback programme were cancelled.

Movement in net borrowings and equity
Movements in net borrowings 

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Net borrowings at the beginning of the year

Free cash flow (1)

Acquisitions (2)

Investment in associates (2)

Sale of businesses and brands (3)

Share buyback programme (4)

Net sale of own shares for share schemes (5)

Purchase of treasury shares in respect of 
subsidiaries

Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

Net movements in bonds (6)

Purchase of shares of non-controlling interests (7)

Net movements in other borrowings (8)

Equity dividend paid

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Net increase in bonds and other borrowings

Exchange differences (9)

Other non-cash items (10)

2023

2022

£ million

£ million

(14,137)   

(12,109) 

1,800 

(342)   

(93)   

462 

2,783 

(206) 

(65) 

82 

(1,381)   

(2,284) 

29 

— 

(97)   

889 

(146)   

59 

(1,761)   

(581)   

(950)   

159 

(32)   

18 

(15) 

(81) 

742 

— 

79 

(1,718) 

(665) 

(825) 

(334) 

(204) 

Net borrowings at the end of the year

(15,541)   

(14,137) 

(1) See page 39 for the analysis of free cash flow. 

(2) In the year ended 30 June 2023, acquisitions included upfront 
payments of €246 million (£218 million) for Kanlaon Limited and Chat 
Noir Co. Inc. (the owner of Don Papa Rum) and $102 million (£89 
million) for Balcones Distilling. 

In the year ended 30 June 2022, acquisitions included the final earn-
out payment in respect of the Casamigos acquisition amounting to $113 
million (£83 million) and upfront payment of £62 million for 21Seeds.

In the years ended 30 June 2023 and 2022, investment in associates 
included additional investments in a number of Distill Ventures 
associates.

(3) In the year ended 30 June 2023, sale of businesses and brands 
included the disposal of Guinness Cameroun S.A. beer business for a 
net cash consideration, net of disposal costs, of £354 million and the 
disposal of the Popular brands of Diageo’s USL business, for a cash 
consideration, net of disposal costs, of £83 million.

In the year ended 30 June 2022, sale of businesses and brands 
included the cash received on the disposal of Picon brand, net of 
transaction costs. 

(4) See more details of Diageo's return of capital programmes above 
on this page.

54

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

55

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GROU P FI NANCIAL REVIEW  contin u ed

(5) Net sale of own shares comprised receipts from employees on the 
exercise of share options of £51 million (2022 – £32 million) less 
purchase of own shares for the future settlement of obligations under 
the employee share option schemes of £22 million (2022 – £14 million).

(6) In the year ended 30 June 2023, the group issued bonds of $2,000 
million (£1,788 million – net of discount and fee) and €500 million 
(£441 million – net of discount and fee), and repaid bonds of $1,650 
million (£1,340 million). In the year ended 30 June 2022, the group 
issued bonds of €1,650 million (£1,371 million - net of discount and fee) 
and £892 million (including £8 million discount and fee), and repaid 
bonds of €900 million (£769 million) and $1,000 million (£752 million). 

(7) On 24 March 2023, Diageo completed the purchase of an 
additional 14.97% of the share capital of East African Breweries PLC 
(EABL). This increased Diageo's controlling shareholding position in 
EABL from 50.03% to 65.00%.

(8) In the year ended 30 June 2023, the net movements in other 
borrowings principally arose from the increase in commercial paper, 
collateral and bank loan balances offset by cash outflows of foreign 
currency swaps and forwards and repayment of lease liabilities. In the 
year ended 30 June 2022, the net movements in other borrowings 
principally arose from cash movements of foreign currency swaps and 
forwards partially offset by the repayment of lease liabilities.

(9) In the year ended 30 June 2023, exchange gains arising on net 
borrowings of £159 million were primarily driven by favourable 
exchange movements on US dollar and euro denominated borrowings 
and unfavourable exchange movements on cash and cash 
equivalents, foreign currency swaps and forwards. In the year ended 
30 June 2022, exchange losses arising on net borrowings of £334 
million were primarily driven by adverse exchange movements on US 
dollar denominated borrowings, partially offset by favourable 
movement on euro denominated borrowings, cash and cash 
equivalents, foreign currency swaps and forwards.

(10) In the year ended 30 June 2023, other non-cash items were 
principally in respect of additional leases entered into during the year 
partially offset by fair value movements of interest rate hedging 
instruments. In the year ended 30 June 2022, other non-cash items 
were principally in respect of additional leases entered into during the 
year.

Movements in equity

Equity at the beginning of the year
Adjustment to 2021 closing equity in respect of 
hyperinflation in Turkey (1)

Adjusted equity at the beginning of the year

Profit for the year

Exchange adjustments (2)

Remeasurement of post employment benefit plans 
net of taxation

Purchase of shares of non-controlling interests (3)

Hyperinflation adjustments net of taxation (1)

Associates' transactions with non-controlling 
interests

Dividend to non-controlling interests

Equity dividend paid

Share buyback programme (4)

Other reserve movements

Equity at the end of the year

2023

2022

£ million

£ million

9,514 

8,431 

— 

9,514 

3,766 

(686)   

(469)   

(146)   

143 

(7)   

(97)   

(1,762)   

(1,273)   

309 

9,292 

251 

8,682 

3,338 

799 

497 

— 

291 

— 

(72) 

(1,718) 

(2,310) 

7 

9,514 

(1) See pages 181 and 232-239  for details of hyperinflation adjustments. 

(2) Exchange movements in the year ended 30 June 2023 primarily 
arose from exchange loss driven by the Turkish lira, the Indian rupee 
and the Chinese yuan, partially offset by gains in Mexican peso and 
US dollar. Exchange movements in the year ended 30 June 2022 
primarily arose from exchange gains driven by the US dollar and the 
Indian rupee, partially offset by Turkish lira. 

(3) On 24 March 2023, Diageo completed the purchase of an 
additional 14.97% of the share capital of East African Breweries PLC 
(EABL). This increased Diageo's controlling shareholding position in 
EABL from 50.03% to 65.00%.

(4) See page 55 for details of Diageo's return of capital programmes.

Post employment benefit plans  
The net surplus of the group’s post employment benefit plans 
decreased by £564 million from £1,151 million at 30 June 2022 to £587 
million at 30 June 2023. The decrease in net surplus was 
predominantly attributable to the unfavourable change in the market 
value of assets held by the post employment benefit plans in the UK 
which was partially offset by the favourable change in the discount rate 
assumptions in the UK due to the increase in returns from ‘AA’ rated 
corporate bonds used to calculate the discount rates on the liabilities of 
the post employment benefit plans (from 3.8% to 5.2%). The net 
operating profit charge before exceptional items increased by £36 
million from £39 million for the year ended 30 June 2022 to £75 million 
for the year ended 30 June 2023.

During the year ended 30 June 2023, following a remeasurement of 
the Diageo Lifestyle Plan, Diageo made a £16 million one-off deficit 
contribution to satisfy minimum funding requirement.

Total cash contributions by the group to all post employment benefit 
plans in the year ending 30 June 2024 are estimated to be 
approximately £75 million ($95 million). 

56

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'SOCIETY 2030: SPIRIT OF PROGRESS'

'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' – putting 
positive societal impact at the heart of our 
business strategy

We are a successful global business, building and nurturing some of the world’s most recognised 
brands. A fundamental part of our success is being responsible. That is about making sure we are 
inclusive and sustainable, and acknowledging that our impact and influence extend beyond our 
own operations. It is also about being accountable and transparent – which is why we report our 
non-financial performance in this section.

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Responding to the issues that matter
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ is our global programme addressing 
the most material(1) issues facing our company, people, brands, 
suppliers and communities. Its ambitions are embedded in our 
business strategy, and it aims to make a positive impact on people and 
the planet everywhere we live, work, source and sell.

The programme builds on our earlier progress on environmental, social 
and governance (ESG) issues. At the heart of ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress‘ are three priorities:

• Promote positive drinking – changing the way the world drinks, for 

the better.

• Champion inclusion and diversity – creating an inclusive and 

diverse culture for a better business.

• Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability – preserving the natural 

resources we all depend on.

We have set 25 targets across a range of ESG issues that matter to our 
business, to the communities we work with, to society as a whole and to 
the planet. We’ve mapped these targets to the objectives and timeline 
of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. While we have 
made significant progress against many of our targets, there is still 
much to do. In some cases, we set our targets with the expectation that 
we'd need innovation to reach them, and we still do. We also regularly 
review our material issues to make sure the 'Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress' plan is still fit for purpose to address the issues most material 
to our business and our impact on people and the planet. While we 
made no changes to our plan or targets in fiscal 23, we will continue to 
assess them and expect to refine and possibly reframe our approach to 
material issues in fiscal 24.

This section of the Annual Report sets out our progress against our 
targets in fiscal 23, and our future plans. It contains reporting on other 
aspects of our non-financial performance, as part of our continuing 
drive to be transparent and accountable. This includes reporting on 
how we are addressing climate change risk against the 
recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures (TCFD). It also includes information about our approach to 
human rights, business integrity, our people and health and safety, all 
of which are fundamental to our long-term success as a responsible 
business.

A better world, a better business
By working towards our goals, we are doing the right thing by 
contributing to a better society and a healthier planet. We believe we 
are also making ourselves a better, more competitive business, and 
one that is more resilient for the long term. 

(1) Our latest materiality assessment is included in our ESG Reporting Index.

More specifically, ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ helps us to:

• Manage our risks from climate change, and spot opportunities to 

innovate.

• Attract the best, most diverse talent.
• Make our supply chains more resilient.
• Enhance our reputation with our investors, consumers and other 

stakeholders.

• Strengthen our brands.

Governance
Both the Board and the Executive Committee oversee our ‘Society 
2030: Spirit of Progress‘ plan. The Board conducts regular reviews of 
our most material issues, our strategy to address those issues and our 
targets used to measure our strategy in action. Our Chief Executive, 
Debra Crew, is ultimately accountable for overall performance against 
ESG targets, while responsibility for the component parts of 'Society 
2030: Spirit of Progress' is shared between members of our Executive 
Committee. At the local and market level, our regional presidents and 
general managers have frontline responsibility, supported by our 
Global Spirit of Progress Director and team. The markets are also 
supported by Executive Committee members representing global 
functions.

Linking performance to remuneration
Five of our targets are key performance indicators for our business as a 
whole, which is why they are also linked to our senior leaders’ long-
term incentive plans. The goals in our long-term incentive plans 
include:

• Number of people who confirm changed attitudes to the dangers of 

underage drinking after participating in a Diageo-supported 
education programme.

• Inclusion and diversity (one measure of the percentage of female 

leaders globally and another measure of the percentage of 
ethnically diverse leaders globally).

• Improvement in water efficiency.
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in our direct operations 

(Scope 1 & 2).

This represents all three strategic priorities of our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress‘ ambition, and reflects our vision to make a positive impact on 
the environment and society.

Reporting transparently
We define our targets carefully, along with clear non-financial reporting 
boundaries and methodologies for each. For more details, see pages 
242-262. The reporting of non-financial information is evolving quickly. 
We are committed to continuously evaluating and improving our 
approach as well as responding to changes in regulation.

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57

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PROMOTE POSI TIVE DRI NKING

Promote positive drinking

As a responsible business, we want to change the way people drink – for the 
better. This is why we promote moderate drinking and invest in education 
programmes to discourage the harmful use of alcohol. 

Around the world, we reach audiences with messages that aim to 
change attitudes, whether it’s highlighting the harm of underage 
drinking or binge drinking, warning of the dangers of drink driving, or 
using our brands to highlight the importance of moderation. 

We continue to look for ways to improve as we strive to engage more 
people through our work to promote positive drinking. This extends to 
how we measure and evaluate the impact of our work and its effect on 
changing peoples' attitudes. 

How we promote positive drinking
Our main tools are:

• DRINKiQ – our interactive online platform that gives users facts 

about alcohol and the effects of drinking on the body and mind, 
and the impact that harmful alcohol consumption has on people 
and society.

• SMASHED – an award-winning programme that educates young 

people on the dangers of underage drinking.

• 'Wrong Side of the Road' – our interactive learning experience that 

aims to discourage drink driving.

• Brand-led campaigns – harnessing our marketing resources to 

promote moderation through our brands.

We stringently control our own marketing and advertising, in line with 
our Diageo Marketing Code. We work with our industry and with 
advertising organisations to help create a safe environment in media 
and online. 

Our work is coordinated by our Positive Drinking Council, which has 
representatives from across the business.

Increasing knowledge and awareness with 
DRINKiQ

Target by 2030
Champion health literacy and tackle harm through DRINKiQ in every 
market where we live, work, source and sell
Number of markets that have 
launched DRINKiQ

21

2020

Target 21

Target 
Met

2030

DRINKiQ is our online responsible drinking tool. It champions health 
literacy by providing facts about alcohol, complementing resources 
offered by governments, charities and other stakeholders. The aim is to 
invite consumers to change their attitudes to alcohol and empower 
them to achieve a balanced lifestyle.

We have launched DRINKiQ in all the markets where it's legally 
permissible. It is live in 21 markets, 56 countries and 23 languages, and 
we promote it through our product labels, social media channels and 
marketing to make sure as many people as possible use it. While we 
have reached our target by launching DRINKiQ in all the markets we 
operate in, we are determined to continue promoting it so that 
consumers have access to information that can increase their 
knowledge and awareness of the impact of harmful drinking. 

In fiscal 23, markets around the world ran campaigns to connect 
people with DRINKiQ. In Hungary, we teamed up with Sziget, the 
Island of Freedom, the biggest summer festival in Central Eastern 
Europe, to deliver an innovative DRINKiQ campaign. Visitors got 
responsible drinking messages and links to DRINKiQ.com through 
reusable cups, fence banners, tote bags, Facebook and Instagram 
posts. Tens of thousands of people visited DRINKiQ during the summer 
and the campaign was shortlisted for the European Festival Awards. In 
South Korea, a DRINKiQ digital campaign over the festive period 
resulted in more than 20,000 people completing the DRINKiQ Quiz 
and 2.4 million page views in just one month. 

Tackling underage drinking through SMASHED

Target by 2030
Scale up our SMASHED partnership and educate 10 million young 
people, parents and teachers on the dangers of underage drinking
Number of people educated on the 
dangers of underage drinking through 
a Diageo-supported education 
programme in fiscal 23

  1,985,817 

1.8m

3.8m

2018

2022

2023

Target 10m

2030

We believe it is never acceptable for anyone underage to consume 
alcohol. This is why we have run campaigns and programmes to 
combat underage drinking for many years, including campaigns to 
ensure a consistent approach to legal purchase age for alcohol across 
categories. SMASHED is a programme that educates young people 
aged from 10 to 17 in 38 countries on the dangers of underage drinking 
either live or online format. It was developed by Collingwood Learning 
and we are proud to sponsor it. 

SMASHED began in 2005 as a live theatre production and has since 
been adapted for online learning. To make the programme as 
successful as possible, the performance can be tailored to specific 
countries using local actors and cultural references.

In fiscal 23, our ambition was to educate more than 800,000 people 
through SMASHED, but we have surpassed this by educating 1,985,817 
people, with 1,548,996∆ people confirming changed attitudes on the 
dangers of underage drinking following participation in a Diageo-
supported education programme. We have educated 3.79 million 
people since our baseline year of 2018.

(Δ)  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting methodologies, see pages 242-266.

To achieve this, we have:

• Extended SMASHED Live to 10 new countries and SMASHED Online 
to 12 new countries including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Panama 
and Costa Rica.

• Launched a shorter facilitated live version, allowing us to reach 

more people while maintaining the programme's effectiveness. This 
was a direct response to feedback from teachers.

• Developed three new versions of SMASHED Online in India.
• Launched a new version of SMASHED Online for Northern Ireland.

SMASHED has been recognised by industry and marketing peers, 
winning 12 awards from eight organisations in fiscal 23. The awards 
recognised the quality of the learning experience, the creativity of its 
immersive, story-led approach and excellence in other areas including 
innovation and digital technology. 

Changing attitudes to drink driving

Target by 2030
Extend our UNITAR partnership and promote changes in attitudes to 
drink driving, reaching five million people
Number of people educated about 
the dangers of drink driving in fiscal 23

706k

510k

1,216k

2020 2022

2023

Target 5,000k

2030

We have long worked to alert people to the dangers of drink driving. 
Initially we partnered with police, local authorities and other agencies 
that support enforcement of drink drive laws. In 2021, we launched the 
'Wrong Side of the Road' (WSOTR) digital learning resource with the 
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to help 
people understand the impact of drink-driving on themselves and 
others.

WSOTR is available in digital and classroom formats, is live in 24 
countries, and reached 706,000 people in fiscal 23. This year, we have 
found new ways to reach more people through partnerships in India, 
reaching 230,000 people by:

• Launching WSOTR with the national road safety agency – driving-
test candidates can now experience WSOTR as they wait for their 
driving test.

• Making WSOTR available in a classroom format through driving 

schools.

We believe that promoting WSOTR in a setting such as a driving 
school, where people are already learning about road safety is a 
particularly effective setting for this resource.

Using the power of our brands

Target by 2030
Leverage Diageo marketing and innovation to make moderation the 
norm – reaching 1 billion people with dedicated responsible drinking 
messages
Number of people reached with responsible 

drinking messages from our brands in fiscal 23 645m

2020

2022

Target Met

2023

823m

Target 1,000m

1,468m

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Our brands are among our most powerful tools in shaping consumer 
attitudes and promoting moderation. We are proud to have achieved 
our 2030 target early, having reached more than 1.4 billion people in 
total with messages of moderation from fiscal 21 to the end of fiscal 23. 
We have done this by delivering campaigns at scale in all the key 
regions where we operate.

Our fiscal 23 highlights include:

• In North America, reaching 88 million people with our Johnnie 

Walker 'Rewind the Night' moderation campaign.

• In Latin America and Caribbean, continuing to expand the 

'Derribando Mitos' moderation campaign, now in its third year, to 
reach 51 million people across seven countries.

• In China, combining the power of the Baileys and Tanqueray No. 
TEN brands with a deep understanding of popular culture and a 
'digital first' approach to promote moderation among young, urban 
adults, reaching 14.8 million people.

We remain committed to using our expertise in consumer insights and 
marketing to positively influence attitudes towards moderation across 
the world.

Marketing in a responsible way
Our Diageo Marketing Code (DMC) and Digital Code not only set 
minimum standards for responsible marketing, they also represent a 
cornerstone of our corporate culture and the way we do business. The 
DMC includes, among other principles, our commitment to making 
sure we depict and encourage only responsible and moderate 
drinking, and never target underage audiences. We are proud to have 
a proven track record of compliance, which is underpinned by mature 
business processes, and appropriate checks and balances in every 
market we operate in.

We published the latest version of the DMC in January 2023, with 
enhanced rules governing the marketing of our non-alcoholic brands 
and reinforcing our commitment to advertise them to adults only. Also, 
in September 2022 we launched a new e-learning module on digital 
compliance for our brand teams worldwide, with guidance on topics 
including: 

• Transparency – making sure that influencers’ social media posts 
promoting our brands tell consumers about the nature of the 
partnership with hashtags such as #Ad.

• Data privacy – further strengthening our approach to the use of 

consumer data in our digital marketing in line with GDPR (General 
Data Protection Regulation) principles.

We continue to play a leading role in shaping a vision for a safe, 
inclusive online ecosystem for our consumers and brands. This is why 
we have championed the updated version of the World Federation of 
Advertisers (WFA) Global Media Charter, released in March 2023, re-
emphasising our focus on marketing responsibly and making a positive 
societal impact. 

We are pleased to report that all our ads complied with a 2023 review 
by the WFA’s Responsible Marketing Pact and the European 
Advertising Standards Alliance, aimed at making sure alcoholic 
beverage ads do not contain elements that appeal mainly 
to minors. We are also pleased that no complaints about Diageo 
marketing were upheld by key industry bodies this year (see next 
page).

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59

 
 
 
PROMOTE POSI TIVE DRI NKING  contin u ed

DOING BUSINESS THE RIGHT W AY

Advertising complaints upheld by key industry bodies that report publicly
Across some of our markets, advertising regulators and industry bodies publicly report breaches of self-regulatory alcohol marketing codes.  No 
breaches were upheld by any of these key bodies about Diageo's advertising this year.

Incidents of non-compliance concerning marketing communications – FY23(1)

Country

United States

Australia

Body

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

ABAC Scheme

United Kingdom

Advertising Standards Authority

Portman Group

Republic of Ireland

Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland

(1)

From 1 July 2022 to 5 May 2023.

Industry complaints 
upheld

Complaints about Diageo 
brands upheld

0

27

17

9

3

0

0

0

0

0

Doing business the right way

We want to do business in the right way every day, everywhere. This 
is about making sure our people and suppliers demonstrating 
integrity, living our values, and behaving in an ethical way that 
underpins our Code of Business Conduct. We expect everyone who 
works for us and alongside us to uphold human rights and stand up 
for what is right.

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Standing up for human rights
We want people who work for us or with us to feel they are treated 
fairly and with respect. This means working hard to make sure we don’t 
infringe their human rights, and that we are not complicit with anyone 
else who does. We seek to build credibility and trust by expecting 
everyone who works with us to adopt our standards.
Our policies cover our responsibilities to protect the human rights of 
everyone working in our direct operations, our value chain and 
communities. They are in line with internationally recognised laws, 
regulations and guidelines including the UN Guiding Principles on 
Business and Human Rights, and the International Labor Organization’s 
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Updating our human rights governance 
We continue to enhance our policies(1), standards and disclosures and 
embed human rights in our enterprise risk management processes. 

In fiscal 23, our Global Audit and Risk team reviewed our human rights 
due diligence by risk area and risk setting to look for opportunities to 
strengthen our approach and better assess its effectiveness. As a result, 
we are strengthening our internal governance risk assessment process 
and committing to more frequent audits of our high-risk markets with:

• A strategic human rights review with the Board at least once a year 
• An annual review of our list of high-risk markets for direct operations
• An annual review of human rights risks by direct operations against 

a self-assessment questionnaire

• A commitment to audit high-risk markets once every three years 

We have also developed training to build our teams' capability in 
effectively managing human rights risks. This helps us to be alert to 
these risks and able to act effectively when we see them.

(1)

https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance/code-of-business-
conduct/policies-and-standards

Example of a moderation campaign (Guinness).

60

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Diageo 1HQ

Focussing on salient human rights issues
Our Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) programme from 2015 to 
2021 highlighted three salient external business and supply chain risks: 
labour rights, including child labour risks; labour standards for contract 
workers; and sexual harassment in the hospitality sector. In response, 
we created awareness programmes on child labour and modern 
slavery, conducted an independent review of contract labour and 
developed standards and training to protect brand promotion teams.

To refresh and enhance our assessment of salient issues, we’re 
reviewing current and emerging laws and regulations alongside our 
internal processes to assess our operational, commercial and 
reputational risk in priority jurisdictions. We are also assessing salient 
risks for third-party suppliers in priority supply chains.

We have also continued to address our global salient risks by:

• Launching a brand promoter training website in 18 languages to 

help us track training completions and agency compliance with our 
Brand Promoter Standard.

Brand promoter training website in 
18 languages

• Refreshing our child labour training and making it part of our wider 

smallholder farmer programme from fiscal 24

• Participating in a pilot project in Africa to understand the gaps that 
exist within our supply chain to living wage benchmarks and how 
we can support our supply chain to bridge those gaps through time.

Strengthening our approach to responsible sourcing
To enhance our approach to responsible sourcing we have begun 
screening for human rights with higher-risk potential suppliers before 
onboarding. This helps us make more informed decisions on human 
rights risks and gives us the chance to assess and mitigate the salient 
issues before we contract with a supplier. We have also extended our 
supplier requirements on responsible sourcing to our licensed 
manufacturers globally.

Connecting climate risk with human rights
Climate change is already having a negative impact on people and 
communities, not least through water stress, but also by affecting 
working conditions. We’ve begun a project looking at how we can help 
workers in our sugarcane supply chain avoid serious health impacts 
from heat stress driven by climate change. We have partnered with 
NGOs, government agencies, customers and our suppliers to build 
awareness around the issues workers face in a changing climate, 
measure their metabolic data and implement plans to improve 
conditions. This includes providing workers with more water and mobile 
shade tents, as well as rest schedules designed around the conditions 

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

61

 
DOING BU SI NESS THE RIGHT W AY   continued

in specific sites. We have launched this programme with our suppliers 
in our rum supply chain in Jamaica and Guatemala.

Upholding business integrity
Working with integrity is an important part of who we are and how we 
achieve our performance ambition to be the best performing, most trusted 
and respected consumer products company in the world. We all have a 
part to play in building credibility and trust with stakeholders by doing our 
jobs in the right way. By being proud of what we do, and how we do it, our 
conduct will bring about success we can all be proud of.

Reinforcing our Code of Business Conduct
Our Code of Business Conduct is central to how we encourage all our 
people to work in the right way by making the right choices. Our Code 
sets out what we stand for as a business and how we demonstrate our 
high standards of integrity and ethical behaviour. It is guided by our 
purpose and values. It seeks to provide clarity on how we are expected 
to behave to build the trust and respect of everyone who interacts 
with us. 

Each year, all eligible employees receive mandatory training as an 
opportunity to reflect and certify that they have read, understood and 
complied with the Code and our global policies. This year, 97% of 
eligible employees completed the training.

Training is via an interactive e-learning module accessible through any 
device, or classroom training for those who do not have regular 
computer access. The training covers topics that help employees 
understand more about doing the right thing, from grain to glass.

This year, there were 88 breaches of the Code, down by 27% 
compared to fiscal 22.

Training completed by
97% of eligible employees 

Managing third-party risks
Business integrity is also vital in our network of relationships with third 
parties. Our Know Your Business Partner (KYBP) programme helps us 
screen for potential risks and be certain about the true identity of third 
parties before we start a contractual relationship with them.

Throughout fiscal 23, we continued to expand our third-party screening 
programme to incorporate the many new sanctions rules relating to 
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We also focussed on streamlining the 
KYBP process by better integrating it into our customer and vendor 
onboarding to make ourselves more efficient, without making the 
process any less thorough.  

Promoting our whistleblowing service
We encourage everyone to report potential breaches of our Code, 
policies or standards through our confidential whistleblowing service, 
SpeakUp. This is run by an independent third-party, is available around 
the clock and lets employees and external parties report concerns 
anonymously. This includes issues like bullying, harassment, 
discrimination and human rights concerns. 

The number of SpeakUp reports filed fell during fiscal 23 and is now 
similar to pre-pandemic levels. In fiscal 23, we rolled out a global 
awareness campaign for SpeakUp, emphasising our zero tolerance of 
retaliation against anyone reporting a concern or helping with an 
investigation. The video-based campaign also showcased the 
SpeakUp QR code for easy access to the system. 

Training our leaders
Treating each other with dignity and respect is an important part of 
doing business the right way. To reinforce this, we’ve created a training 
programme for our leaders called Leading with Integrity, designed to:

• Increase awareness of our Dignity at Work policy
• Give guidance on managing SpeakUp reports and resolving any 

conflicts

• Give leaders the tools they need to handle and resolve issues 

around Dignity at Work

• Build knowledge, shared understanding and skills on the 

importance of leading in line with our values and leadership 
standards

Our human rights policies extend to our supply chain.

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OUR PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Our people and culture:
the key to our success

Our talented and diverse workforce, together with our brands and inclusive culture, 
continue to be a competitive advantage for our business, enabling us to perform at our best.

we have seen a 31% increase in the number of external applicants for 
open roles, while engagement with our employer brand LinkedIn 
content has been above benchmark levels.
Diageo's purpose is 'celebrating life every day, everywhere'. 
Recognising the importance of celebration in engagement and 
performance, in fiscal 23 we began to roll out a global employee 
recognition programme, Celebrate. This programme empowers our 
people to formally acknowledge each other for the small and big 
moments. Building a culture of gratitude and appreciation is core to 
how we live our values and purpose every day. So far, employees have 
made 27,000 awards in North America, United Kingdom and Ireland 
through the programme. In markets where Celebrate is live, 85% of 
employees have received recognition through the Celebrate platform 
and we intend to roll the platform out across all our markets to further 
strengthen our culture.

Helping our people realise their potential
We believe that Diageo grows when our people grow. Our talent 
strategy is to empower our people with the developmental experiences 
to facilitate their growth and successful careers at Diageo. To support 
our people’s career progression, we aim to fill our vacancies internally 
where we can. In fiscal 23, we recorded 5,092 career moves which 
translates to an average of 14 people a day making career moves. We 
have increased internal appointments into leadership roles to 72.8% – 
up one percentage point on fiscal 22. Our general managers come 
from diverse functional and professional backgrounds, fuelling our 
strong performance with diversity of experience, and giving our people 
opportunities for cross-functional experiences. Also, international moves 
increased by 15.9% this year, and we continued to offer developmental 
webinars, workshops and networking to all employees through our 
Craft my Career programme.
To meet the demands of our growth strategy, we are putting extra 
investment into new and emerging capabilities in digital, ESG and 
leadership. In fiscal 23, our people completed 11,538 digital training 
courses in different areas in partnership with our external partners. 
Through our Digital Now capability programme, we are equipping our 
people with the capability and mindset to accelerate digital 
transformation. Similarly, we partnered with Oxford Saïd Business 
School to upskill our leadership in ESG to support the delivery of our 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ goals.
We believe that an environment of openness, integrity and trust fosters 
greater collaboration, experimentation, and bolder execution. Our 
Senior Leadership Team have focussed on how to enable bolder 
performance by creating a psychologically safe environment, helping 
their teams take risks, share their opinions and experiment with 
innovative ideas. We have seen a five percentage point increase in the 
proportion of employees who feel comfortable with raising concerns, 
ideas, and opinions without fear of consequence this year compared to 
fiscal 22.
(1)
(2)
(3) Based on a blend of Ipsos Karian and Box, Qualtrics benchmark data. Global 

This data is calculated as an average across the 12 months of fiscal 23.
This is based upon the respondents to the fiscal 23 Your Voice engagement survey.

Manufacturing benchmark includes organisations with global coverage that operate 
within FMCG and other industry sectors.

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63

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

Highly engaged people and an inclusive culture
Our 30,237 people(1) are our most valuable assets. Their sense of
purpose and pride in what they do, and their commitment to our 
brands, consumers, customers and each other are the hallmarks of 
our culture.
In December 2022, we celebrated our 25th anniversary with a global 
webcast and heard from employees on what they valued most about 
working for Diageo. The themes were consistent with those emerging 
from our employee listening sessions, namely the quality of our talent, 
our purpose, values and brands, and our uniquely diverse workforce 
and inclusive culture. The feedback also reinforces our core values: we 
are passionate about our customers and consumers and always strive 
to be the best. We give each other freedom to succeed and value each 
other. We work hard so we can be proud of what we do, and this pride 
is a source of energy that fuels our performance.

Employee Engagement Index
84%(2)

Despite ongoing volatility in our markets, we continue to see strong 
employee engagement. In our Your Voice survey this year, our 
Employee Engagement Index increased from 82% in fiscal 22 to 84%, 
and our Employer Advocacy score – the proportion of people who 
would recommend Diageo as a great place to work – is 84%, which is 
11 percentage points higher than our external benchmark(3) . That is an 
improvement of two percentage points on last year. Similarly, the 
percentage of people who are proud to work for Diageo improved by 
one percentage point to 91%, which is 14 percentage points higher 
than our external benchmark. This strong advocacy and pride 
contributes to the strength of our external employer brand. In fiscal 23, 

 
OUR PEOPLE AND CULTURE  contin ued

Enabling a great employee experience
Putting our people at the heart of everything we do is critical to our 
success — it's how we deliver our people strategy and performance 
ambition, and create the most inclusive and diverse culture. To achieve 
this, it's imperative we take the needs and opinions of our people into 
account in designing and implementing effective people-centric 
solutions. 

This year, we launched our employee experience champions network, 
providing a global, diverse 'voice of the employee' network enabling us 
to co-create solutions with and for our people. About 200 employee 
experience champions have been involved in our HR transformation 
programmes, sharing feedback on our people processes and policies, 
brainstorming ideas to radically liberate our people from low-value, 
time consuming activities and validating HR technology prototypes and 
solutions.

Our commitment to creating a strong employee experience has 
reinforced our employer advocacy and employer brand position. Over 
the years, we have been recognised in many markets for great people 
practices. Recently, Diageo Turkey won a Jury special award for HR 
practices in Sales(1) while Diageo North America achieved a top 10 Best 
Companies’ ranking(2). 

Supporting our people’s wellbeing
We remain committed to supporting our people's wellbeing, offering 
guidance, and education in line with the four dimensions of our Global 
Wellbeing Philosophy. We make wellbeing part of our culture every 
day, everywhere so that our people are thriving physically and 
mentally, emotionally balanced, financially secure and socially 
connected. 

In our 2023 employee survey, 79% of the respondents felt Diageo was 
‘sufficiently supporting their health and wellbeing’. With wellbeing 
support identified as a key engagement driver, this underlines the need 
for us to continue to focus on wellbeing and improve our support. 

In fiscal 23, we increased our focus on mental health and financial 
wellbeing. This included launching the Unmind mental wellbeing app – 
making us the first fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company to 
make it available for all employees, globally. In response to the rising 
cost of living, we delivered regular financial wellbeing masterclasses 
and offered mental ‘wealth’ first aid training to help identify financial 
stress and signpost others to support. We also offered a global one-
time payment to all employees to support with the rising cost of living. 
This payment was well received as it was equivalent to 15% of the 
annual salary of employees in some markets. Our Employee Assistance 
Programme continues to offer employees free, confidential advice and 
counselling around the clock on personal, emotional, and work-life 
issues. 

We know that our people thrive when they feel empowered to decide 
how, when and where they create their best work. Recognising that 
flexibility means different things to different people, we have always 
taken a progressive and inclusive approach to flexible working, 
making sure our people consider what works best for the individual 
and team. We have designed our office spaces to foster greater team 
collaboration, positive social interactions and deeper connections with 
our brands and culture.

The award is by Sales Network.

(1)
(2) Seramount 2022 100 Best Companies List.

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Our office spaces are designed with team collaboration and wellbeing in mind.

Diageo Turkey receiving the HR in Sales Jury special award by Sales Network.

Average number of employees by region by gender(1)

Region(2)

Men

% Women

Not 
declared(3)

%

North America

1,839

 59 % 1,258

 40 %

5,836

 58 % 4,211

5,957

 66 % 3,042

2,733

 63 % 1,592

2,488

 67 % 1,244

 42 %

 34 %

 37 %

 33 %

%

Total

 0.6 % 3,115

 0.1 % 10,062

 — % 9,000

 — % 4,325

 0.1 % 3,735

18

15

1

0

3

18,853

 62 % 11,347

 38 %

37

 0.1 % 30,237

Average number of employees by role by gender(1)
Not 
declared(3)

% Women

Men

%

7

 50 %

7

 50 %

311

 56 % 248

 44 %

2,274

 65 % 1,198

 34 %

0

1

6

%

Total

 — %

14

 0.2 % 560

 0.2 % 3,478

16,261

 62 % 9,894

Diageo (total)

18,853

 62 % 11,347

 38 %

 38 %

30

37

 0.1 % 26,185

 0.1 % 30,237

(1)

(2)
(3)

This data has been compiled as monthly average based on the proportion of 
employees who have identified their gender identity as male, female or undisclosed, 
and will not be fully representative of the gender identity or diversity within our 
employee population.
Employees have been allocated to the region where they live.
This data represents the proportion of employees who have chosen not to disclose 
their gender identity as male or female.

(4) Executive positions have been calculated based on year end as of 30 June.
(5)
(6) All Diageo employees (excluding senior managers and Executive Committee) with one 

Top leadership positions in Diageo, excluding Executive Committee.

or more direct reports.

(7) All Diageo employees (excluding senior managers and Executive Committee) who 

have no direct reports.

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America 
and Caribbean

Africa

Total

Role
Executive(4)

Senior 
manager(5)
Line manager(6)

Supervised 
employee(7)

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Health and safety

It is our ambition to create a world-class health and safety culture to make sure we protect our 
people across our business.

Monitoring our key performance measures
We report lost-time accident frequency rate (LTAFR). This year, we 
sustained 0.91Δ lost-time accidents (LTAs) per 1,000 full-time 
employees, compared to 0.92 in fiscal 22. The severity rate of these 
LTAs is a measure of the seriousness of the incidents and any absence 
from work they cause. This year, the severity rate increased due to a 
carry-over of days lost for accidents that occurred in fiscal 22.

Our total recordable accident frequency rate (TRAFR) records work-
related injuries that need more than first aid treatment. We investigate 
each recordable accident to establish the root cause as well as 
uncover all contributing factors and insights we can learn from. We 
share the key learnings across the organisation aiming to prevent 
recurrences.

Acting to improve performance
Creating awareness of accident trends and communicating them 
effectively across our business is an important part of learning from 
them. Employees need to understand the risks inherent in their 
workplace, and how they could lead to injury. Despite improvements in 
our global health and safety KPI performance, accidents increased in 
Mexico and Turkey. In Mexico, we have significantly increased our 
agriculture footprint, which coincided with an increase in incidents. In 
Turkey, the increase is predominantly in our distilling and packaging 
operations. As a result of these trends, the Global Health and Safety 
team intervened to help local teams to address and improve 
performance. In both markets, global and regional health and safety 
experts worked with local teams on site to find the root cause of the dip 
in performance and agree a time-bound improvement plan. By 
involving our people in reviewing risk assessments and by making sure 
operations and leadership teams are regularly inspecting sites and 
equipment, we have improved our ability to spot potential dangers as 
well as areas for improvement.

We will continue to focus on implementing our systems and technology 
roadmap, aiming to codify and simplify some of our high-risk work 
activities and processes as well as further enhance our predictive 
analytical capability. We will also continue to strengthen our health 
and safety culture by rolling out our Behavioural Standard globally. We 
use the standard to measure the maturity level of our health and safety 
culture on a scale with four levels: baseline, stable, progressive and 
leading. The standard helps us spot key themes and actions. 

We have designed our Safer Together strategy and its associated 
programmes to prevent severe, fatal and process safety incidents. Our 
global policies, standards, compliance systems, technology and 
training create and embed innovative ways of working aimed at 
continuous improvement. The goal is to prevent accidents by keeping 
health and safety at the front of everyone's minds.

Being proactive, not reactive
One of our priorities is to create and embed a scorecard for leading 
and lagging key performance indicators for health and safety. 
‘Lagging indicators’ like total recordable accident frequency rate 
(TRAFR) and lost-time accident frequency rate (LTAFR) allow us to 
monitor performance, but they do not indicate the effectiveness of our 
initiatives in preventing incidents and accidents. For this we use a 
leading indicator – severe injury and fatality exposure (SIFe) – to 
consider incidents that could be classified as ‘near misses’ and which 
had the potential to cause life-threatening or life-altering outcomes.

Senior management reviews performance against lagging and leading 
indicators each month, alongside any action we can take to prevent 
incidents. We believe that safety is everyone’s responsibility and an 
integral part of everyone’s job. Empowering and involving our people 
in safety embeds the idea that there is no acceptable level of 
accidents. Improving our performance on leading indicators and 
getting all employees more involved in spotting hazards strengthens 
the safety culture at each site and makes us better at reducing the risk 
of accidents. 

We also provide employees with the most up-to-date health and safety 
training, so they can carry out day-to-day tasks and activities safely 
every day, everywhere. Our strategy extends to our contractors and 
third-party providers, because they share our commitment to keeping 
the risk of accidents to a minimum.

Our global self-assessment compliance programme helps keep all our 
locations legally compliant as well as aligned with our own health and 
safety requirements. Our locations audit themselves against our global 
health and safety standards and ways of working. Locations capture 
these assessments and action plans on our global governance digital 
platform. Our independent Audit Assurance programme is designed to 
make sure sites complete the audits correctly and complete any action 
plans. Senior leaders review performance against these plans. 

Through our Safer Together programme and communication 
platforms, our Global Health and Safety team regularly communicates 
with all sites about specific initiatives and shared learnings from our 
leading and lagging KPI insights. Each month, our year-to-date 
performance is discussed and reviewed at site and regional level, and 
globally with senior leaders and global governance teams.

(Δ)  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited 
assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting 
methodologies, see pages 242-266.

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HEALTH AND  SAFETY  contin u ed

CHAMPION I NCLUSI ON AND DIV ERSITY

Understanding the risk of severe and fatal 
injuries 
Our strategy aims to eliminate severe and fatal injuries. 
Alongside our risk assessment protocols, which let us spot and 
mitigate potential risks with change management procedures, 
in fiscal 23 we started a Severe and Fatal Incident Exposure 
(SIFe) engagement programme. SIFe considers both potential 
and actual incidents that could result in a life-threatening or life-
altering injury. SIFe is part of our Global Health and Safety KPI 
scorecard. We use a decision-tree approach, based on our Life 
Saving Rules, to identify any incident or safety-critical behaviour 
with a potentially life-threatening or life-altering outcome. 

When an incident has been classified as having SIFe, it triggers 
these processes:

• We issue a global safety alert to heighten vigilance. 
• A site representative shares an investigation report of 

findings and remediation actions taken.

• Global Safety Alert and action plan is communicated to all 

sites and the action close-out is assured.

Together with our long-standing lagging indicators of Lost-Time 
Accident and Total Recordable Frequency Rates, the SIFe 
process provides a comprehensive approach to managing our 
incident prevention programme.

Limiting risk from hazardous substances with 
a Global Process Safety Framework
How we handle hazardous substances is essential to 
safeguarding people and the environment. We are committed 
to protecting our employees, visitors and contractors, as well as 
protecting the local communities in which we operate. In fiscal 
23, we've developed a global process safety framework to 
embed the right behaviour, systems and processes to manage 
or control incidents that could cause toxic effects, fires or 
explosions.

The framework includes a Process Safety Policy and risk 
calculator, and Process Safety Risk Management standards. All 
our sites can use the standards to help them assess their 
operations and create plans to fill any gaps. Sites can also 
document and share risk assessments on our digital platform, 
as well as share best practice and training tools through our 
new process safety network.

The framework helps us reduce the risk of injury and 
environmental damage, as well as keep production quality high 
while controlling our costs.

Health and safety culture.

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Champion inclusion and diversity

Championing inclusion and diversity is at the heart of what we do, 
and is crucial to our purpose of ‘celebrating life, every day, everywhere’.

Not only is it the right thing to do, as it means we play a part in shaping 
a more equitable society, it also makes us a better business. We are 
proud of having an inclusive culture where everyone can be 
themselves, as it helps us attract and retain the best and most diverse 
talent, and allows us to be more innovative and perform better. We’ve 
set ourselves ambitious goals, inside our business and beyond. 

Our inclusion and diversity index score in our 2023 Your Voice 
employee survey remains high at 83% positive sentiment. This shows 
our commitment to creating an environment where colleagues can 
belong and thrive. 

Promoting diversity 
We promote inclusion and diversity in every sense, from gender, 
ethnicity, age and disability, to sexual orientation, social background 
and education – and we’re proud of the progress we’re making.

Since 2020, driving diverse representation in our leadership cohort(1) 
has been linked to our long-term incentive plan (LTIP), which means we 
incentivise every senior leader to make progress against this agenda.

Empowering women
Ambition by 2030
Champion gender diversity, with an ambition to achieve 50% 
representation of women in leadership roles by 2030
Percentage of female leaders globally

 44% 

2020

 Ambition 50%

44%

2023

2030

In fiscal 23, representation of women in our leadership, including our 
Executive Committee, remained strong at 44%, maintaining our 
progress of 88% against our 2030 ambition to achieve 50% 
representation of women in leadership roles. We're proud to have 73% 
female Board representation following the appointment of Debra Crew 
as CEO, and 50% female executive committee representation. In fiscal 
23, 45% of external appointments and 46% of internal promotions to 
our leadership cohort were female. We’re recognised for our gender 
equality work by the FTSE Women Leaders Review, Bloomberg Equality 
Index and others. In 2023, the Equileap Gender Equality Global Report 
ranked us second overall globally and first in the UK for gender 
equality. Our policies and practices help foster a truly gender-equal 
and inclusive environment. As well as our Family Leave policy, we have 
Thriving Through Menopause guidelines, Pregnancy Loss guidelines 
and Flexible Working and Wellbeing philosophies. 

(1) Our leadership cohort reflects the top 2% of roles globally encompassing Executive 

Committee members and senior managers

Helping women build careers
We have a clear equal opportunities recruitment policy, 
allowing us to hire the best talent, while ensuring a diverse slate 
of candidates throughout recruitment stages. We believe our 
industry should do more to attract women, particularly in areas 
where women have historically been under-represented, 
including science, technology, engineering and mathematics 
(STEM) and commercial roles. In Europe, 72% of graduates in 
our Supply Chain & Procurement function are female, and in 
fiscal 23, 80% of job offers were to women (an increase in the 
last four years of over 25%). In fiscal 23, we launched our first 
apprenticeship accelerator programme specifically for digital 
roles in our GB business, with 83% of job offers going to 
women. By focussing on early careers and entry-level roles, we 
continue to build our pipeline of female talent.

Championing ethnic diversity
Ambition by 2030
Champion ethnic diversity, with an ambition to increase representation of 
leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to 45% by 2030
Percentage of ethnically diverse leaders globally 

 43% 

2020

 Ambition 45%

43%

2023 2030

We employ 30,237 people of 115 nationalities in over 70 countries 
which means we have a workforce whose diversity reflects that of our 
consumers and markets. We want ethnic diversity at every level of our 
business, including in our leadership cohort. The more progress we 
make, the more strongly we connect with our consumers and the more 
diverse our thinking becomes, fuelling our creativity and 
competitiveness.

Currently, 36% of our Board and 43% of our leadership (up from 41% 
in fiscal 22), including our Executive Committee, is made up of 
ethnically diverse talent, supported by 39% of external appointments 
and 46% of internal promotions into our leadership cohort across fiscal 
23. Also, our former CEO Ivan Menezes, Chief HR Officer Louise 
Prashad and General Counsel & Company Secretary Tom Shropshire 
were recognised in the Involve Empower Role Model Lists, which 
highlights leaders championing inclusion in business. 

To help us understand the makeup of our workforce and set 
meaningful goals, we invite all employees (where local laws allow) to 
share their ethnicity. By the end of fiscal 23, 75% of our global 
workforce and 97% of our leadership cohort had disclosed their ethnic 
background in our confidential HR system.

Each market and function have set stretching five-year diversity plans 
covering representation and development, supplier diversity and 
inclusive marketing.

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In January 2023, we launched inclusive design training that was 
created by design, brand and semiotics experts. This promotes 
inclusivity across our products, advertising campaigns and physical 
brand experiences, working to remove unconscious bias from the 
design process and celebrate the individual and cultural differences of 
the consumers we design for. A recent example of inclusive design was 
making disabled accessibility a key feature at Diageo's brand home, 
Johnnie Walker Princes Street, ensuring the highest standards of 
accessibility and inclusion for our guests.

Championing inclusion through Employee Resource Groups 
Our network of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) create connected 
communities of support, while helping the business better understand 
our diverse communities’ concerns. Our ERGs include AHEAD (African 
Heritage Employees at Diageo); Conectados (Diageo employees 
championing Latin culture); and PAN (Pan Asian Network), in the 
United States; We Are All Able and REACH (Race, Ethnicity and 
Cultural Heritage), in Europe; and our international Spirited Women 
and Rainbow Networks. Highlights from this year include:

• Conectados led Hispanic Future Month, recognising the 

contributions of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture and 
achievements of the United States. This included celebrating the 
Tequila Don Julio Fund, which in 2022 awarded a $20,000 grant to 
five Hispanic entrepreneurs who live their craft ‘Por Amor’.

• The Rainbow Network, including new chapters forming across India, 
South East Asia and South Africa led our Pride celebrations with 
78 Diageo offices and sites taking part in our annual Pride flag-
raising event championing greater LGBTQIA+ awareness and 
inclusion. In 2023, Johnnie Walker was a partner at Sydney World 
Pride while Johnnie Walker Princes Street was the lead sponsor at 
Edinburgh Pride.  

• Throughout March 2023, championed by our Spirited Women 

Networks, we celebrated International Women’s Day with the theme 
of #EmbraceEquity. This included the launch event, hosted by 
Louise Prashad, Chief HR Officer, where former CEO Ivan Menezes, 
Board member Karen Blackett and Pronghorn co-founder Dia 
Simms talked about the importance of being curious, empathetic 
and proactive.

CHAMPI ON INCLUSION AND DI VERSI TY  continued

Attracting ethnically diverse talent 
In Brazil, our Programa Origens initiative attracts, hires and 
generates opportunities for Black and Indigenous people in 
higher education. Through professional development, including 
English language lessons, and mentoring opportunities, the 
programme has seen more than 40 people join to date.

Promoting ethnically diverse business
In North America, we became anchor investors in Pronghorn, a 
10-year initiative to diversify the spirits industry. It’s cultivating the 
next generation of diverse founders, executive leaders and 
entrepreneurs to generate $2.4 billion in economic value for the 
Black community by 2032. In fiscal 23, Pronghorn has invested 
in 19 Black-owned spirits brands, supported founders with 
mentoring programmes, and worked with the industry and 
commercial partners to develop a talent pipeline of Black 
leaders. 

Gender representation of our leadership(1), (4)

Role
Leadership population(2)

Men

319

%

Women

 56 %

254

%

Total
 44 % 573(3)

Ethnic representation of our leadership(1), (4)

Role
Leadership 
population(2)

 Ethnically 
diverse

Non-
ethnically 
diverse

% 

 Decline 
to self-
identify %

%

 Not 

disclosed % Total

249  43 %

289  50% 

19  3% 

17  3%  574

This data is calculated as an average across the four quarters of fiscal 23.
(1)
Leadership population encompasses Executive Committee and senior managers.
(2)
(3) One person has opted not to disclose their gender; they cannot be positively attributed 

to either group and therefore are not included. 

(4) Please refer to our non-financial reporting boundaries and methodologies in the 

Additional information section on pages 242-262  for more information on how data 
has been compiled, including standards and assumptions used.

Nurturing inclusivity
Our growing range of policies and guidelines help foster an inclusive 
environment that supports every employee. 

Our Disability Inclusion guidelines, introduced in October 2022, were 
created by employees, with our We Are All Able employee resource 
group and our external partner Disability:IN, and are available in 15 
languages. They give everyone knowledge, tools and guidance to 
support people with disabilities, covering issues from digital and 
physical accessibility to appropriate language to enable positive 
conversations about disability. Through ‘disability disclosure’, we invite 
employees in more than 40 countries to share their disability 
confidentially, helping us to better understand our workforce.

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Marketing in progressive ways
Ambition by 2030
Use our creative and media spend to support progressive voices, 
measuring and increasing spend year on year

Measurement and evaluation framework under development

As one of the world’s largest advertisers, we’re committed to changing the 
industry from script to screen, so that everyone sees themselves represented. 
We use our Progressive Marketing to challenge stereotypes and commit 
investment to address under-representation of diverse voices in media, 
making mainstream media more inclusive. We are founding members of 
the United Nations Women Unstereotype Alliance and the World 
Federation of Advertisers D&I Task Force and work across the industry to 
foster inclusion and diversity in front of and behind the camera. For the past 
four years we have sponsored the Creative Equals ‘Creative Comeback’ 
Programme that focuses on bringing more women, disabled and 
neurodivergent people into the creative industry. 

In fiscal 23, we refreshed our Progressive Marketing Framework and training 
to include a new model focused on inclusive design, which allows us to be at 
the forefront of breaking stereotypes in advertising for gender, race, sexuality, 
age, disability and social status. Some 47% of our global marketing 
campaigns were shot by female directors or photographers.

Two powerful examples of progressive marketing and our commitment to 
authentic representation in action are the Guinness 'Brothers' and Baileys 
‘Delicious Descriptions’ campaigns. The Guinness ‘Brothers’ campaign in 
Africa, featuring Miracle, a blind actor, celebrates how football fans make 
the experience of watching the game accessible for everyone including 
members of the blind and visually impaired community.  Members of this 
community were consulted to make the campaign reflected authentic 
experiences. 

Baileys ‘Delicious Descriptions’ was launched on Global Accessibility 
Awareness Day in consultation with the Royal National Institute of Blind 
People (RNIB) and Meta. Baileys created a guide on how to write delicious 
image descriptions, helping ensure those who rely on screen readers 
experience the full deliciousness of Baileys treats. In Great Britain, the 
campaign achieved a reach of more than 12 million, with view-through 
rates up to 25.2%, five times higher than Meta regional and category 
benchmarks.(1)   

Celebrate diverse audience
Johnnie Walker emphasises progressive marketing to celebrate 
and appeal to a diverse audience. The result is that globally 
around 29% of Johnnie Walker drinkers are female, with that 
proportion growing in most markets this year. In the United 
States, Johnnie Walker drinkers are also more ethnically diverse 
than those of other whiskies, at 44% compared to 31% for other 
whiskies.(2) 

In the United Kingdom, Johnnie Walker partnered with 
Bridgerton star Simone Ashley and Instagram community Diet 
Paratha to champion the creative representation of the South 
Asian community. 

In the United States, Johnnie Walker’s First Strides initiative 
debuted an alternative red carpet at the Oscars to spotlight 
seven film makers’ boundary-pushing contributions to culture. 
The brand delivered over 200 million paid media impressions 
that encouraged consumers to support female entertainment 
projects. 

Supporting diverse suppliers
Ambition by 2030
Increase spend with diverse-owned and disadvantaged businesses to 
15% by 2030
Percentage of spend with diverse-owned 
and disadvantaged businesses

6.3%

2022

6.3%

2023

Ambition 15%

2030

We believe a value chain built on inclusion and diversity can enhance 
representation, employment and resilience in marginalised 
communities, ultimately benefitting the wider economy and 
strengthening our business. 

In fiscal 22, 4.8% of our global spend was with diverse-owned and 
disadvantaged businesses. We’ve since increased our number of 
diverse suppliers, as well as incorporated more disadvantaged groups 
like smallholder farmers in Africa, Turkey and Mexico. In fiscal 23, 
we’ve spent £620 million with 979 diverse-owned and disadvantaged 
suppliers – approximately 6.3% of global spend. 

To help us connect with diverse-owned businesses, we’ve worked with 
advocacy organisations, including WEConnect International, MSDUK 
and others. For example, through Disability:IN, we’ve matched Diageo 
employees with disabled-owned businesses to share feedback and 
industry insights to understand the challenges they face in working with 
global corporations. In Kenya and Colombia, we’re proud to be part of 
Sourcing2Equal, an initiative increasing access to corporate 
procurement opportunities for women-owned businesses.

We are proud that in 2023 we were awarded Platinum in the Top 
Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Awards by 
WEConnect International. This is the highest possible accolade in this 
category, recognising Diageo as leader in inclusive spend, policies and 
procedures.

Nurturing women-owned business
In Jalisco, Mexico, we’ve worked with a women-owned supplier 
to decorate bottles of Don Julio for 15 years. We recognised 
their potential, helping them to develop their quality and safety 
processes and grow alongside the Don Julio brand. Today the 
business has 150 employees, approximately 90% of them 
women, including single mothers and people with disabilities.

Building a thriving and inclusive hospitality 
industry 
Ambition by 2030
Provide business and hospitality skills to 200,000 people, increasing 
employability and improving livelihoods through Learning for Life and 
our other skills programmes
Number of people reached through Learning for 
Life and other skills programmes in fiscal 23

31.6k

30.9k

62.5k

2020

2022

2023

Ambition 200k

2030

Members of our Rainbow Network resource group, celebrating our 
sponsorship of Edinburgh Pride in June 2023.

(1)
(2)

PHD and Meta (Brand Lift Study)
Johnnie Walker Brand Guidance system 2022 study

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CHAMPI ON INCLUSION AND DI VERSI TY  continued

PIONEER GRAIN-TO-GLASS SUSTAINABILI TY

Part of how we promote sustainable growth and a resilient supply 
chain is through inclusive programmes giving equal access to 
resources, skills and employment opportunities. This includes Learning 
for Life (L4L), our business and hospitality skills programme for people 
from under-represented groups.

In fiscal 23 we reached 31,600 people in 19 markets with Learning for 
Life, 59% of them women. 

We also want L4L to tackle barriers faced by other under-represented 
groups including the ethnically diverse community and people with 
disabilities. In fiscal 23, we updated our inclusive by design principles to 
include recruitment practices, training content and venue accessibility, 
as well as modules on inclusion and diversity. 

We ran a L4L impact assessment in Latin America, celebrating the 
programme’s 15th anniversary and its positive impact on communities. 
Insights from the assessment will shape the programme's future, 
increasing its reach and impact globally. 

Ambition by 2030 
Through the Diageo Bar Academy (DBA) we will deliver 1.5 million 
training sessions, providing skills and resources to help build a 
thriving hospitality sector that works for all
Number of participations in training 
sessions delivered through Diageo Bar 
Academy in fiscal 23

236k

304k

540k

2020

2022

2023

Ambition 1,500k

2030

Through the DBA, we work to drive sustainable growth in the hospitality 
sector and make it more diverse. Women are under-represented, in 
management and behind the bar. DBA helps them overcome two of 
their biggest barriers: lack of mentors and role models, and lack of 
access to training. 

In fiscal 23, we delivered 236,000 training sessions to bartenders, 
waiting staff, owners and managers through face-to-face and virtual 
training, e-learning and masterclasses. We adapted courses to help the 
industry respond to challenges including staff shortages and hiring, 
retaining and upskilling staff while meeting guests’ increased 
expectations. We also ran women-only mentoring and training in 
Africa, Latin America and India. 

This year, 88% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that 
DBA presents a modern and progressive view of the bar community, 
up from 84% in 2022. Also, 82% of women agreed or strongly agreed 
that DBA supports their advancement in the industry, up from 68% 
in 2022.

Creating inclusive communities
Ambition by 2030
Ensure 50% of beneficiaries of our community programmes are 
women and that our community programmes are designed to 
enhance diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups
Percentage of beneficiaries of our community 
programmes who are women

 59 %

2020

Ambition 50%

On
Track

2030

We’re committed to addressing barriers women face in accessing the 
skills, resources and opportunities we provide. This includes making 
sure at least 50% of people benefitting from our community 
programmes are women, and that these programmes meet women’s 
needs throughout design, implementation and evaluation. In fiscal 23, 
59% of people benefiting from L4L were women.

This year, we’ve started to work with WaterAid and CARE International 
UK to give women a voice in decision-making about water, sanitation 
and hygiene (WASH). In each community where we run a WASH 
project, we set up a committee with equal representation from men 
and women. This includes facilitating community dialogue to tackle 
social norms that prevent women’s equal access to, and agency over 
WASH. This year 56% of WASH committee members were women 
across our programmes in nine countries.

We’ve also piloted a gender-inclusive approach to our work with 
smallholder farmers. This includes equal access to agricultural training 
and resources, and engaging with suppliers to increase women’s 
membership and leadership of farmer groups. We’ll roll this out as part 
of our programmes for smallholder farmers from fiscal 24.

For more information on our WASH and smallholder farmer 
programmes see pages 80 and 83. 

Helping under-represented communities overcome 
barriers to education
In fiscal 23, we gave $1.75 million in endowments to Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving 
institutions in the United States. This followed the $10 million in 
endowments to 25 HBCUs in 2021. This is part of how we 
address educational barriers in under-represented communities, 
by funding students in need and development programmes that 
complement traditional learning.

We are committed to improving access to clean water, sanitation and 
hygiene (WASH) in communities near our sites.

Managing climate risks and 
opportunities by pioneering 
grain-to-glass sustainability 

Our business depends on natural resources and we are directly affected by 
changes in climate and the related challenges of nature and biodiversity loss. 
While we already feel the effects of climate change in our global operations, 
there are also opportunities for companies that develop credible plans to adapt 
to changing circumstances. 

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A changing climate has implications across our end-to-end operations. 
It can affect crops like barley and wheat, and natural resources like 
water that we rely on to make our products. It can cause disruption to 
our manufacturing sites and supply chain through extreme weather. 
And it can affect the communities we work with by threatening their 
livelihoods. But there are also opportunities for companies that 
innovate to make their operations and the products they sell more 
sustainable.

These issues intersect and converge. A changing climate can threaten 
our key commodities and our communities, while production, 
agriculture and packaging produce carbon which can accelerate 
climate change. Just as these issues are connected, our response and 
actions are too. We are working hard to reduce carbon emissions from 
our sites, for example by introducing renewable energy in our operations. 
Preserving water and promoting sustainable farming protects our 
commodities. And by reusing waste co-products from production, we 
help sustain the agricultural system that underpins what we do.

We are committed to acting responsibly to mitigate our contribution to 
global warming and conserve the environment in which we operate, 
while simultaneously adapting to the effects of a changing climate to 
keep our business resilient. We look to achieve this through our 
strategic priority to 'pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability', which focuses 
on three areas: 'preserve water for life', 'accelerate to a low-carbon 
world' and 'become sustainable by design'. Actions we take across 
these priorities are transforming our business to thrive in the longer term.

Focussing on grain-to-glass sustainability
Pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability is how we manage our 
environmental and climate challenges, and how we help preserve the 
scarce natural resources the world depends on. It is also how we adapt 
to climate change throughout our supply chain, and mitigate its effects. 
By managing our environmental impacts and the impact of the 
environment on us, we support our business and the communities we 
work alongside to be resilient for the long term. This is good for the 
planet and also good for our business. By investing in renewable 
energy, for instance, we lower carbon emissions by depending less on 
fossil fuels. We also manage risk and build resilience as the world 
moves towards a low-carbon economy.

Our action plan – ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘
Pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability includes ambitious targets, such 
as achieving net zero carbon emissions from our direct operations 
(Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030, and across our full value chain (Scope 3) by 
2050 or earlier, using water more efficiently and taking action to 
replenish water in water-stressed areas. Our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress’ targets reflect our most material ESG issues, and they align to 
the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are also proud to be a 
signatory to the UN's Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns 
reflecting our commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The issues are complex, which makes progress against our ambitious 
targets challenging. As we become more sophisticated in 
understanding our impacts and taking action to address them, we will 
also evolve our practices and metrics to make sure we strive to focus 
on and communicate the right things effectively.

We are committed to acting responsibly to mitigate our contribution to 
global warming and conserve the environment in which we operate.

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PIONEER GRAI N-TO-GLASS SUSTAI NABILITY  continued

Making climate change part of our strategy
To understand, quantify and mitigate climate risks and adapt to their 
impact, we partner with climate resilience experts to assess them, 
model their possible financial impact, and develop strategies to adapt 
and remain resilient over the long-term.

Many complex factors determine how climate change creates risks 
and opportunities for our business, which makes it harder to quantify 
how big an impact they’ll have, and when. Even so, scenario analysis 
helps us test how various assumptions related to climate change could 
affect our business. This year we’ve once again modelled with climate 
resilience experts the impacts of climate change under transition risk 
and physical risk scenarios.

We have incorporated the guidance of the Task Force on Climate-
related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework into our reporting since 
2020. It's helped us describe how we’re decarbonising our value chain, 
mitigating and adapting to climate risks and impacts, and spotting 
opportunities for transitioning to a low-carbon future. Through scenario 
analysis, we've also learned the range of possible financial impacts of 
various climate scenarios in our business. We started our carbon 
reduction efforts in 2008, as well as championing water stewardship 
around the world to combat water stress. In 2022 we published our Net 
Zero Carbon Strategy, which outlines how we will achieve our 
decarbonisation vision in direct operations. We intend to build on this 
with our net zero transition plan, taking into account the final guidance 
of the UK Transition Plan Taskforce when it's published.

Governance
Given its importance, we have governance processes in place 
intended to ensure that we consider and factor climate risk into our 
business operations and planning processes. To supplement our 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ governance summarised on page 57, 
our sustainability teams hold monthly sustainability performance 
reviews, track priority water efficiency and carbon reduction projects, 
and hold quarterly sustainability business reviews that focus on multi-
year progress and plans leading up to 2030. We oversee climate risk 
specifically at the highest level of the company, and manage it through 
these governance structures and processes:

• Executive sponsorship and responsibility is shared jointly between the 

President, Global Supply Chain & Procurement and Chief 
Sustainability Officer (Ewan Andrew) and the Global Corporate 
Relations Director (Daniel Mobley).

• At an operational level, they are supported by our cross-functional 
Climate Risk Steering Group, which meets up to twice a month. 
Within this, a sub-group from Supply Chain & Procurement oversees 
physical risks, with other cross-functional working groups responsible 
for addressing transition risks and opportunities, for example market 
and reputation, policy and legal, and technology.

• The Climate Risk Steering Group updates executive sponsors monthly 
on progress and issues relating to climate risk, and quarterly updates 
are provided to the Board, making sure that potential risks and 
opportunities and their impact are part of decision-making.

• Any potential financial implications of climate risk and potential 
impacts on our consolidated financial statements, including 
performance and progress against non-financial metrics, are also 
shared with and considered by the Audit Committee annually.

Board oversight

Audit Committee

Executive Committee ownership

Executive sponsors

President, Global Supply Chain 
& Procurement and Chief 
Sustainability Officer

Global Corporate Relations 
Director

Cross-functional Climate Risk Steering Group

Corporate relations

Supply

Strategy

Risk

Finance

Legal

Marketing

Working groups assigned to address key risks 
and opportunities identified

Climate change and remuneration
The performance element of the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) for our 
senior leaders encourages and rewards performance against certain 
ESG measures (introduced in 2020, for fiscal 21 to 23). Some 10% of 
the performance share award, which is granted to the Executive 
Committee as well as other senior leaders, targets carbon emissions 
and water efficiency, which directly support mitigation of, and 
adaptation to, climate risk (see the Directors’ remuneration report on 
pages 126-153.

Identifying climate risks and opportunities 
Climate risk is generally divided into physical and transition risk. 
Physical risks include chronic changes like sea level rises and 
temperature changes, and acute events like floods, droughts and 
heatwaves. Transition risks arise from actions to mitigate climate 
change, such as policy and legal changes like carbon taxes; 
technology changes, like renewable energy; or market changes, like 
growing consumer demand for more sustainable products. 

Both categories of risk are already materialising in everyday life, and 
both are likely to increase. As the world continues to warm while we 
intensify efforts to mitigate climate change, we need to assess and 
prepare for both physical and transition risks. Opportunities, 
meanwhile, could arise from us mitigating risks more effectively than 
our competitors, or creating competitive advantage, for instance by 
meeting consumer demand for more sustainable products.

Climate change resilience
Our experience in managing the impact of normal variations in 
climatic conditions, water availability and agricultural yields has made 
us more resilient and adaptable. We adapt through careful planning in 
our supply chain and procurement organisation, by partnering to 
develop high-yield, drought-resistant crops, and by managing water in 
a way that makes our operations more resilient and helps our local 
communities and agricultural sourcing areas to adapt, with specific 
focus in water-stressed areas. We have integrated climate risk into our 
enterprise risk management processes since first referencing it within 
our principal risk factors in 2010. It is also part of our strategic and 
business continuity plans. 

Identifying and assessing our physical risks
To assess the physical risks we are exposed to, and how they could 
develop under various scenarios, we worked with climate resilience 
experts from 2021 to 2023 to look at our full global supply chain. This 
table shows how we have phased the work:

Fiscal year

2021

2022

2023

Markets/
regions 
assessed for 
physical risks

Largest supply 
centres
• Scotland
• North America

Highest water risk
• Africa
• Mexico
• India
• Turkey

Remaining locations
• Asia Pacific 
• Latin America and 

Caribbean 

• Europe

This scope covers all our wholly owned sites (except acquisitions completed 
after the start of the 2023 evaluation) and key third-party operations. We 
also included some sites that are planned or under construction to make 
sure we understand their exposure and build their resilience.

Our physical risk assessments measured how exposed and vulnerable 
activities at our sites and key third-party operations and suppliers are to 
19 climate-related hazards. We reviewed the vulnerability of the main 
agricultural materials we procure in each region, and also ran a high-
level analysis of our key distribution routes (road, rail and ports). We 
did this under two scenarios (IPCC scenario RCP4.5 – medium warming 
of 2-3°C, and IPCC scenario RCP8.5 – severe warming of 4-5°C) and 
two timeframes (to 2030 and to 2050).

• Production sites: For our own sites and many of our third-party 

operator sites that produce beverages on our behalf, we analysed at 
a high level the risks they are likely to be exposed to. For those that 
are most strategically important or at greatest risk, we carried out 
more detailed assessments. At each location, we looked at a 
combination of the different activities (e.g. malting, distilling and 
packaging), the part of the process that might be affected (e.g. 
infrastructure, water supply and energy sources) and the 19 physical 
risks that might occur.

• Supply chain and logistics: for all markets assessed, we analysed our 
key suppliers’ factories and warehouses, for example those handling 
our most critical or specialised ingredients and components, key 
agricultural commodities, and our most critical distribution routes 
(road, rail, and ports), to identify which might be exposed to physical 
risk in the future. 

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Our physical risks – results
Our assessment confirmed three key points:

1. Water scarcity is our most significant climate-related physical risk 
in terms of prevalence, trajectory and potential financial impact. It 
affects our ability to produce our products, and the access to 
agricultural ingredients that we need.

2. All agricultural ingredients are at risk, and we see that risk 

increasing under the timeframes and scenarios we analysed. Our 
models suggest that costs of most commodities will increase as a 
result of climate change, although estimates of the precise impact 
vary significantly depending on the model used, underscoring the 
difficulty of such projections.

3. Acute weather events, including floods, winds and storms, are 
projected to increase and to cause interruption to operations; 
however, they are unlikely to have a significant financial impact 
on us, under the scenarios analysed.

Physical risks in our supply chain
Our assessment of supply chain risk explored three areas: agricultural 
commodities, supplier assets and distribution routes.

In previous years we had covered a wide range of agricultural 
commodities used in the regions analysed, and this year we expanded 
our analysis to include hops and dairy. This highlighted the particular 
vulnerabilities of each crop type, how their exposure was likely to 
increase in the growing regions of interest over time, and possible 
adaptation and mitigation responses. The diagram on page 74 sums 
up the main risks that the most important commodities are exposed to 
by region. 

As well as the bulk commodities outlined in the diagram, we also did a 
high-level analysis of ingredients included in our products that are 
critical to particular categories for the characteristics they impart – 
juniper, angelica and liquorice, for example. The results of the 
agricultural commodity assessments have and will continue to inform 
our strategy. This includes working with farmers to increase their crops’ 
resilience to climate change, and developing contingencies where this 
isn’t possible.

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Preserving water and promoting sustainable farming protects our commodities and communities.

 
 
 
PIONEER GRAI N-TO-GLASS SUSTAI NABILITY  continued

Key climate risks to agricultural ingredients by region

North America
Maize

Barley

Rye

Sugar beet

American white oak

Hops

T   W  
T   P  
T   W
T   W   P  
T   W  
T   Fi   W   Di

Europe
Barley

Wheat

Rye

Sugar beet

Dairy

Hops

Turkey
Anise

Grapes

Sugar beet

Wheat

W   D   P
W   P
T   W
T

W   T
W   D   T  

T   D   P   F
T   W   F   Fi
T   W   F   Fi
T   W   D

Latin America and Caribbean
Sugar cane

Agave

T   W   H   F   P   S  
T

Africa
Barley

Maize

Sorghum

Sugar beet

Sugar cane

Cassava
Vanilla

T   D   P
T   D   F
T   P
T   W
T   W   P
T   D   P
T   S  

Asia Pacific
Barley

Grapes

Rice

Molasses (sugar cane)

T   W   D   P  
T   W   D   P  
T   P   F
T   W   D   P   H

Priority raw materials by volume

Climate risks likely to affect agricultural commodities 

ò Barley
ò Agave
ò Wheat
ò Maize
ò Molasses
ò Rice
ò Grapes
ò Sugar

ò Sorghum
ò Dairy
ò Rye
ò Raisins
ò Others 

(including 
hops, anise 
and vanilla)

T

D

F

Temperature

Drought

Flood

P

W

Di

Precipitation (variability/extremes)

Water stress

Disease

Fi

H

S

Fires

Hurricane/storm

Sea level

Geographical scope of our physical risk assessments

Region
North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America and Caribbean

Africa

Total

Owned/key third-party sites 
assessed
12

Detailed assessments
4

Agricultural commodities
8

Supplier assets (factories, 
warehouses)
86

76

63

46

48

245

13

11

6

5

39

18

6

2

6
n/a(1)

262

281

251

366

1,246

Ports
6

27

9

13

14

69

(1)

Some commodities were analysed in more than one location.

For more details on our scenario analysis approach, see the Non-financial reporting boundaries and methodologies section on pages 242-245

We assessed more than 1,200 suppliers’ assets and found the most 
common risks were water stress and higher temperatures, with humidity 
and wildfire risks also intensifying in some locations. We use this 
information to work with suppliers on future adaptations and 
contingencies. We discuss this further in the Strategy section on page 
78.

Our analysis of distribution routes included key ports, roads and rail 
networks identified in our supply chain in each of the markets we 
assessed. The analysis showed that, in general, the risks to ports come 
from water stress and changing temperatures, while the risks to road 
networks are broader, including chronic risks, like temperature 
increases and sea level rises, and acute risks, such as storms, floods or 
wildfires. We assessed both acute and chronic risks to be higher in 
warmer countries (e.g. India, Mexico and Turkey). These insights help 
us plan effectively for additional future contingencies we may require in 
our distribution routes.

Physical risks by region – Diageo 
and key third-party supply sites
The most common physical hazards projected to intensify are water-
related risks (water availability, water temperature and flooding) and 
high temperature. High temperatures might affect employees’ health 
and productivity, and processes such as fermentation and maturation, 
which are sensitive to temperature variations. There’s also increased 
cost associated with process and facility cooling. Cold temperature 
risks are projected to decline in all regions we analysed.

Water risk 
Given the importance of water to our operations and producing our 
products, we focus particularly on understanding water-related risks so 
we can mitigate and adapt to them. As well as our physical climate risk 
assessments looking at the risks from water availability, water 
temperature, water quality and flooding, we conduct water-stress 
analysis at our sites every two to three years, using site surveys and 
World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct data. In fiscal 23, we 
enhanced our water risk assessment by completing water source 
vulnerability assessments at 22 of our sites located in water-stressed 
areas, with the help of expert partners. 

The water stress, climate risk and source vulnerability assessments give 
us comprehensive insights into how this profile might change due to 
climate change. They also show the degree of vulnerability of our 
operations and supply chains to water stress, bearing in mind various 
contributing factors in these sites’ catchment areas. Climate risk 
assessment tells us the number of our current sites exposed to high 
water stress isn’t projected to increase significantly in the foreseeable 
future. But water stress is likely to become more severe at some sites, 
making the detailed understanding of source vulnerability particularly 
valuable. The figure on page 76 shows our water-stressed sites and 
those that have had source vulnerability assessments completed, as 
well as those that are in our priority water basins.

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Quantitative impact of physical risk
Our assessment shows that generally our sites are likely to be exposed 
to more frequent acute weather events like floods and storms, but 
financial impacts are unlikely to be significant. We are more exposed 
to the acute risk of drought, and to chronic changes like water scarcity. 
Water scarcity is the biggest climate-related risk to our operations, 
since we have many sites in water-stressed areas that might face 
interruption to operations if the warming temperature scenarios play 
out. Through our scenario analysis we have estimated the impact on 
our operations and financial condition to 2030, concluding that it is 
unlikely to be significant by that date. This is largely due to the 
adaptation actions we are taking (detailed below) and our 
contingencies to deal with short-term disruptions to our operations. This 
is reflected in our assessment of viability and impairment (see page 
94).

Water stress
Under the warming scenarios we modelled, the proportion of our sales 
exposed to ‘extremely high’ water stress is likely to increase by 2030 
and again by 2050, with the sites most likely to be affected in India, 
Mexico, Turkey and North America. Under these warming scenarios, 
even though the number of sites affected may not change 
substantially, those that are affected are likely to suffer even greater 
shortages of water, under both timeframes, which could have an 
impact on our operations, and on the health and wellbeing of 
employees at those sites. 

Drought
Drought is the only physical risk likely to affect our operations or 
financial condition in any material way, because we rely on water to 
make our products. Analysing the financial impact of drought is 
particularly difficult because there are many factors involved, including 
the probability of drought, how long operations would have to be 
suspended and the impact of any adaptation or contingency 
measures. 

Even so, we have modelled what we can, using scenario analysis and 
our own assessment of vulnerability, and considering highly 
conservative assumptions (e.g. some downtime in all sites due to 
drought). We concluded that, by 2030, we don’t expect drought to 
have a significant impact on our operations or on our financial 
condition. Beyond 2030 it is much harder to analyse, given the lengthy 
timeframe. But our models do show that if we don’t take mitigating 
action by 2050, drought could have the potential to interrupt 
operations and, as a result, potential lost sales. We discuss how we 
plan to deal with this risk in the Strategy section on page 78. 

Commodity pricing
Commodity pricing is more difficult to estimate in these scenarios, with 
the models we used producing highly varied estimates. Prices were 
projected to increase for the majority of our commodities. The scenario 
analysis helps us build commodity price risk into our raw material 
procurement strategies, particularly for crops with unique provenance 
(e.g. agave and vanilla) or high sensitivity to growing conditions (e.g. 
hops). Our modelling suggested the biggest risks of higher prices in 
2050 were to agave, sorghum, rice, dairy and hops. There are 
significant differences between models, but the impacts in 2050 could 
be significant.

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PIONEER GRAI N-TO-GLASS SUSTAI NABILITY  continued

Focus on water stress 
Because we rely so greatly on water, we have been assessing our wholly owned production sites for water stress regularly since 2008. The 
most recent assessment, in 2021, was updated in fiscal 23 to reflect changes in our operations due to disposals. The assessment – and our 
classification of a site as ‘water-stressed’ – is based on external (WRI Aqueduct databases for watersheds around the world) and internal 
site surveys covering physical, regulatory, social and reputational considerations. It will be updated again in fiscal 24. Shown below are 
the sites for which we have conducted source vulnerability assessments, and those countries in which we have identified priority water 
basins.
Diageo sites located in water-stressed areas, and priority water basins in 2023 

A
A

1
1

2
2

3
3

4
4

5
5

B
B

C
C

22
22

21
21

D
D

E
E

8
8

I
I

11
11

12
12

9
9

10
10

6
6

7
7

F
F

14
14

G
G

16
16

15
15

35
35

36
36

28
28

J
J

37
37

38

31
31

32
32

33
33

34
34

30
30

26
26

27
27

23
23

25
25

24
24

H
H

13
13

17
17

29
29
39
39

18
18

19
19

20
20

40
40

Sites

Sites where a source vulnerability 
assessment (SVA) has been 
carried out

Countries in which we have 
identified priority water basins

Sites

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

El Charcon, Mexico

Agricultural lands, 
Guadalajara, Mexico

La Primavera, Mexico

Agricultural lands, 
Céara, Brazil

Itaitinga, Brazil

Messejana, Brazil

Paraipaba, Céara, Brazil

Kaase, Ghana

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Achimota, Ghana 

Lagos, Nigeria

Kampala, Uganda

Mwanza, Tanzania

Moshi, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Isipingo, South Africa

Marracuene, Mozambique

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

East Africa Maltings, Kenya

Kisumu, Kenya 

Tusker, Kenya

Seybrew, Seychelles

Alaşehir, Turkey

Acıpayam, Turkey

Nevşehir, Turkey

Taşel, Turkey 

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

Tarsus, Turkey

Nasik, India

Udaipur, India

Alwar, India

Baramati, India

Hospet, India

Aurangabad, India

Pioneer, India

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

Nacharam, India

Malkajgiri, India

Pathankot, India

Meerut, India

Rosa, India

Serampore, India

Kumbalgodu, India

LKJ Packaging, Indonesia

A  

Mexico

B  

Brazil

UK

C  

D  

Ghana

Nigeria

Uganda

E  

F  

G  

Tanzania

H  

Kenya

I

Turkey

J  

India

Quantitative impact of transition risks and 
opportunities
Transitioning to a low-carbon economy creates both risks and 
opportunities for us. Through our scenario analysis we have estimated 
the impact on our operations and financial condition to 2030, 
concluding that it is unlikely to be significant by that date, even 
assuming that we bear all changes in production costs. 

We found the key driver of transition risk was glass and, to a lesser 
extent, aluminium packaging, which would contribute to an overall 
production cost increase. We also saw that lower transport and energy 
costs would partially mitigate this impact. The categories and markets 
most affected in this scenario were those where glass constitutes a 
relatively higher proportion of overall cost, particularly tequila, cream 
liqueurs and the Indian market. Lower future transport costs meant that 
categories where transport costs were relatively higher as a proportion 
of total cost were less affected, relatively, by increased glass cost.

Extending the analysis to 2050 is subject to many variables and 
unknowns and therefore significant uncertainty. But it lets us estimate 
what a ‘worst case scenario’ could look like based on our best 
available modelling of cost trajectories, and understand what’s driving 
risk so that we can develop plans to mitigate it. Based on this 
modelling we could make the estimated impact on our operations and 
financial condition not significant through pricing and/or our planned 
improvements in energy use, producing lightweight glass, reducing the 
carbon intensity of glass production, and using returnable or reusable 
packaging where possible. 

The results of our scenario analysis of both physical and transition risks 
are reflected in our assessment of viability and impairment (see page 
94). 

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Flooding and storms
Flooding and storms are the next most likely physical risks to affect our 
financial performance, since they might damage our sites or disrupt 
our supply of agricultural commodities, and the price of most of the 
commodities we analysed is set to increase under the scenarios 
developed. Although the risk to our sites from acute physical events will 
increase, it is unlikely to be significant in the scenarios and timeframes 
we analysed.

Identifying and assessing our transition risks and 
opportunities 
To assess transition risks and opportunities, and to estimate their 
financial impact under a Paris-aligned emissions scenario, we worked 
with climate resilience experts. The work performed deepened our 
understanding of our risks and opportunities which led to refined 
financial estimation of the risks and opportunities along with further 
clarity on how to respond to them.

In fiscal 21 to 23 we analysed, as defined by TCFD, the risks and 
opportunities associated with transitioning to a low-carbon economy. 
We identified the risks with the most potential impact by looking at our 
agricultural inputs, production and packaging, distribution and sales 
channels arriving at these most important transition risks and 
opportunities to monitor:

1.

Decarbonisation costs: Changes to our production costs 
associated with moving to a low-carbon economy, including 
carbon taxes and related changes to input costs (risk and 
opportunity).

3.

2. Consumer behaviour: Changes in consumer behaviour to become 
more sustainable, e.g. choosing circular (reusable) products or 
locally produced brands (risk and opportunity).
Regulatory changes: For example, restrictions on packaging, 
water use, agricultural materials or land that affect our ability to 
make our products (risk).
Technology changes: Shifting to low-carbon production of our 
products and packaging, and the associated risk of not doing this 
fast enough (risk and opportunity). 

4.

The next table on page 78 summarises the physical and transition risks 
and opportunities we consider most important to manage overall. 

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Summary of our most important climate risks and opportunities

Risks
Risk description

Category

Timeframe

Impact (if not mitigated)

Response examples

Water scarcity
Increasing water scarcity and water stress affects our ability to 
continue to produce in water-stressed areas

Agricultural raw material availability
Climate-related impacts on agricultural material availability 
cause scarcity or price increases

Physical – chronic

Short-term (one to five years), medium-term (five to 10 years) and 
long-term (10 to 30 years)
Moderate(1)

• Improvements in water use efficiency
• Water replenishment plans in 100% of water-stressed areas
• Collective action programme to improve water security in 

Diageo's ‘priority water basins’

Physical – chronic

Medium-, long-term

Moderate(1)

• Regenerative agriculture adaptations
• Smallholder farmer support
• Development of drought-resistant crops
• Alternative sourcing locations
• Substitution with alternative crops
• Improved water management

Risk description

Input costs
Policy changes (carbon taxation, shift to renewables) cause 
increases in input costs

Consumer behaviour
Consumers prioritise purchasing more sustainable products, 
rejecting those perceived to have a negative environmental 
impact

Category

Timeframe

Impact (if not mitigated)

Response examples

Opportunities
Opportunity description

Category

Timeframe

Impact (if not realised)

Response examples

Transition – policy/legal

Short-, medium- term
Moderate(1)

Transition – market

Short-, medium-, long-term
Moderate(1)

• Supply chain decarbonisation
• Engaging suppliers in low-carbon technology development for 

their operations

• Packaging weight reduction technologies

• Packaging weight reduction
• Increased recycled content in packaging
• Developing circular (refill, reuse) product offerings

Supply chain decarbonisation
Reducing our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions lowers our exposure to 
carbon taxes and related costs, and improves our reputation 
with customers and consumers

Innovation in sustainable products and packaging
Developing more sustainable products (e.g. lighter-weight, 
higher-recycled content, more refillable and reusable containers) 
meets consumers increasing demands

Transition – policy/legal

Shor-t, medium-term
Moderate(1)

Transition – market

Short-, medium-term
Moderate(1)

• Decarbonisation programme and capital investment
• Renewable energy and regenerative agriculture

• Innovation to deliver more sustainable products (e.g. refillable 
and reusable packaging, alternative packaging materials)

(1)

'Low' impact is defined as having a negligible impact on customer service, or an absorbable disruptive impact on one or more brands. 'Moderate' impact is defined as disruption to 
production/supply chain creating an inability to service a small portion of our customer base, the impact of which is manageable; or a significant short-term impact on one or more of 
our core or local priority brands that is absorbable by the business. 'High' impact is defined as an inability to service a significant portion of our customer base, or major reputational 
damage.

Our strategy for grain-to-glass sustainability 
Our strategic priority to 'Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability' 
acknowledges the breadth of the environmental and social 
consequences of climate change. It also reflects how interlinked they 
are and that our value chain is a series of interdependent parts. Our 
targets reflect the complexity of the risks and opportunities we face and 
are mapped to our most material issues: water, carbon and the 
sustainability of our packaging.

By setting challenging targets, ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ looks to 
manage the potential impact of climate risks on our business, as well 
as minimising our impact on the environment and supporting 
communities we work with. 

We cannot meet our target without investment. We expect to invest 
around £1 billion ($1.2 billion) to drive improvements in environmental 
sustainability by 2030. By doing this, we will strengthen our business by 
strengthening our communities and making our value chain more 
resilient. In the process, we can manage our climate risks and act on 
opportunities we find. Much of the focus to date has been on our sites 
in Africa, where we have invested in biomass and solar energy, energy 
efficiency and water recovery initiatives. We plan to increase 

investment for fiscal 24 to 26 to continue our progress towards our 
2030 goals.

Our carbon and water roadmaps outline the projects needed to deliver 
our 2030 goals. These plans are backed by capital investment and 
undergo regular stress testing to help us in our efforts to meet our 
targets. Enhancing and digitising our sustainability data and reporting 
framework has given us more detailed insight into the progress in 
delivering our strategy. This lets us see where we need to optimise 
innovation opportunities or overcome project delivery challenges.

Responding to risks and opportunities
The next sections outline our targets and the progress we have made 
against those targets. We define our targets carefully, along with clear 
non-financial reporting boundaries and methodologies for each. For 
more details, see pages 242-262.  

Preserving water
Our ‘Preserve Water for Life’ strategy is context-based and recognises 
the connections between how we use water and the impact on 
communities, supply chains and the environment. It is a ‘grain-to-glass’ 
approach that aims to replenish water in water-stressed catchments, 
supports farmers (especially smallholders) and regenerative 

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agriculture, and improves how we use water in our operations. It also 
prioritises providing clean water to the communities we work in, and 
strongly advocates and drives more collective action to contribute to a 
net positive water impact in water-stressed basins. 

Our work on water has earned us a place on the CDP Water Security 
‘A List’ for the seventh year in a row, placing us in the top tier of 
participating companies for sustainable water management.

Water efficiency
Target by 2030
Reduce water use in our operations with a 40% improvement in 
water use efficiency in water-stressed areas and a 30% improvement 
across the company
Percentage improvement in litres of water 
used per litre of product packaged from the 
prior year – in water-stressed areas

2.6%

2020

16.2%

2023

Target 40%

2030

Percentage improvement in litres of water 
used per litre of product packaged from the 
prior year – across the company

(1.2)%Δ

9.4%

2020

2023

2022

Target 30%

2030

Our water strategy aims to improve water security, especially in water-
stressed areas. This is achieved through both projects to improve our 
operational efficiency and our replenishment programme, which works 
with local communities to replenish more water than we consume in 
water-stressed areas. Across our business, we're proud to have 
improved water efficiency by 51.1% since we started measuring 
performance against this metric in 2007 and by 9.4% since our 2020 
baseline. In water-stressed areas, efficiency has improved even further, 
by 16.2% against the 2020 baseline.

While our ongoing focus on water-stressed areas continued to deliver 
efficiency improvements of 2.6% vs fiscal 22, fiscal 23 saw changes to 
our production profile that drove a 1.2% reduction in water use 
efficiency per litre of product packaged (4.09 litres/litre to 4.14 litres/
litre). This was despite the implementation of a number of water 
efficiency projects across our production portfolio.

Our production footprint is complex; it includes distillation, brewing and 
packaging, and uses water in related but different ways. While we saw 
efficiency improvements across our distillation sites of 3.5% compared 
to fiscal 22, the increasing proportion of distillation in our portfolio 
produced an overall decline in performance according to the way we 
currently measure water efficiency – litres of water used per litre of 
packaged product. The reason for the decline under this combined 
metric is that most distilled products need to be matured for a number 
of years before bottling, so much of the water used in fiscal 23 went 
into distilling product that won’t be packaged for years to come. 

For this reason, in fiscal 23, we reviewed our water efficiency 
methodology, so that it better reflects our progress and challenges on 
water efficiency against the background of our business model. 
Following a detailed review, we defined a new methodology that uses 
an index approach to show the aggregated change in water efficiency 
across our different production pillars weighted by their proportional 
water use. This methodology better represents underlying year-on-year 
site-level efficiency performance and, critically, addresses the timing 
difference between distillation and packaging, due to maturation 
requirements. We will change our measurement approach in fiscal 24. 

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In fiscal 23, we completed water efficiency projects that will deliver 
benefits in several water-stressed areas. In Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria 
we have installed or increased the capacity of water recovery plants. 
The volume of water recovered has now reached 530,850m3, 
equivalent to around 12% of total water withdrawals avoided across 
our African sites. This has helped to mitigate some of the obstacles to 
water efficiency created by lower production volume in Africa.
We are also building for the future. In fiscal 23, we broke ground on a 
wastewater treatment plant at our El Charcón site in Mexico. This will 
enable the construction of a water recovery plant in fiscal 24, which we 
expect to start delivering water efficiency improvements from fiscal 25. 
We are also partnering with innovators to embed new technologies 
identified through our Diageo Sustainable Solutions (DSS) programme 
into our site roadmaps. One example is our partnership with 4T2 
sensors on sensor technologies, which we expect will reduce the 
amount of water required to clean equipment between production 
runs.
Thirteen of our distilleries have now achieved Alliance for Water 
Stewardship certification (the internationally recognised, auditable 
standard for responsible water use), including Cameronbridge, 
Scotland, 11 Speyside distilleries and the Alwar distillery in India, 
making us the first distiller to be certified against this leading standard 
in Asia. 
Climate, water and regenerative agriculture are strongly connected. 
This is why we continue our work to influence indirect water use in our 
agricultural supply chains. This means mapping our water use and 
continuing to run water improvement projects with farmers, especially 
smallholders. This helps us make our overall supply chain more resilient 
and support vulnerable communities, particularly in water-stressed areas. 

Water replenishment
Target by 2026
Replenish more water than we use for operations in water-stressed 
areas
Percentage of water replenished in water-
stressed areas in fiscal 23

22%

2016

71.5%

Target 100%

2023

2026

Our water replenishment programme, an important contribution to 
supporting the climate resilience of our communities and supply chains, 
has had another strong year, putting us firmly on track to reach our 
2026 target. In fiscal 23, our projects developed the annual volumetric 
replenishment capacity of 1,311,010 m3Δ water. This represents 22% of 
our target for 2026, and cumulatively (fiscal 16 to fiscal 23) we have 
replenished 71.5% of our estimated fiscal 26 volume. In India, Nigeria, 
Seychelles and South Africa we have achieved our 2026 replenishment 
target three years early. For 13 sites in these countries, we are now 
replenishing all the water we directly consume in the local water basin 
or the basin where we source the raw materials for the site. 
Overall, in fiscal 23 we have completed 35 replenishment projects in 11 
countries. Highlights include nature-based projects improving water 
quality and availability in priority catchments. In Jalisco, Mexico, we 
have worked with government, NGOs and local stakeholders to restore 
a wetland treating wastewater in a project that's the first of its kind for 
us. Other ambitious replenishment projects include improving irrigation 
with farmers in Turkey, de-silting dams to increase water infiltration in 
India, and providing access to water for many smallholder farming 
communities in Tanzania, Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, Uganda, Kenya 
and India.

(Δ) Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited assurance 
reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting methodologies, see 
pages 242-266.

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Water for communities
Target by 2030
Invest in improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene 
(WASH) in communities near our sites and local sourcing areas in all 
our water-stressed markets
Percentage of water-stressed markets with 
investment in WASH

100%Δ

Water collective action
Target by 2030
Engage in collective action in all priority water basins to improve 
water accessibility, availability and quality and contribute to net 
positive water impact
Percentage of priority water basins with collective 
action participation

50%

2020

2022

2023

2020

2022

2023

2030

88.9% 100%

Target 
Met

33%

50%

Target 100%

An important part of our approach to water is providing access to 
clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in water-stressed 
communities near our sites and in water-stressed areas that supply our 
raw materials. 

We reached our 2030 target in fiscal 23, launching a project in Mexico 
to harvest rainwater in 37 schools and provide drinking water in Jalisco, 
home of our tequila distilleries. This means all nine of the markets 
included in our target have invested in WASH projects since 2020. In 
fiscal 23, we invested in 17 WASH projects in seven countries bringing 
safe water and sanitation to 71,655 people. 

In fiscal 23, we have also helped ensure more female representation in 
WASH programmes, which makes it more likely that everyone will 
benefit equally from access to water. For more about this, see the 
section on championing inclusion and diversity (page 70). In fiscal 24, 
we’ll consider how best to bring WASH projects to more communities in 
our supply chains.

We don't tackle water stress alone. We launched the Diageo Collective 
Action Programme in 2020, recognising that we need to collaborate 
with multiple stakeholders to create solutions and interventions that 
improve the water security across entire water-stressed catchments. 
Through this, we are now active in six out of our 12 ‘priority water 
basins’ – strategically important areas suffering particular water stress 
in 10 countries. In fiscal 23, with support through our partnership with 
The Nature Conservancy, we began two initiatives – one with the 
International Union for Conservation of Nature in Uganda’s Victoria 
Nile basin where we source sorghum and barley for our brewery in 
Kampala, and another in the Godavari 3 basin in India. We have also 
agreed to be a basin champion for the Water Resilience Coalition in 
Kenya’s Upper Tana basin, partnering with the Upper Tana-Nairobi 
Water Fund, increasing the commitment and investment we have 
already made there to improving the water security of the whole basin, 
which feeds Nairobi, home of our Tusker brewery.

Advocacy
Water is under pressure around the world, and the issues around 
preserving it are complex. So it will take multilateral action to address 
the challenge of responsible stewardship and scarcity. At the COP27 
climate change conference, we were among businesses calling for 
more action on water and climate resilience. We also attended the UN 
Water Conference in New York in March 2023 and were among the 
first businesses to sign a declaration calling for accelerated action on 
water stewardship. Our partnerships with leading international 
organisations, such as Water Resilience Coalition, Alliance for Water 
Stewardship and WaterAid, are fundamental to our ambition to 
support the climate resilience of our business and communities. They 
also help us advocate for more global action to address the water and 
nature crisis. Continuing this important advocacy, we plan to attend 
World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2023, UN SDG Summit in 
September and COP28 in December.

(Δ)  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited 
assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting 
methodologies, see pages 242-266.

Limiting carbon emissions
The planet needs significant science-based action to create a sustainable, low-carbon future and to mitigate the risk from climate change. We aim 
to reach net zero across our direct operations by 2030. We have also stated our ambition to being net zero across our value chain by 2050, and 
halving these emissions by 2030. We have detailed plans for reducing emissions across our existing sites and we are also investing in carbon-neutral 
production(2) sites to add to those we already have.
Pathway to net zero(1)

Milestone

Target

Delivery

Pathway to delivery

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3

2008

2015

2020

2021

2030

2050 or 
earlier

GHG targets 
set for 2015

GHG targets 
set for 2020

‘Society 2030: 
Spirit of Progress‘ 
(SOP) targets set

Targets 
approved by 
the SBTi

2015 targets 
-50% 
Scopes 1 & 2

2020 targets 
-50% 
Scopes 1 & 2 
-30% Scope 3

-33% 
Scopes 1 & 2 

-50.1% Scopes 1 & 2
-33.7% Scopes 1-3

‘Society 2030: 
Spirit of Progress‘ 
targets due

Scope 1: net zero 
Scope 2: net zero 
Scope 3: -50%

Scope 3 net 
zero targets due

Scope 1: net zero 
Scope 2: net zero 
Scope 3: net zero

Baseline = 2007

Baseline = 2007

Baseline = 2020

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Decarbonisation of direct operations by embedding energy efficiency and energy recovery 
into our processes and working towards using 100% renewable fuel and heat.
Exploring innovations, partnerships and renewable energy certification.

Continue to explore innovations, partnerships 
and carbon removals to maintain compliance 
with our SBTi-aligned net zero commitment.

Continue switch to renewable electricity.
Create additional renewable energy capacity to power our sites through on-site 
developments and using power purchase agreements (PPA).

Once we have achieved 100% renewable 
electricity by 2030 we will focus on moving 
towards more on-site/near-site generation.

Packaging: For example: low-carbon glass and aluminium manufacturing; packaging reduction; innovative glass coatings that support light-
weighting, and moving towards circular packaging solutions.
Agriculture: Regenerative agriculture programmes scale-up to reduce the emissions associated with crop growth.
Partnerships: Mobilising the value chain by engaging, inspiring and activating our supplier and customer network to jointly decarbonise e.g. 
through the development of renewable energy solutions and increased carbon emission understanding and transparency.
Collaborating across the business: Cross-functional governance structure in place creating shared Scope 3 delivery responsibility.

Focus on progress: We continually test our decarbonisation progress through reports that assess the sufficiency of our plans to deliver our in-year, 2030 and 2050 
targets. Decarbonisation plans are in place across our site footprint and we monitor them through performance management and strategic business reviews. 
Through Diageo Sustainable Solutions (DSS) and supplier collaboration, we identify opportunities to partner and innovate, driving systems change within the 
beverage industry. We may need to use high-quality certified carbon offsets to neutralise hard-to-abate residual emissions, though we anticipate these being no 
more than 5-10% of our baseline.

(1)

This is an estimate based on current management expectations; the underlying assumptions and future developments may change over time, which would cause changes to management 
expectations and this information. See pages 73-78 for more about the potential impact of climate change on Diageo and our current plans to manage and mitigate risks.

Our risk assessment and scenario analysis show us that consumer behaviour is an important transition risk, and companies who don’t decarbonise 
their operations will suffer as consumers increasingly demand more sustainable products. Also, decarbonisation requires investment. But by working 
with suppliers to innovate in low-carbon manufacturing techniques for glass production, for example, we help to accelerate towards a low-carbon 
world while benefitting from the experience that comes from early innovation.

(2)

Four carbon-neutral facilities have been assessed and certified using PAS2060 – Carbon Neutrality Standard and Certification (Scope 1&2, Direct Operations boundary) as reducing 
emissions aligned to an equivalent net zero trajectory with <5-10% of residual emissions neutralised using purchase of carbon offsets.

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Emissions from our direct operations
Target by 2030
Become net zero carbon in our direct operations (Scopes 1 and 2)
Percentage reduction in absolute carbon 
emissions (direct and indirect carbon 
emissions by weight (market/net based)) 
from the prior year

5.4%Δ

14.7%

2020

2023

Target 100%

2030

In fiscal 23, as part of our ambition to decarbonise our operations to 
decouple growth from emissions, we continued to reduce our absolute 
carbon emissions (direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight 
(market/net based)), achieving a further 5.4% reduction on last fiscal 
year and a cumulative 14.7% improvement from our fiscal 20 baseline.

The main factor in reducing our emissions in fiscal 23 was our 
continued investment in renewable energy. We commissioned biomass 
facilities at sites in Kenya and Uganda, bringing significant emissions 
reductions of approximately 42,000 tonnes CO2e over the course of 
the year. We increased on-site bioenergy use at facilities in Scotland 
and Turkey and also replaced fossil fuel with liquid biofuels at two of 
our whisky distilleries in Scotland. We have also implemented 
continuous improvement initiatives across a number of sites, and 
continued to use certificate-backed renewable natural gas at facilities 
in the UK and Canada.

To reach our 2030 SBTi-approved near-term target for direct 
operations, we must reduce our emissions by more than 95% from our 
2020 baseline. We continue to invest in carbon-neutral facilities, in 
addition to our four carbon-neutral distilleries1 in Scotland and North 
America. We are designing new sites in Mexico, Canada, Ireland and 
China to be as efficient and low-emitting as possible.

Target by 2030
Use 100% renewable energy across all our direct operations 
by 2030
Change in percentage of renewable energy 
across our direct operations in fiscal 23

1.9%

2020

45%

2023

Target 100%

2030

This year, 45% of all the energy consumed at our facilities came from 
renewable sources, an increase of 1.9% on last year. To achieve this, 
we have increased the use renewable electricity, fuel and heat. Our 
improved performance in fiscal 23 was driven largely by the 
electrification of our sites, our efforts to source renewable electricity and 
our investment in biomass technology. 

As a signatory of the RE100 initiative, with a target to reach 100% 
electricity from renewable sources by 2030, we are proud that we are 
already ahead of our 2025 target of 50% renewable electricity, 
reaching 86.7% this year, up from 85.6% in fiscal 22. We have 
invested in 100% renewable electricity sites like our Lebanon all-electric 
distillery in North America. Comprising approximately 8,000 panels 
that will add 4.1MW of renewable electricity generation capacity. As 
well as reaching 100% renewable electricity ourselves, we encourage 
our suppliers to use more electricity through power purchase 
agreements (PPAs) and support additional power generation 
opportunities in our markets. 

This year we have increased our use of renewable thermal energy by 
1.3% compared to last year across our global operations. The start up 
of three biomass facilities at our sites in Kenya and Uganda produced 
our biggest single increase in renewable thermal energy use, a 25% 
increase in renewable fuel and heat across our Africa market 
compared to fiscal 22. We also increased energy output from on-site 
biomass and biogas plants and introduced renewable biofuel at two 
sites in Scotland. As we make renewable energy advances across our 
operations, we have reduced our usage of certificate backed 
renewable gas.

We are a significant enabler of the generation of biomethane in 
Scotland through the supply of Diageo distillery co-products. This is 
used by third parties as a feedstock to generate green gas, which is 
injected into the natural gas network. We then reuse the resulting 
renewable gas in our distilleries, with 23% of the green gas used by our 
sites in Scotland derived from our own feedstocks this year. 

Emissions from across our value chain
Target by 2030
Reduce our value chain (Scope 3) carbon emissions by 50%
Percentage reduction in absolute 
greenhouse gas emissions (ktCO2e) from the 
prior year 

1.2%

(20.7)%

2022 2023

2020 baseline

Target 50%

2030

We continue to refine our understanding of our baseline and footprint, 
including our supplier network, after reviewing our total value chain 
footprint and associated emissions in 2023. This year our Scope 3 CO2e 
emissions decreased by 1.2% but we remain behind our 2020 baseline 
by 20.7%.

Our emissions derived from packaging decreased due to reductions in 
volumes, as well as decarbonisation activities including glass light-
weighting, carton removals, and switching to lower-carbon materials. 
This was partly offset by increased emissions attributed to capital 
goods, including investments in plants that enable our low-carbon 
transition.

We are navigating the complexities of Scope 3 to ensure we achieve 
our reduction targets, and enable impactful change up and down the 
value chain by working with our suppliers, our peers and the wider 
beverage industry.

As well as reducing Scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030, we want to 
achieve a net zero value chain by 2050 or sooner. To achieve these 
targets, in common with many multinationals, we are working with 
global GHG accounting bodies and our suppliers to get more detailed 
Scope 3 data. As we refine our value chain data, we can be more 
specific about our GHG footprint, including refined categories of 
upstream and downstream Scope 3 emissions.

(1)

Four carbon-neutral facilities have been assessed and certified using PAS2060 – 
Carbon Neutrality Standard and Certification (Scope 1&2, Direct Operations 
boundary) as reducing emissions aligned to an equivalent net zero trajectory with 
<5-10% of residual emissions neutralised using purchase of carbon offsets.
(Δ)  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited 
assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting 
methodologies, see pages 242-266.

Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by 
region by year
Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net based) 
(1,000 tonnes CO2e)

Region
North America

Europe 

Asia Pacific

Latin America and Caribbean

Africa

Diageo (total)

2020

127

152

32

22

137

470

2021

125

129

10

27

154

445

2022

100

144

10

38

132

424

2023

83

194

9

26

89

401

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting 
(SECR)

Total Global energy 
consumption (MWh)

Total market based (net) 
intensity ratio of GHG emissions 
(g CO2e per litre of packaged 
product)

Total UK energy consumption 
(MWh)

2020

2021

2022

2023

 3,310,388   3,392,923   3,557,760   3,507,733 

139   

122   

105 

105Δ

 1,056,931   1,064,795    1,091,153   1,249,306 

Direct (MWh)

Indirect (MWh)

  924,022    927,917    951,302   1,102,403 

132,910   

136,878   

139,851    146,903 

Total UK direct and indirect 
carbon emissions (kt CO2e)

Scope 1

Scope 2

86   

86   

—   

71   

71   

—   

84   
84   

—   

136 

136 

— 

(Δ)  Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited 
assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting 
methodologies, see pages 242-266.

Moving towards regenerative agricultural 
sourcing

Our supply chain connects us to communities around the world. This 
gives us the chance to make a positive social and environmental 
impact by enhancing livelihoods and promoting regenerative 
agriculture.

One of the foundations of our regenerative agriculture strategy is our 
Sustainable Agriculture Guidelines (SAG), which set out the principles 
we expect our agricultural raw materials suppliers to adopt to make 
farming more regenerative. We work with suppliers and farmers across 
our supply chains to implement, assess and scale regenerative 
practices. 

This work also helps make our supply chain more resilient. Our 
assessments show the possible impacts of climate change on 
agricultural commodities, and that they are vulnerable to climate 
hazards including water stress, temperature rises and flooding, 
particularly where the commodities only grow in one country. 

We work with communities to help them adapt and build resilience 
through our 'Preserve Water for Life' strategy, implementing 
regenerative agricultural practices and developing climate-resistant 
variants of agricultural crops. We are also exploring alternative crops 
to build diversity and enhance resilience in crop systems and across 
our raw materials portfolio. By working with farmers in this way, and by 
giving them skills and resources, we make them and their communities 
economically, environmentally and socially stronger, as well as 
strengthening our own supply chain.

Positive partnerships
Target by 2030
Develop regenerative agriculture pilot programmes in 
five key sourcing landscapes
Number of regenerative agriculture pilot 
programmes initiated

1

2023

2022

1

Target 5

2030

We are committed to partnerships with farmers to help them 
implement projects to test new regenerative farming approaches and 
practices, measure the results and share what we learn. By following 
regenerative practices, agriculture can restore soil health and fertility, 
boost biodiversity, protect watersheds and promote ecological 
resilience. By focussing on life above and below ground, everyone 
benefits from regenerative agriculture from the farmer to the 
ecosystem.

We also continue to build our understanding of the agronomic context 
across our key crops and sourcing regions, working with agronomic 
partners and our suppliers, growers and farmers. We are currently 
conducting assessments in the United Kingdom, United States, India, 
Brazil, Mexico and East Africa for barley, wheat, corn, rice, sugarcane, 
agave and sorghum production systems. 

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Guinness barley programme 
Discovering how to lower farming's footprint
In Ireland, our programme looking for ways to lower-carbon 
emissions of barley production for Guinness is in its second year, 
with 45 farmers now participating. Data from 1,125 soil samples 
showed that three quarters of the soil’s carbon footprint is from 
nitrogen fertilisers. This shows there’s potential to reduce 
emissions by at least 30% from the baseline year through 
regenerative practices and low-carbon fertilisers. 

We also supplied barley farmers with cover crops, which fix 
nitrogen and carbon in soil, and quantified biomass they 
generate.

Local sourcing
Target by 2030
Provide all local sourcing communities with agricultural skills and 
resources, building economic and environmental resilience 
(supporting 150,000 smallholders)
Number of smallholder farmers in our supply 
chain supported by our smallholder farmer 
programme in fiscal 23

12.9k

12.9k

2022

2023

Target 150k

2030

Where low yields and quality issues threaten smallholders’ income, we 
work with suppliers, research organisations and other partners to build 
more resilient local supply chains. This has included developing more 
climate-resistant and higher-yielding varieties of sorghum adapted for 
Kenya and Ghana.

We are on course to reach our target of supporting 150,000 
smallholders by 2030, after supporting nearly 13,000 farmers in fiscal 
23 with sustainable development. 

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PIONEER GRAI N-TO-GLASS SUSTAI NABILITY  continued

We have worked mainly in Kenya to test and learn from our approach 
to support our smallholders before expanding to the network of 
smallholders we source from. The programme focuses on training and 
enabling knowledge transfer for the transition to more resilient 
agriculture production systems. We trained smallholders on improving 
soil health, working with technical and implementation partners on the 
ground. We have also supported our smallholders with essential 
resources such as high-quality, certified seeds, distributing more than 
100 tonnes of input at a subsidised rate to smallholder farmers.

Last year, we partnered with an agricultural technology provider to 
digitise our smallholder value chains. Starting with our primary crop for 
smallholder farmers, sorghum, we have rolled the technology platform 
out across Ghana, Kenya and Uganda in fiscal 23. We aim to broaden 
this to Nigeria and Tanzania. The technology acts as a valuable data 
source. We aim to use it to tailor our offering to smallholders based on 
their needs, while monitoring changes to baseline data to make sure 
our interventions have an impact on the ground. To help accelerate 
change for smallholders, we launched challenges through Diageo 
Sustainable Solutions, encouraging innovators to pitch ideas relating to 
soil biodiversity, carbon (relating to soil health) and water.

To clarify farming communities’ needs, we have used the main 
communication method in our sourcing regions: radio. Working with 
local agricultural radio shows and Farm Radio International, we are 
looking to understand farmers’ challenges to help us target our 
support. Together, we ran a six-week series on ‘Farming as a Business’, 
discussing challenges to women in agriculture and the support 
available to farmers. Listeners could freephone to submit views in their 
local dialect across eight radio stations in Ghana and Uganda. 

Making packaging more sustainable

Consumers are rightly demanding more sustainable products and 
legislation continues to drive industry changes. We are committed to 
reducing our value chain's carbon footprint by reducing packaging 
and increasing the recycled content in the packaging we produce. We 
are also developing circular business models and designs, which allow 
for more reusable and refillable packaging. 
By becoming sustainable by design in packaging, we reduce our 
carbon footprint, by using fewer materials in production and by limiting 
emissions when the packaging reaches the end of its life. We buy most 
of our packaging materials, so partnerships are crucial to achieving 
our ambitions. An example is Diageo Sustainable Solutions (DSS), 
where we partner with technology innovators, customers, suppliers and 
researchers to spot potential technology breakthroughs and pilot them, 
with the ultimate aim of scaling them to increase their impact. 

Examples of how we are reducing our packaging footprint include: 

• Pioneering net-zero glass bottles – In December 2022, we 
announced our partnership with Encirc, a leading glass 
manufacturer and co-packer, to create the world's first net zero 
glass bottles at scale by 2030. The new furnace at Encirc’s plant in 
Cheshire, United Kingdom, will reduce carbon emissions by 90% 
with an energy mix of green electricity and low-carbon hydrogen. 
We expect that carbon capture technology will capture the 
remaining carbon emissions by 2030. The furnaces are expected to 
be fully operational by 2027 and to produce up to 200 million 
Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Gordon’s and Tanqueray bottles a year 
by 2030. 

• Leading the way to sustainable aluminium – We have invested in a 
groundbreaking project to create a circular economy for aluminium 
in the United Kingdom. We are funding a new consortium (BACALL 
– British Aluminium Consortium for Advanced Alloys), which will 
build a plant to provide recycled aluminium for more than 400 
million cans of Guinness and pre-mixed Gordon’s and tonic, 
significantly reducing our carbon emissions while also creating jobs 
in the United Kingdom. 

Reducing packaging weight and increasing 
recycled content
Target by 2030
Continue our work to reduce total packaging and increase recycled 
content in our packaging (delivering a 10% reduction in packaging 
weight and increasing the percentage of recycled content in our 
packaging to 60%)
Percentage reduction of total 
packaging (by weight) in fiscal 23

4.4%

(14.9)%

Target 10%

2022

2023

2020 baseline

2030

In fiscal 23, we reduced packaging weight by 4.4% compared to fiscal 
22, but this was 14.9% above our 2020 baseline because we have 
increased production from fiscal 20 to fiscal 22. In fiscal 23, we 
removed 141 million cartons from some of our Johnnie Walker and 
scotch brands. We have reduced weight in our primary scotch portfolio 
by moving some of our bottles into standard, more lightweight formats, 
allowing us to take some heavier formats out of the portfolio. These 
changes have saved almost 4,000 tonnes of glass and 9,170 tonnes of 
board in fiscal 23. From fiscal 24, we will continue to embed our Design 
for Sustainability packaging guidelines, emphasising use of lightweight 
glass and recycled content. We also continue to encourage bars, 
restaurants and other on-trade outlets to support the reuse of packaging.

Change in percentage of recycled 
content (by weight) in fiscal 23

 (1.2) %

2020

39%

2023

39%

Target 
60%
2030

Recycled content now makes up 39% of our packaging, down 1.2% on 
fiscal 22. This is because of a shortage of cullet, a feedstock for 
recycled glass, in the United Kingdom and North America. We 
continue to face challenges in sourcing quality recycled glass and PET 
(polyethylene terephthalate), though we are working with suppliers and 
industry peers to strengthen recycling infrastructure.

Despite the challenges, we have made positive changes, moving 
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve from 0% recycled content to 40% 
and trialling Johnnie Walker core sizes with increased recycled content. 
We also launched Talisker x Parley: Wilder Seas in the brand’s first 
100% recycled bottle.

Pioneering a lighter bottle
In 2021, we launched a challenge to develop lightweight bottles 
through Diageo Sustainable Solutions. This led to us working with 
glass industry consultants EXXERGY, which has developed an 
innovative glass coating technology that could enable us to use 
lighter glass for bottles, without reducing their strength. We 
invited strategic supply chain partner Ardagh Group to 
collaborate, and they engaged manufacturing software specialist 
Dassault Systèmes to support with testing the EXXERGY coating. 
We have been testing the coating through industry-first lab-based 
and virtual trials. Virtual trials allow us to develop innovations 
using real-time digital representations of products and processes, 
which reduces time, cost, energy and raw materials. After the 
trials, we will test the thinner glass on our Johnnie Walker bottles. 
Through this collaboration, we hope to significantly reduce the 
raw materials needed to create a bottle, and the overall weight, 
so it takes less carbon to transport our bottles.

Target by 2030
Ensure 100% of our packaging is widely recyclable (or reusable/
compostable)
Percentage of packaging recyclable (by 
weight)

97.9%

2020

Target 100%

97.9%

2023

2030

In fiscal 23, 97.9% of our packaging was technically recyclable, using 
the same fiscal 22 methodology.

We have an ambition to adjust our recyclability metrics in line with 
market-differentiated recycling frameworks in the future. 

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Recycled content and recyclability of plastic 
Target by 2025
Ensure 100% of our plastics are designed to be widely recyclable or 
reusable/compostable 
Percentage of recyclable (or reusable/ 
compostable) plastic used in fiscal 23

11.2%

2020

72%

83%

Target 100%

2022

2023

2025 

In fiscal 23, we achieved 83.2% recyclability for plastics, an increase of 
11.2% from last year. We continue to use the ‘technically recyclable’ 
definition. The remaining non-recyclable components are currently not 
replaceable, although we continue to explore alternatives.

Target by 2030
Achieve 40% recycled content in our plastic bottles by 2025, and 
100% by 2030

Percentage of recycled content in our 
plastic bottles used

2020

7%

3.2%

7%

Interim target 40%

Target 100%

2022

2023

2025

2030

In fiscal 23, we started projects in North America, Europe and Africa to 
increase recycled content in plastic bottles, particularly single-use 
formats, and achieved 7% recycled content in plastic bottles. 

This year, in the United Kingdom we have moved our Johnnie Walker 
Red Label 1.75L bottles to 30% recycled PET. Our North America 
business achieved 26% recycled content in plastic bottles and in Africa 
we trialled 40% recycled content. In Ghana, we have partnered with 
the Mohinani Group to introduce the first bottle-to-bottle recycling plant 
in the country. In fiscal 23, 2,000 metric tonnes of plastic have been 
collected, with the aim of the plant being fully operational in fiscal 24. 
The plant will have a capacity to recycle 15,000 metric tonnes of plastic 
per year. 

Also, our largest packaging site in Scotland has removed single-use 
shrink-wrap across a range of products, saving 67 metric tonnes of 
plastic per year, and delivering shrink-wrap-free drink flasks to 47 
countries. 

We will see these shifts continue in fiscal 24; sourcing recycled PET 
remains a priority.

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PIONEER GRAI N-TO-GLASS SUSTAI NABILITY  continued

Reusing and reducing waste
We manage around one million tonnes of waste each year. This 
includes ‘co-products’ from our production processes in the form of 
spent grain and other agricultural commodities. These co-products 
return to agriculture in the form of animal feed and fertiliser and are 
also used as feedstocks for biomass facilities. This helps reduce the 
environmental footprint of our agricultural supply chain and supports 
our regenerative agriculture programmes. By reusing scarce resources, 
we help improve the system that produces our key ingredients. In 
addition, we aim to divert all waste from landfill, so it is recycled or 
reused.

Reducing waste to landfill
Target by 2030

Achieve zero waste in our direct operations and zero waste to landfill 
in our supply chain
Percentage reduction in total waste sent to 
landfill from the prior year

35.5%Δ

200 Tonnes

180 tonnes

279 tonnes

2023: Target Met

2022

Globally, the total volume of waste diverted from our direct operations 
to landfill was 180 tonnes this year (vs 279 tonnes in fiscal 22), which is 
below our zero waste to landfill de minimis threshold of 200 tonnes. 
We recycle, reuse and recover more than 99.98% of waste from our 
global operations either for our own reuse or in partnership with local 
agricultural communities and energy and waste handlers. Our 
performance in fiscal 23 means we have achieved a key milestone in 
fulfilling our 2030 direct operations zero-waste commitments. 

In the second half of fiscal 23, we launched an initiative with our 
suppliers and KPMG to fully understand the waste in our supply base. 
The project will look for ways to change how we approach waste 
management across our Tier 1 supply chain by avoiding waste to 
landfill and recovering and recycling more waste by 2030. Our 
commitment to a more sustainable and less wasteful supply chain is 
also reflected in our marketing, where our point-of-sale (POS) project is 
working towards guidelines for sourcing better materials for 
experiential marketing, as well as designing POS and campaign props 
for reuse. 

Last year, we reported that a third-party contractor at one of our 
facilities in Australia had incorrectly diverted waste material to landfill. 
This prompted a global review in fiscal 23 of more than 350 waste 
handlers and our own internal waste management practices, aiming to 
strengthen our controls and avoid similar issues in the future. This 
hadn’t been possible during the Covid-19 pandemic because of 
restrictions on site visits. The review of waste handlers identified 111 
metric tonnes of waste that hadn’t been accounted for in fiscal 22, 
taking the total volume of waste sent to landfill to 279 tonnes. We have 
now included this in waste-to-landfill volumes for fiscal 22, representing 
0.028% of the 984,057 tonnes we handled in that year. We’ll continue 
to assess our waste handlers regularly and improve our internal 
controls to maintain our zero waste to landfill status.

We consider we have achieved zero waste to landfill if we have 
disposed of less than 0.2% of baseline waste-to-landfill volume during 
the year. This volume equates to 200 tonnes and excludes any waste 
we are required to send to landfill under local regulations.

(Δ)   Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's (PwC) independent assurance 
reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting methodologies, see 
pages 242-266.

How we have reported consistent with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
In preparing our disclosures, we have taken into consideration the TCFD all sector guidance.

TCFD recommendation
GOVERNANCE See page 72

Compliance

a. Describe the board’s oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities.

b. Describe management’s role in assessing and managing climate-related risks and 

Yes. See page 72.

opportunities.

RISK MANAGEMENT See pages 73-78

a. Describe the organisation’s processes for identifying and assessing climate-related 

risks.

b. Describe the organisation’s processes for managing climate-related risks.

c. Describe how processes for identifying, assessing, and managing climate-related 

risks are integrated into the organisation’s overall risk management.

STRATEGY See pages 78-86

Yes. See pages 73-78. Having completed comprehensive risk 
assessments our focus is now on ensuring appropriate adaptation plans 
are in place for all risks identified.

a. Describe the climate-related risks and opportunities the organisation has identified 

over the short, medium, and long term.

b. Describe the impact of climate-related risks and opportunities on the organisation’s 

businesses, strategy, and financial planning.

c. Describe the resilience of the organisation’s strategy, taking into consideration 

different climate-related scenarios, including a 2°C or lower scenario.

We have described risks and opportunities for our business in >95% of 
our operating locations, as well as the impact of those risks and 
opportunities on our strategy. We have modelled the resilience of our 
strategy under three climate-related scenarios. See pages 243-245. As a 
next step we are exploring the further development of our scenario 
analysis capability and associated tools.

METRICS & TARGETS See pages 79-86

a. Disclose the metrics used by the organisation to assess climate-related risks and 

Yes. See pages 79-86.

opportunities in line with its strategy and risk management process.

b. Disclose Scope 1, Scope 2 and, if appropriate, Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) 

emissions and the related risks.

Yes for Scope 1 and 2. See page 82. We are working with global GHG 
accounting bodies and our suppliers to get more detailed Scope 3 data. 
As we refine our value chain data, we can be more specific about our 
GHG footprint, including refined categories of upstream and 
downstream Scope 3 emissions.

c. Describe the targets used by the organisation to manage climate-related risks and 

Yes. See pages 79-86.

opportunities and performance against targets.

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OUR PRI NCI PAL RISKS AND RI SK MANAGEMENT  

Effective risk 
management

Our approach 
We believe that effective risk management starts with the right 
conversations to drive better business decisions. Our primary focus is to 
identify and embed mitigating actions for material risks that could 
impact our current or future performance, and/or our reputation. Our 
risk management efforts aim to be holistic and integrated, bringing 
together risk management, internal controls and business integrity, 
ensuring that our activities across this agenda focus on the risks that 
could have the greatest impact. We have recently reviewed and 
refreshed our principal risks, our risk appetite, and our approach to risk 
management. Our approach is also structured to ensure that we take 
all reasonable steps to mitigate, but not necessarily eliminate, our 
principal risks in this context.

Accountability for managing risk is embedded into our management 
structures, an annual risk assessment establishes mitigation plans and 
monitors risk on a continual basis.

Our Executive Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) regularly assesses risk, 
and the Audit Committee, acting for the Board, independently reviews 
the assessment. The ARC meets quarterly and receives regular reports 
on the risks faced across the business and the effectiveness of the 
actions taken to mitigate these risks. We use internal and external data 
to monitor our risks and to make proactive interventions. We also 
establish cross-functional working groups and use expert advice where 
necessary to ensure significant risks are effectively managed and, 
where appropriate, escalated to the ARC and Audit Committee for 
consideration. 

Further details about our risk management approach are described 
in the Corporate governance report on page 108 and in the Audit 
Committee report on pages 117-122.

Our principal risks
The Audit Committee considers principal risks to be the most significant 
risks faced by the group, including those that are the most material to 
our performance and that could threaten our business model or future 
long-term performance, solvency or liquidity. They do not comprise all 
the risks associated with our business and are not set out in priority 
order. Additional risks not known to management, or currently deemed 
to be less significant, may also have an adverse effect on the business.

Well-managed risk-taking lies at the heart of 
our Performance Ambition. Effective risk 
management drives better commercial 
decisions, protects our assets and supports a 
growing, resilient and sustainable business.

Risk appetite
The ARC and the Audit Committee have defined the group’s risk 
appetite across our risk categories (Strategic, Financial, Operational 
and Regulatory). A three-point risk appetite scale (Averse, Cautious 
and Open) and appetite ratings have been applied, using both 
quantitative and qualitative criteria that align to the delivery of our 
Performance Ambition. This category-led approach enables practical 
application of risk appetite thresholds to all business risks, which 
informs the level of mitigation required. Examples of risks for which we 
have an averse appetite include risks that could: harm our people; 
impact product quality; cause us to market irresponsibly or act without 
integrity; and be non-compliant with laws and regulations, including 
those relating to financial reporting.

Risks that can be partially mitigated through insurance are also 
identified and evaluated. We focus our insurance resources on the 
most critical areas or where there is a legal requirement, seeking a 
balance between retained risk and risk transfer. As insurance markets 
are getting tighter, this is an area we continue to monitor.

Emerging risks
The ARC and Audit Committee formally review emerging risks. Our 
Strategy and Global Audit and Risk teams undertake horizon-scanning 
to monitor any potential disruptions that could dramatically change our 
industry and/or our business, from both a risk and opportunity 
perspective, for the Executive Committee to understand the changing 
landscape and take appropriate actions.

We are currently monitoring a number of emerging risks across the 
business. There is a risk to our brands emerging from consumers 
making brand choices which reflect their increasingly polarised socio-
political views. Macro-economic and financial risk has also increased 
since last year as persistently high levels of inflation and interest rate 
hikes have resulted in cost-of-living crises and instability in financial 
markets across many countries in which we operate. We are in the first 
year of a five-year global programme to transform and digitalise 
processes. As a result, the scale of the impact on our business, 
resources, and ways of working represents an emerging risk as we 
navigate through the programme.

This list does not include all of our risks, and the risks listed are not set out in order of priority. 

Gross Risk Movement refers to the gross movement in the risk, before mitigations and controls, from the prior year.

Mitigation plans
Core mitigations:
• The cross-functional Climate Risk Steering Group sets our strategy for ongoing climate risk 

assessment, and manages associated opportunities and risks, while continuing to develop our 
approach to climate change risk reporting (see page 71). Resource-scarcity issues have been 
identified and mitigated, especially within agricultural ingredient sourcing, and manufacturing, 
water and energy.

• Physical risk exposures have been identified for sites assessed in North America and Scotland, 

Africa, Mexico, India, and Turkey and being built into site and category risk footprints.

• ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ambition was launched and operationalised to deliver against 

key targets and longer-term goals. 

• Water blueprint was defined and operationalised in water-stressed locations.
• Communication programmes are in place to share impact, strengthen reputation and support 

advocacy platform.

• Carbon pricing is being assessed as an internal mechanism to drive deeper understanding of the 

impact of our energy choices.

• Our TCFD modelling and mitigation plans incorporate the risk of a 4-5°C climate change 

scenario, which may arise as a result of collective climate action failure.

Developments in F23:
• Progress against our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ targets (see pages 79 - 86). 
• Further multi-year climate change risk assessments and scenario analysis performed in Latin 

America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and Europe to evaluate short and long-term impacts from 
physical and transition risks.

• We have further increased resource dedicated to the mitigation of climate impact within our 

sustainability, sourcing, and finance teams.

• Our response includes mitigations, (action to reduce our impact on climate change), and 

adaptations, (action to reduce the impact of climate change on our operations).

Gross Risk Movement

Increasing: 

Climate action failure, 
extreme weather and 
biodiversity loss top the list 
of the globe’s highest risks, 
with regulations and 
government interventions 
expected to continue to 
increase. 
Transition climate risk is 
expected to increase in 
likelihood due to the 
acceleration of regulatory 
efforts to control global 
warming. In addition, 
transition risks associated 
with increased customer 
and consumer awareness 
and action on climate 
change are likely to 
accelerate. 

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Core mitigations:
• We run multi-year public policy campaigns to minimise risk and unlock tax, trade and regulatory 

opportunities.

• We have active involvement with the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States 

authorities to prevent escalation of tariff tensions and promote free new trade agreements.
• Our positive drinking programmes are supported by a global industry platform to promote 

responsible drinking and tackle spirits discrimination.

• We practice evidence-based engagement to build trust and reputation with governments, health 

ministries and other stakeholders.

Developments in F23: 
• We have continued to prioritise the execution of public policy campaigns in all markets, to 

minimise risks and unlock tax, trade and regulatory opportunities.

Increasing: 
Pressures on public finances 
and public health concerns 
are increasing.  
This has resulted in an 
increasing likelihood of 
changes in regulations, 
trade barriers or indirect tax 
to mitigate increased 
inflation and debt crises.

Risk and impact
1. Climate change 
and sustainability

EG

CVC

CT

EP

V

Physical and transition climate 
change risks, including water 
stress, extreme weather events, 
temperature rises and 
increased regulation, may 
result in increased volatility in 
the supply of raw materials, 
production costs, capacity 
constraints and higher costs of 
compliance. 
The failure of the business to 
meet our sustainability goals 
could result in loss of licence to 
operate, financial loss and 
reputational damage amongst 
customers, consumers, 
investors and other 
stakeholders.
The collective climate action 
failure to meet sustainability 
goals may result in severe 
warming of 4-5°C as per IPCC 
scenario RCP8.5 modelling. 
2. Regulation, trade 
barriers and 
indirect tax

EG

CVC

CT

V

Post pandemic, we see risks 
associated with geopolitical 
tensions, global inflation and 
debt crises which cause 
pressures on public finances, 
resulting in the need to raise 
new tax revenue.
In addition, public health 
concerns may lead regulators 
in major markets to ban or 
restrict the marketing or sale of 
alcohol, while increased trade 
tensions and/or fiscal 
pressures may prompt the 
introduction of additional 
trade barriers and/or 
disproportionate tax increases, 
all of which may result in 
financial loss.

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Strategic outcomes

EG

Efficient growth

CVC

Consistent value 
creation

CT

Credibility and trust

EP

Engaged people

V

Risk included in 
viability assessment

Gross Risk Movement

Increasing

Decreasing

Stable

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR PRI NCI PAL RISKS AND RI SK MANAGEMENT  continued

Mitigation plans
Core mitigations:
• We have global policies in place to prioritise the health and safety of our people.
• There is a Global Business Continuity Programme in place, including training, to enhance our 

Gross Risk Movement

Stable: 
New risk categorisation.

capability to react effectively to a crisis and minimise disruption.

• Global supply chain risk programmes improve our ability to maintain operational processes 

through volatility, thereby increasing our resilience.

• Multi-channel product availability enables consumers to flexibly continue to purchase our 

products.

• Insurance policies are in place to protect against the financial consequences of covered events.
• Our Global Corporate Security Policy ensures appropriate security measures are in place across 

all markets and sites.

• Global ‘Flex Philosophy’ on working patterns and home working are well-embedded and support 

business continuity.

Developments in F23:
• WHO declaration that the global health emergency was over, and restrictions were widely lifted.
• The business has reacted to manage the impact of the Ukraine conflict, which included closing 

down our Russia business unit, supporting employee safety in Ukraine, and continuing to monitor 
for potential escalation and broader impacts. 

• The geopolitical situation in Europe, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has continued to impact 

business. We announced that we would wind down our business in Russia in June 2022.

Stable: 
New risk categorisation.

Core mitigations:
• We monitor locally and globally key business drivers and performance to prepare for rapid 

changes in the external environment.

• Central hedging and currency monitoring take place to manage volatility which arises.
• Group-level strategic analysis and scenario planning is managed at both a global and a local 

level, to strengthen market strategies and risk management across the business.

• We have multi-country investment and local sourcing strategies.
• There are dedicated cross-functional steering groups to manage acute issues including inflation.

Developments in F23: 
• Advanced analytics have been introduced to scenario plan volume ranges over a longer time 

period, allowing better mitigation against changes in the external landscape.

• Scenario-planning has been embedded into Executive and Board meetings and integrated into 

the strategic planning cycle.

• Inflation has remained high and has reduced more slowly than expected in many countries. High 

levels of inflation are expected to continue in the short to medium-term. 
• Foreign exchange volatility has increased across several of our markets.

Risk and impact
3. Geopolitical 
volatility and 
business 
interruption

EG

CVC

CT

EP

V

Geopolitical forces, primarily 
driven by the Russia/Ukraine 
conflict (but also several other 
vectors globally), coupled with 
macro-economic stress, 
increase the likelihood of 
international and domestic 
tensions, disputes, conflict, 
unrest, and crime.
A significant interruption to our 
business due to external 
events or a global health 
emergency could restrict 
access to our products, 
negatively affect our 
operations and brands, or 
pose a threat to the safety of 
our employees; any of which 
could have a negative impact 
on our commercial and 
financial performance.
Upcoming election cycles in 
key markets including the US, 
UK and Europe are likely to 
lead to increased volatility.
4. Macro-economic 
and financial 
volatility 

EG

CVC

V

Failure to react quickly enough 
to changing macro-economic 
conditions and financial 
volatility could erode 
consumer confidence and 
adversely impact financial 
performance. 
Macroeconomic conditions 
include inflationary pressures, 
unemployment and global 
trade tensions. 
Financial volatility risk could 
arise from variability in 
financial markets, interest rate 
fluctuations and currency 
instability. 

Mitigation plans
Core mitigations:
• We monitor and, where appropriate, express views on the formulation of tax laws either directly 

Gross Risk Movement

Stable: 

or through trade associations or similar bodies.

• We continuously monitor the international tax landscape for new taxes and tax legislation 

introduced and work on improving tax processes, data, and system capabilities to enable us to 
ensure compliance.

• We are continuing the implementation of our tax transformation programme, to standardise, 

centralise and automate tax activities and controls where possible.

• We continue to review and adapt our global transfer pricing policies to ensure profits are taxed in 

line with business activities and economic substance.

Developments in F23:
• We continue to monitor tax laws, and progress the implementation of our tax transformation 

programme. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developments (OECD) work on 
digitalisation will likely impact how and where multinationals are taxed, for example, through the 
implementation of a global agreement on a minimum effective tax rate under the Pillar Two rules.

• The risk of unilateral tax measures (increased rates, new taxes, new extra-territorial measures) 

may increase if the OECD isn’t successful in generating the consensus required to implement its 
proposals at scale.

Core mitigations: 
• We have aligned our operating strategy across the supply chain. 
• We have enhanced our digital infrastructure through the use of Artificial Intelligence and 

Stable: 

automation to simplify decision-making.

• The use of real time analytics and insights has enabled us to proactively respond to changes in 

consumer demand.

• Integrated Business Planning has been implemented, ensuring end-to-end decision-making.
• We have worked with our suppliers to create ecosystems to ensure continued service and 

minimal disruption, moving away from single supplier models.

• The number of packing operations and hubs that are closer to the markets has increased, 

creating more flexibility and responsiveness.

Developments in F23:
• We have focused on segmentation and the implementation of differentiated supply strategies.
• We have secured additional capacity on key packaging components and with our ports, carriers 

and third-party logistics providers.  

• In addition, we have secured additional ocean capacity, moving 20% of shipments from 

Scotland from ocean to rail transport, and established visibility on lead times that have given us 
increased accuracy and visibility.

• We continue to manage our product portfolio to drive harmonisation and simplification.
• We have enhanced our digital infrastructure and capability through artificial intelligence and 

advanced automation roadmap. 

• We have incorporated both upside and downside scenario planning for better risk mitigation.

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Risk and impact
5. International 
direct tax

EG

CVC

CT

V

Changes in the international 
tax environment may lead to 
an increased cost of 
compliance, an increase in our 
effective tax rates and/or 
unexpected tax exposures and 
additional uncertainty, which 
could result in financial loss.

6. Supply chain 
disruption

EG

CVC

CT

V

Supply chain disruptions can 
be induced by a range of 
reasons, including and not 
limited to, geopolitical tension, 
changes in commodity 
markets, increasing likelihood 
of severe weather events, 
cybersecurity threats across 
the end-to-end supply chain, 
macro-economic instability 
(such as inflation) impacting 
the responsiveness from our 
suppliers, regulatory changes 
and changes in customer and 
consumer behaviours.
Supply chains are likely to be 
expected to operate in this 
‘never normal’ for the near to 
mid-term.
The occurrence of these events 
are likely result in impacts to 
supply chain lead times and 
sufficiency of supply and 
therefore may have a 
negative impact on our 
commercial and 
financial performance.

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Strategic outcomes

EG

Efficient growth

CVC

Consistent value 
creation

CT

Credibility and trust

EP

Engaged people

V

Risk included in 
viability assessment

Gross Risk Movement

Increasing

Decreasing

Stable

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR PRI NCI PAL RISKS AND RI SK MANAGEMENT  continued

Risk and impact
7. Cyber and IT 
resilience

EG

CVC

CT

V

There is a rise in cyber attacks 
which impact supply chain 
operations and the 
manufacturing industry.
Sophisticated cyber and IT 
threats (both within our 
network and at third parties), 
including those facilitated 
through breaches of internal 
policies and unauthorised 
access continue to be 
prevalent, and could lead to 
theft, loss and 
misappropriation of critical 
assets, such as personal and 
consumer data, and 
operational / production 
systems. 
Inadequate IT resilience 
arrangements and integration 
with legacy systems and our 
increasing dependence on 
third-party IT services and 
solutions could cause 
disruption to core business 
operations, including 
manufacturing and supply, 
resulting in financial loss and 
reputational damage.
8. Business ethics 
and integrity

EG

CT

EP

There are increased regulatory 
expectations with new legal 
regimes being imposed, and a 
heightened enforcement 
stance being adopted across 
different markets.  
Lack of an embedded 
business integrity culture or 
any breach of our policies, 
relevant laws or regulations 
(including but not limited to 
anti-corruption, money 
laundering, global 
competition, human rights, 
data protection and economic 
sanctions) could result in 
significant penalties, financial 
loss and reputational damage.

Mitigation plans
Core mitigations:
• Enterprise-wide cyber risk management processes and policies are in place.
• We run a cyber security training and awareness outreach program, including regular phishing 

exercises.

• We have an identity and access management framework.
• IT and Operations Technology (OT) disaster recovery and business continuity testing takes place 

across key systems.

• We monitor internal systems and respond to cyber threats.
• We have information management and data resiliency measures across systems.
• Assurance is in place over IT controls for key third-party managed systems.

Developments in F23:
• We have enhanced our cyber security operations and OT cyber capabilities across sites.
• We are upgrading our enterprise resource planning system and associated processes to ensure 

they remain resilient.

Gross Risk Movement

Increasing: 
Geopolitical tensions are 
growing, and there is an 
increased likelihood of a 
more sophisticated cyber 
threat which could affect any 
organisation.

Core mitigations:
• Our Code of Business Conduct and supporting policies and standards set out compliance 

requirements which are then embedded throughout Diageo via regular training, 
communications, annual certification, and risk-based global and local engagement activities.

• Robust whistleblower mechanisms for complaints to be raised, properly investigated and 

remedial actions taken.

• Risk management process and assessment framework to identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor 

business and compliance risks.

• Well-embedded control assurance programme and centralised second line of defence.
• Third-party due diligence process supported by technology and central oversight.
• Utilisation of data and analytics tools to proactively support risk identification, assessment, and 

ongoing governance.

Increasing: 
Across the different markets 
in which we operate there 
are increasing regulations 
from the governing bodies, 
and the value of financial 
penalties imposed is also 
growing. This has resulted 
in an increase in both the 
likelihood and impact of 
the risk. 

Developments in F23:
• Significant updates have been made to our third-party due diligence by shifting core aspects of 

the process to a centralised team, which will leverage expertise, centralise oversight, and shorten 
on-boarding time frames.

• We have updated our Code of Business Conduct and Countering Corruption policy to address 

anti-fraud more fully.

• Values-based training and engagement have been deployed across all levels, with a particular 

focus on anti-retaliation, anti-bullying and leading with integrity.

• New guidance has been developed around screening of third parties to address our growing 

Direct to Consumer business opportunities.

• We have continued to enhance our governance processes around global human rights to ensure 
that human rights considerations are strengthened across all business operations and reflect 
emerging human rights regulations across the globe.

Risk and impact
9. Consumer 
demand disruption

EG

CVC

CT

V

Consumer demand is 
increasingly disrupted as a 
result of heightened macro-
economic volatility, with 
inflation and cost-of-living 
crises across many countries 
adversely impacting prices 
and consumer spending 
power. 
Consumer patterns are also 
being disrupted by, but not 
limited to, digital technology, 
health and lifestyle priorities, 
altered consumption 
behaviour, and new formats 
and technologies.
Inability to respond and adapt 
our products or processes to 
these disruptive market forces 
could impact our ability to 
effectively service our 
customers and consumers with 
the required agility, and result 
in financial loss.
10. Product quality 
and counterfeit

EG

CT

Accidental or malicious 
contamination of raw 
materials or finished product, 
and/or ineffective brand 
protection and intervention to 
address counterfeiting of our 
products supplied to market, 
could cause harm to 
consumers, damage our 
corporate and brand 
reputation and pose potential 
threats to our people due to 
the illicit nature of 
organisations involved in 
counterfeiting activities.

Gross Risk Movement

Stable: 

Mitigation plans
Core mitigations:
• We have a highly diversified portfolio of brands sold across the world, to ensure broad 

coverage of consumer occasions, geographies, trends and price points.

• We operate a rigorous process of strategy development and governance at corporate and 
market level, using a suite of propriety and third-party data tools, including our Brand 
Guidance System, Global Performance Suite and Consumer Choice Framework.

• We perform a systematic review of emerging consumer and route to consumer trends at 

market and brand level.

• We focus our innovation on our strategic priorities and the biggest consumer opportunities, 

through global brand extensions and new-to-world products.

• Our Demand Radar system provides enhanced demand forecasting capability at market 

and category level, allowing us to optimise marketing investment.

• Using our Volatility Tracker tool, we can review changes in consumer attitudes and 
spending, both within our category and across the wider consumer economy.

Developments in F23:
• Consumer behaviour and drivers of choice are fragmented, as consumers increasingly 

make product choices reflecting their personal socio-political values.

• We are investing in our social listening capability to improve our understanding and 

semantic analysis of online consumer signals.

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Core mitigations:
• We use food safety system standards (FSSC 22000) in place for our owned brewing and 
packaging sites. The majority of these sites are certified, with the exceptions being newly 
acquired and redeveloped sites, where we are upgrading the systems to meet the 
standards.

• We monitor the FSSC 22000 certification of third-party sites and exercise our right to audit 

Stable: 

where necessary. 

• Regular risk assessments are undertaken against our food fraud and food threat standards.
• We have also initiated a programme to strengthen and expand our global quality standards 
to bring further rigour to our quality ways of working for specific categories of products. The 
initial focus of this work is non-alcoholic and ready to drink products where we are 
harmonising our quality standards.

• Anti-counterfeiting measures embedded in our packaging deter against reuse, making our 

products more difficult to copy and enabling rapid authentication. 

• We operate an active programme to identify high-risk areas, engage with customs and law 

enforcement authorities, and participate in industry initiatives to monitor and prevent 
counterfeiting activity, pursuing enforcement and prosecution where possible.  

• We run an online monitoring and takedown programme across high-risk e-commerce and 
social media platforms, and directly engage with many platforms to create awareness and 
stop counterfeit listings. 

Developments in F23:
• The geopolitical risk in Eastern Europe (including Russia) brings increased risk of counterfeit 
as it creates porous borders; while the growth of tequila has seen a rise in counterfeit tequila 
cases in a number of markets.

• Our Global Track and Trace Standards have been strengthened and rolled out across 

Supply. Annual tests and audits are in place.

• The risk of a product quality issue remains stable, though material sourcing challenges mean 
that we need to maintain and implement our standards effectively to mitigate this additional 
risk. The number of food safety alerts raised by regulatory authorities is rising.

• We have further developed and standardised our approach to monitoring known and 

emerging food safety risks associated with the spirits category, by expanding our global 
spirits product integrity testing programme.

• We have strengthened our investigation capabilities, with a new vendor wholly focussed on 
identifying the source of counterfeit packaging impacting cross-border counterfeit trade. 

• We continued the roll-out of upgraded liquid authentication machines.
• We have upgraded our approach to identifying the source of counterfeit packaging and 

authentication.

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Strategic outcomes

EG

Efficient growth

CVC

Consistent value 
creation

CT

Credibility and trust

EP

Engaged people

V

Risk included in 
viability assessment

Gross Risk Movement

Increasing

Decreasing

Stable

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VIABI LI TY  STATEMENT

Viability statement

The Directors have reviewed the long-term prospects of the group in 
order to assess its viability. This review considered the activities and 
principal risks of the group, together with factors likely to affect the 
group’s future performance, financial position, cash flows, liquidity 
position and borrowing facilities, as described in this Annual Report.

Assessment
In order to report on the long-term viability of the group, the Directors 
reviewed the overall funding capacity and headroom available to 
withstand severe and plausible downside events, and carried out a 
robust assessment of the relevant principal risks facing the group, 
including those that would threaten its business model, future 
performance, solvency, or liquidity. This assessment also included the 
review and understanding of mitigating factors for each principal risk. 
The risks and mitigating factors are summarised in this Annual Report.

The viability assessment has three parts
First, the Directors considered the period over which they have a 
reasonable expectation that the group will continue to operate and 
meet its liabilities. A three-year period is considered appropriate for this 
viability assessment as this period is covered by the group’s strategic 
plan and carries a high level of confidence in assessing viability.

Risk scenarios modelled

Description and  severity

Second, they considered the potential impact of severe but plausible 
scenarios over this period, each of which contain a combination of 
principal risks. None of the scenarios individually or in aggregate 
would cause Diageo to cease to be viable. A summary of the severe 
and plausible risks modelled, and the level of severity reviewed is 
included below.

Thirdly, they considered the group’s sources of liquidity to fund both the 
strategic plan and the impact of the severe scenarios over this period. 
Diageo has continuous access to the debt capital markets and 
committed facilities over the viability period, including the ability to 
refinance any maturing debt, or meet new funding requirements at 
commercially acceptable terms. The group’s liquidity is supported by a 
healthy balance of short-term and long-term debt programmes and 
£2.7 billion of committed credit facilities, if required. The group also has 
flexibility in reducing discretionary spending, including acquisitions and 
capital expenditure, as well as temporarily suspending/reducing its 
return of capital to shareholders (dividends or share buybacks).

Global economic 
downturn

Prolonged global stagflation compounded by heightened geopolitical tensions and sharp economic challenges, 
including large interest rate hikes, sustained foreign exchange volatility and instability in the financial markets. This 
results in lost sales, through reduced consumer confidence, greater volatility amongst our customers and suppliers, and 
heightened price sensitivity. Cost-of-living increases lead to rising industrial unrest at supply sites and increases in 
interest rates result in financial institution and/or credit market-related failures. 
Sales: Reduction in volumes across the three-year period, and consumer downtrading, with reduced price increases.

Increased geo-
political tensions

Increased geopolitical tensions result in a spike in cyber attacks, impacting supply operations across multiple Diageo 
sites and resulting in production downtime. Heightened tensions also result in disruptions to Diageo's route to market 
and adversely impact on consumer demand for and/or availability of Diageo products, negatively affecting sales.
Sales: Lost sales from adverse impact on consumer demand/availability, production downtime and route to market 
disruption.

Consumer choice 
changes and 
regulatory impact

Climate change and 
natural hazard

Consumer preferences move away from alcohol consumption driven by changing lifestyle priorities and social habits. 
Consumer demand becomes more fragmented as consumers make product choices reflecting their personal socio-
political values, and as a result of a perceived misalignment with Diageo or its products, consumers do not purchase 
our products, thereby negatively impacting our sales and profitability. In parallel, large public debt levels and/or 
increased anti-alcohol pressure lead governments in major markets to impose significant excise increases, restrictive 
trade measures or other excessive regulatory measures.  
Sales: Loss of sales to the non and low-alcohol segment, and reduced sales growth due to the fragmentation of 
consumer demand. 

Increasing global temperatures impact our ability to make products due to constrained water supply, leading to a 
rotational short-term shutdown occurring across some of our water-stressed sites. Climate change drives increasing 
costs of raw materials, while the acceleration of taxation against carbon use increases our operational costs. Extreme 
weather events occur more frequently, impacting our supply facilities, causing production outages. The assumptions 
associated with this scenario are based upon our TCFD scenario modelling, and applied to a three-year period.
Sales: Loss of sales due to operational outages as a result of disruption to production at water-stressed sites, and the 
impact of extreme weather events.

Combined scenarios The highly unlikely event of the combination of all of the above scenarios occurring at the same time. 

Principal risks

Geopolitical volatility 
and business 
disruption
Supply chain 
disruption
International direct 
tax

Cyber and IT 
resilience 
Geopolitical volatility 
and business 
disruption 
Consumer demand 
disruption

Regulation, trade 
barriers and indirect 
tax
Consumer demand 
disruption

Climate change and 
sustainability
Supply chain 
disruption
Geopolitical volatility 
and business 
disruption 

Management has prepared cash flow forecasts which have also been 
sensitised to reflect severe but plausible downside scenarios, taking into 
consideration the group's principal risks. In the base case scenario, 
management has included assumptions for mid-single digit net sales 
growth, operating margin improvement and global TBA market share 
growth. Even under the severe downside scenarios, the group’s cash 
position is still expected to remain strong. Mitigating actions, should 
they be required, are all within management’s control and could 
include reductions in discretionary spending, such as acquisitions and 
capital expenditure, as well as a temporary suspension of the share 

buyback programme and dividend payments in the next 12 months, or 
drawdowns on committed facilities. Having considered the outcome of 
these assessments, the Directors are comfortable that the company is a 
going concern for at least 12 months from the date of signing the 
group's consolidated financial statements.

Conclusion
On the basis described above, the Directors have a reasonable 
expectation that the group will be able to continue in operation and 
meet its liabilities as they fall due over the three-year period of their 
assessment.

NON-FINANCIAL AND SUSTAI NABILITY INFORMATION STATEMENT

Our ESG reporting approach

Reporting transparently on the ESG issues that affect our business, and that our business creates, plays a vital role in delivering our strategy. It helps 
us to manage ESG risks, take opportunities and promote sustainable development everywhere we live, work, source and sell.

Our ESG reporting suite aims to provide comprehensive and comparable disclosures for a broad range of stakeholders. As well as publishing our 
integrated Annual Report and ESG Reporting Index each year, we also submit non-financial information to benchmarking and index organisations, 
including those listed on the Awards and ranking page of our website. 

The non-financial reporting space is evolving quickly. We are committed to continually evaluating and improving our approach and to actively 
tracking emerging ESG regulation, frameworks and good practice.

How we report to our stakeholders – our reporting suite

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Annual Report Where we present our 
most material disclosures and describe how 
our strategy delivers value for our business 
and other stakeholders. The performance of 
non-financial KPIs are integrated into the 
relevant focus area sections. The document 
also includes detailed non-financial 
reporting boundaries and methodologies.

Diageo.com Where, through the ‘Society 
2030: Spirit of Progress‘ section, we give 
more details of our approach and 
performance, with examples of our strategy 
in action. 

ESG Reporting Index Where we give 
additional disclosures in line with the GRI 
Standards and the UNGC advanced reporting 
criteria index, plus our response to the 
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board 
(SASB). This document also includes detailed 
non-financial reporting boundaries and 
methodologies.

Who are our stakeholders? Everyone who is affected by our business, and everyone who affects it, is a stakeholder. A detailed description of our 
stakeholder engagement process is on pages 110-113 of this Annual Report.

Non-financial and sustainability information statement
Focus area
Description of Diageo’s business model

Relevant policies and standards

Society 2030: Spirit of Progress'

Promote positive drinking

Champion inclusion and diversity
Our people and culture

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability

Task Force on Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures

• Global Marketing and Digital Marketing Policy(1)
• Global Employee Alcohol Policy(1)
• Position papers(1)
• Code of Business Conduct(1)
• Great Britain and Scotland Gender Pay Gap Report 

2022

• Republic of Ireland Gender Pay Gap Report 2022
• Global Human Rights Policy(1)
• Global Environment Policy(1)
• Sustainable Agriculture Guidelines(1)
• Sustainable Packaging Commitments(1)
• Partnering with Suppliers Standard(1)
• Deforestation Guidelines

Human rights

Health and safety
Anti-bribery and corruption

• Global Human Rights Policy(1)
• Modern Slavery Statement(2)
• Global Brand Promoter Standard(1)
• Global Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy(1)
• Code of Business Conduct(1)

Read more in this report

Page

• Business model

• 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress'

• Promote positive drinking including 
performance of the relating metrics

• Champion inclusion and diversity including 

performance of the relating metrics

• Our people and culture

• Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability including 
managing climate risks and opportunities 
and performance of the related metrics
• Our principal risks and risk management

• Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability including 
managing climate risks and opportunities 
and performance of the related metrics
• Our principal risks and risk management

• Doing business the right way
• Our principal risks and risk management

• Health and Safety
• Doing business the right way
• Our principal risks and risk management

24-25

57

58-60

32-35
67-70

63-64

71-87

88-93

71-87

88-93

61-62
88-93

65-66
61-62
88-93

https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance/code-of-business-conduct/policies-and-standards

(1)
(2) https://www.diageo.com/en/esg/doing-business-the-right-way-from-grain-to-glass/modern-slavery-statement
This Strategic Report, which has been approved by a duly appointed and authorised committee of the Board of Directors, was signed on its behalf 
by Tom Shropshire, the Company Secretary, on 31 July 2023. 

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Governance report

Contents
Letter from the Chairman of the Board of Directors
Governance at a glance
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Corporate governance report
Audit Committee report
Nomination Committee report
Directors’ remuneration report 
Directors’ report

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126
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LETTER  FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD  OF DIRECTORS

GOVERNANCE AT A GLANCE

Enabling our Ambition through Leadership

Governance at a glance

evolving to changing circumstances, as well as resilient and 
committed to our strategy, values and purpose. It is the 
responsibility of the Board to provide direction for management, 
setting the strategic aims and performance ambition of the 
company, centred on Diageo's strong culture. The Board is also 
responsible for ensuring that the company has effective 
operational leadership to implement its strategy of investing for 
long-term sustainable growth. We were therefore very pleased 
to welcome Debra Crew back to the Board as Chief Executive in 
June.
A particular focus of the Board this past year has been on 
ensuring that Diageo is well-positioned for future growth. This 
includes managing appropriate allocation of capital such as 
investing in fast-growing categories, actively managing our 
footprint and brand portfolio through selective acquisitions and 
disposals, and investing in the capacity and environmental 
sustainability of our facilities and supply chain. It also includes 
ensuring that Diageo is resourced adequately, with performance 
enabled by highly engaged and motivated employees and a 
collaborative, values-based and inclusive culture. 

We know that achieving this is dependent on the Board 
providing effective leadership, enabling swift execution of our 
clear strategy, and we look forward to working with Debra in 
guiding Diageo to move towards the next phase of delivering 
sustainable long-term value for our shareholders and other 
stakeholders.

Javier Ferrán (Chairman)

Dear Shareholder
On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to 
present the corporate governance report for 
the year ended 30 June 2023, which 
summarises how the Board and our 
governance has provided leadership over 
the year in support of the long-term 
sustainable success of Diageo.

Diageo's business has grown consistently over the last few years 
under the leadership of Sir Ivan Menezes, despite the challenges of 
the pandemic, instability in the global political and economic 
environment and continued inflationary pressures. We remain 
deeply grateful for his transformational leadership as we reflect on 
his sad passing. 

Delivering our ambition in such a challenging and turbulent 
environment requires leadership which is agile and creative, 

Compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code
The Board considers that for the year ended 30 June 2023, Diageo has fully applied the Principles and complied with the Provisions of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code 2018 (the Code) except for the pension alignment required under Provision 38, where full compliance was 
achieved from 1 January 2023 when company pension contributions for the then Chief Executive were aligned to that of the wider workforce 
as explained on page 143.

The table below details where key content on the compliance with the Code can be found in this report.

Board Leadership & Company Purpose
• Section 172 statement – page 6

• Board of Directors – pages 100-103

• 2023 Governance at a glance – page 99

• Purpose, values and culture – page 114

Composition, Succession and Evaluation
• Leadership and experience – pages 100-103

• Performance evaluation – page 113

• Nomination Committee report – pages 123-125

• Board activities – page 109
Division of Responsibilities
• Corporate governance structure and division of responsibilities – pages 106 

Audit, Risk and Internal Controls
• Audit Committee report – pages 117-122

and 108

• Board and committee attendance – page 99

• Director independence – page 108

Remuneration
• Remuneration Committee report – pages 126-153

Board
composition

Non-executive 
director tenure

Board gender 
diversity

Board ethnic 
diversity

ò Chairman
ò Executive director
ò Non-executive director

ò 0 – 3 years
ò 3 – 6 years
ò 6 – 9 years

Fiscal 23 highlights

ò Male
ò Female

ò Directors of colour
ò White European

Board composition and changes

Annual General Meeting 

• Diageo ranked as the leading FTSE 100 company in the FTSE 

• This year's AGM was held on 6 October 2022 at etc.venues St 

Women Leaders Review in February 2023 for the third year running, 
with 63.6% female representation on the Board.

• Debra Crew rejoined the Board as Chief Executive and Executive 
Director on 8 June 2023 following the sad passing of Sir Ivan 
Menezes.

Board attendance

• During fiscal 23, there were seven scheduled meetings of the Board 
which Directors attended either physically or remotely using video 
conference facilities. 

• Directors' attendance record at the last AGM, scheduled Board and 

Board Committee meetings, for fiscal 23 is set out in the table 
below. Attendance is expressed as the number of scheduled 
meetings attended out of the number that each Director was eligible 
or invited to attend.

Paul's, 200 Aldersgate, London. 

• It was held as a hybrid meeting with over 130 people attending 

physically, including shareholders, proxies, corporate 
representatives and guests, and with the ability for others to attend 
remotely or by virtual means using an online platform.

• All Directors attended the AGM either physically or remotely. 
• During the AGM, the Chief Executive gave a review of the 

performance of the company during fiscal 22, following which the 
Chairman took questions from shareholders which were responded 
to by the Chairman and other Directors.  

• The vote procedure was carried out by way of poll as authorised by 
the Articles of Association. All resolutions contained in the Notice of 
Meeting were passed.

G
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N
A
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C
E

R
E
P
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Javier Ferrán
Debra Crew(2)

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Susan Kilsby

Melissa Bethell

Karen Blackett

Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet

Sir John Manzoni

Lady Mendelsohn

Alan Stewart

Ireena Vittal

Former Directors
Sir Ivan Menezes(3)

(1) Attended by invitation.
(2) Appointed to the Board on 8 June 2023.
(3) Ceased being a director on 6 June 2023.

Annual General 
Meeting 2022

ü
N/A

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

ü

Board 
(maximum 7)
7/7

Audit Committee 
(maximum 5)
5/5(1)

Nomination Committee 
(maximum 6)
6/6

0/0
5/5(1)

5/5

4/5

4/5

4/5

5/5

5/5

5/5

4/5

0/0

0/0

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

Remuneration 
Committee 
7/7(1)
1/1(1)
1/1(1)

7/7

7/7

7/7

7/7

7/7

6/7

7/7

7/7

2/5(1)

 4/5(1)

4/6(1)

0/0

6/6

7/7

7/7

6/7

6/7

7/7

7/7

7/7

7/7

5/6

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99

 
BOARD OF D I RECTORS 

Leadership and experience 

1

3

5

2

4

6

Javier Ferrán 

1.
Chairman 
Nationality: Spanish 

Appointed: Chairman and Chairman of the Nomination Committee: 
January 2017 (Appointed Chairman Designate and Non-Executive 
Director: July 2016) 

N

4. Susan Kilsby 
Senior Independent Director 
Nationality: American/British
Appointed: Senior Independent Director: October 2019 (Appointed Non-
Executive Director: April 2018 and Chairman of the Remuneration 
Committee: January 2019)

A N R

Key strengths: Brings extensive board-level experience from the drinks 
and consumer products industry, including at chief executive level, and 
has a wealth of experience in consumer goods through his venture capital 
activities to draw from in his role as Chairman and leader of the Board 

Key strengths: Brings wide-ranging corporate governance and board level 
experience across a number of industries, including a consumer goods 
sector focus, with particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, 
corporate finance and transaction advisory work

Current external appointments: Chairman, International Consolidated 
Airlines Group, S.A.; Senior Advisor and chairman of investee company 
board, BlackRock Long Term Private Capital

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Chair, Fortune Brands 
Innovations, Inc.; Non-Executive Director, Unilever PLC, NHS England; 
Member, the Takeover Panel

Previous relevant experience: Non-Executive Director and Senior 
Independent Director, Associated British Foods plc; Non-Executive Director, 
Coca-Cola European Partners plc; Member, Advisory Board of ESADE 
Business School; President and CEO, Bacardi Limited; Non-Executive 
Director, SABMiller plc

2. Debra Crew  
Chief Executive 
Nationality: American 
Appointed: Chief Executive and Executive Director: June 2023 
Key strengths: Has broad experience in various consumer products sectors 
at board, chief executive and management leadership levels, as well as 
over four years' experience in non-executive and executive roles at Diageo

E

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Stanley, Black & 
Decker, Inc.

Previous Diageo roles: Chief Operating Officer; President, North America; 
Non-Executive Director, Diageo plc 

Previous relevant experience: Non-Executive Director, Newell Brands, 
Mondelēz International Inc.; President and CEO, Reynolds American, Inc; 
President, PepsiCo North America Nutrition, PepsiCo Americas Beverages, 
Western Europe Region; various positions with Kraft Foods, Nestlé, S.A., 
and Mars 
3. Lavanya Chandrashekar 
Chief Financial Officer 
Nationality: American 
Appointed: Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director: July 2021
Key strengths: Brings broad financial expertise, commercial skills and 
strong consumer goods experience to manage the group’s affairs relating 
to financial controls, accounting, tax, treasury and investor relations

E

Previous Diageo roles: Chief Financial Officer, Diageo North America and 
Global Head of Investor Relations

Previous relevant experience: Vice President Finance, Global Cost 
Leadership and Supply Chain, Mondelēz International; VP Finance, North 
America, Mondelēz International; VP Finance, Eastern Europe, Middle East 
and Africa, Mondelēz International; various senior finance roles at Procter 
& Gamble

Previous relevant experience: Senior Independent Director and Chair of 
Remuneration Committee, BHP Group Plc, BHP Group Limited; Senior 
Independent Director, BBA Aviation plc; Chairman, Shire plc; Chairman, 
Mergers and Acquisitions EMEA, Credit Suisse; Senior Advisor, Credit 
Suisse; Non-Executive Director, Goldman Sachs International, Keurig 
Green Mountain, L’Occitane International, Coca-Cola HBC

A N R

5. Melissa Bethell 
Non-Executive Director
Nationality: American/British
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: June 2020
Key strengths: Has extensive international corporate and financial 
experience, including in relation to private equity, financial sectors, 
strategic consultancy and advisory services, as well as having strong non-
executive experience at board and committee levels across a range of 
industries, including retail, consumer goods and financial services

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Tesco PLC, Exor 
N.V.; Chair, Ocean Outdoor Limited; Senior Advisor, Atairos 

Previous relevant experience: Managing Director and Senior Advisor, 
Private Equity, Bain Capital; Non-Executive Director, Atento S.A., Worldpay 
plc, Samsonite S.A.

G
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R
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P
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A N R

6. Karen Blackett 
Non-Executive Director
Nationality: British 
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: June 2022
Key strengths: Brings expertise in marketing, media and the creative 
industries, as well as broad experience in public policy and strategic 
initiatives through a number of different government, industry and public 
bodies

Current external appointments: UK President, WPP plc; Chancellor, 
University of Portsmouth; Founding Trustee, BEO (Black Equity 
Organisation); Non-Executive Director, Creative UK, Non-Executive 
Director, The Pipeline

Previous relevant experience: UK Race Equality Business Champion, HM 
Government; Business Ambassador, Department for International Trade, 
HM Government; Chairwoman, MediaCom UK & Ireland; Chief Executive 
Officer, GroupM UK; Chief Executive Officer, MediaCom UK; Chief 
Operations Officer, MediaCom EMEA; Marketing Director, MediaCom; UK 
Country Manager, WPP plc

Board committees 

A  Audit Committee

E  Executive Committee

N  Nomination Committee

R  Remuneration Committee

 Chairman of the committee

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BOARD OF D I RECTORS  contin ued

7

9

11

8

10

10. Alan Stewart  
Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British 
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: September 2014 (Appointed Chairman 
of the Audit Committee: January 2017) 

A N R

Key strengths: Has a strong background in financial, investment banking 
and commercial matters, with particular expertise in consumer retail 
industries, as well as board and committee level experience at industry 
institutions 

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director and Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC; Non-Executive 
Director and Chair of Audit Committee, Burberry Group plc

Previous relevant experience: Chief Financial Officer, Tesco PLC; Non-
Executive Director, Tesco Bank; Chief Financial Officer, Marks & Spencer 
Group plc, AWAS; Non-Executive Director, Games Workshop plc; Group 
Finance Director, WH Smith PLC; Chief Executive, Thomas Cook UK

A N R

Ireena Vittal 
11.
Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: Indian
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: October 2020
Key strengths: Brings a wealth of FMCG experience from a career in 
executive consulting with a focus on consumer sectors and emerging 
markets, including India, as well as broad experience in non-executive 
board roles in the UK and India

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Compass Group 
PLC; Non-Executive and Lead Independent Director, Godrej Consumer 
Products Limited; Non-Executive Director, Asian Paints Limited

Previous relevant experience: Head of Marketing and Sales, Hutchinson 
Max Telecom; Partner, McKinsey and Company; Non-Executive Director, 
Wipro Limited, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, Titan 
Company Limited, Tata Global Beverages Limited, Tata Industries, 
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

G
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R
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P
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A N R

7. Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet 
Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: French
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: January 2021
Key strengths: Brings strong experience and expertise in the luxury 
consumer goods sector, having spent her career in the industry working in 
a number of international markets, including developed and emerging 
markets, and as a former CEO in the premium drinks industry

Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Lead Independent 
Director and Chair of Governance Committee, Danone S.A.; Non-
Executive Director, Acné Studios A.B., Agrolimen S.A., Nextstage S.C.A., 
Jacobs Holding AG; Vice Chairman, Sofisport 

Previous relevant experience: Chief Executive Officer, Rémy Cointreau 
S.A.; President and CEO for the Americas, Louis Vuitton, LVMH Group; 
President and CEO for North America, Louis Vuitton, LVMH Group; 
President South Europe, Louis Vuitton, LVMH Group; President and CEO, 
Louis Vuitton Taiwan, LVMH Group; President, Luxury Product Division for 
the USA, L’Oréal Group

A N R

8. Sir John Manzoni 
Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: October 2020
Key strengths: Has strong commercial executive experience as a former 
CEO in the energy sector and non-executive board level experience, 
including in the alcoholic beverage industry, as well as more recent 
expertise in public policy and government affairs

Current external appointments: Chairman, SSE plc; Chairman, Atomic 
Weapons Establishment; Non-Executive Director, KBR Inc.

Previous relevant experience: Chief Executive of the Civil Service and 
Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, HM Government; President 
and Chief Executive Officer, Talisman Energy; Chief Executive, Refining & 
Marketing, BP p.l.c.; Chief Executive, Gas & Power, BP p.l.c.; Non-Executive 
Director, SABMiller plc

A N R

9. Lady Mendelsohn 
Non-Executive Director 
Nationality: British
Appointed: Non-Executive Director: September 2014
Key strengths: Has specialist knowledge and understanding of consumer-
facing emerging technologies, privacy and data issues, as well as wide 
experience of board and committee level appointments across diverse 
commercial, governmental and charitable institutions, as well as advisory 
roles in advertising and production of consumer goods

Current external appointments: Head of the Global Business Group, Meta 
Platforms Inc.; Co-President, Norwood; Member, Mayor’s Business 
Advisory Board; Chair, Follicular Lymphoma Foundation

Previous relevant experience: Executive Chairman, Karmarama; Deputy 
Chairman, Grey London; Board Director, BBH, Fragrance Foundation; 
President, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising; Director, Women’s Prize 
for Fiction; Co-Chair, Creative Industries Council; Member, HMG Industrial 
Strategy Council; Board Member, CEW; Trustee, White Ribbon Alliance; 
Chair, Corporate Board, Women’s Aid 

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Board committees 

A  Audit Committee

E  Executive Committee

N  Nomination Committee

R  Remuneration Committee

 Chairman of the committee

 
EXECUTI V E COMMITTEE

Expertise and diversity

1

4

7

10

2

5

8

11

3

6

9

Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar are also 
members of the Executive Committee.

Their biographies can be found on page 101.

Ewan Andrew

1.
President, Global Supply Chain & Procurement and Chief 
Sustainability Officer
Nationality: British
Appointed: September 2019
Previous Diageo roles: Supply Director, International Supply Centre; Senior 
Vice President, Supply Chain & Procurement, Latin America and 
Caribbean; Senior Vice President Manufacturing & Distilling, North 
America; various supply chain, operational management and 
procurement roles

6. Hina Nagarajan
Managing Director and CEO of United Spirits Limited
Nationality: Indian 
Appointed: July 2021
Previous Diageo roles: CEO-Designate, United Spirits Limited; Managing 
Director, Africa Regional Markets

Previous relevant experience: Managing Director, China & SVP North Asia, 
Reckitt Benckiser; General Manager, Malaysia & Singapore, Reckitt 
Benckiser; CEO & MD Mary Kay India; senior marketing and general 
management roles, ICI Paints India and Nestlé India

Current external appointments: Member, Scotch Whisky Association 
Council, Scottish Business Climate Collaboration Board, One Planet 
Business for Biodiversity Board

7. Dayalan Nayager
President, Africa

2. Soraya Benchikh
President, Europe
Nationality: French
Appointed: January 2023
Previous Diageo roles: Managing Director, Northern Europe
Previous relevant experience: Brand CEO and Area Director, East and 
Southern Africa, President, France and Regional Finance Director, Europe, 
British American Tobacco

3. Alvaro Cardenas
President, Latin America and Caribbean
Nationality: Colombian
Appointed: January 2021
Previous Diageo roles: Managing Director, Andean Region; Director, End-
to-End Global Commercial Processes; Finance Director, South East Asia 
Region, PUB (Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) Region, Andean Region, 
Colombia

4. Cristina Diezhandino
Chief Marketing Officer
Nationality: Spanish
Appointed: July 2020
Previous Diageo roles: Global Category Director, Scotch & Managing 
Director, Reserve Brands; Managing Director, Caribbean and Central 
America; Marketing & Innovation Director, Diageo Africa; Category 
Director, Scotch Portfolio & Gins; Global Brand Director, Johnnie Walker

Previous relevant experience: Corporate Marketing Director, Allied 
Domecq Spain; marketing roles, Unilever HPC US, UK and Spain 

5. Daniel Mobley
Global Corporate Relations Director
Nationality: British
Appointed: June 2017
Previous Diageo roles: Corporate Relations Director, Europe
Previous relevant experience: Regional Head of Corporate Affairs, India & 
South Asia, Regional Head of Corporate Affairs, Africa, Group Head of 
Government Relations, Standard Chartered; extensive government 
experience including in HM Treasury and Foreign & Commonwealth 
Office

G
O
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A
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C
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R
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P
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Nationality: South African/British
Appointed: July 2022 
Previous Diageo roles: Managing Director, Great Britain and Justerini & 
Brooks, Ireland and France, Global Travel; Regional Director, Global 
Travel Europe; Commercial Director, South Africa; Customer Marketing 
Director, South Africa; Key Account Director, South Africa

Previous relevant experience: Various positions, Heinz, Mars and Pick n 
Pay Retailers

8. John O'Keeffe
President, Asia Pacific & Global Travel
Nationality: Irish
Appointed: July 2015
Previous Diageo roles: President, Africa & Beer; CEO and Managing 
Director, Guinness Nigeria; Global Head, Innovation; Global Head, Beer 
and Baileys; Managing Director, Russia and Eastern Europe; various 
management and marketing positions

9. Louise Prashad
Chief HR Officer
Nationality: British
Appointed: January 2022
Previous Diageo roles: Global Talent Director; Talent Director, Africa; HR 
Director, Europe, West Latin America and Caribbean, Global Functions

Previous relevant experience: various HR roles, Stakis Group and Hilton 
Hotels

10. Claudia Schubert
President, North America 
Nationality: American
Appointed: October 2022
Previous Diageo roles: President, US Spirits and Canada; General 
Manager, Continental Europe; President, US Controls States and Canada; 
President, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines

Previous relevant experience: Boston Consulting Group

11. Tom Shropshire
General Counsel & Company Secretary
Nationality: American/British
Appointed: July 2021
Current external appointments: Member of the Court (Non-Executive 
Director), The Bank of England; Trustee, New York University School of 
Law; Member of the Steering Committee, The Parker Review; Trustee, 
Charity Projects Limited (Comic Relief); Director, Comic Relief Limited

Previous relevant experience: Partner & Global US Practice Head, 
Linklaters LLP

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105

 
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT

Enabling our ambition

Corporate governance structure and division of responsibilities

Non-Executive Directors 
Melissa Bethell, Valérie 
Chapoulaud-Floquet, Sir John 
Manzoni, Lady Mendelsohn, Alan 
Stewart, Ireena Vittal and Karen 
Blackett
The Non-Executive Directors, all of 
whom the Board has determined 
are independent, experienced and 
influential individuals from a 
diverse range of industries, 
backgrounds and countries.  

• Constructively challenge the 

Executive Directors

• Develop proposals on strategy
• Scrutinise the performance of 

management

• Satisfy themselves on the 
integrity of the financial 
information, controls and 
systems of risk management 
• Set the levels of remuneration 
for Executive Directors and 
senior management 

• Make recommendations to the 

Board concerning appointments 
to the Board

• Devote such time as is 

necessary to the proper 
performance of their duties 

A summary of the terms and 
conditions of appointment of the 
Non-Executive Directors is available 
at https://www.diageo.com/en/
our-business/corporate-
governance.

Nomination  
Committee

Audit  
Committee

Remuneration  
Committee

s

r

e

v

i g ht and rigoro

u
s c

Board of Directors

h

a

l
l

e

n

g

e

ependent o

d
In

Chief Executive has 
delegated authority to 
these Committees

Leaders h i p

Executive 
Committee

Filings  
Assurance 
Committee

Finance 
Committee

Audit & Risk 
Committee

Business unit risk 
management

Senior Independent Director
Susan Kilsby
• Acts as a sounding board for the 
Chairman and serves as an 
intermediary for the other 
Directors where necessary
• Together with the other Non- 
Executive Directors, leads the 
review of the performance of the 
Chairman, taking into account 
the views of the Executive 
Directors

• Available to shareholders if they 
have concerns where contact 
through the normal channels has 
failed

Company Secretary
Tom Shropshire
• The Board is supported by the 

Company Secretary who ensures 
information is made available to 
Board members in a timely 
fashion

• Supports the Chairman in setting 
Board agendas, designing and 
delivering Board inductions and 
Board evaluations, and co-
ordinates post-evaluation action 
plans, including risk review and 
training requirements for the 
Board 

• Advises on corporate 
governance matters

• Is a member of the Executive 

Committee as General Counsel

Chief Executive 
Debra Crew
• Develops the group’s strategic direction 
for consideration and approval by the 
Board

• Implements the strategy agreed by the 

Board

• Leads the Executive Committee
• Manages the company and the group
• Along with the Chief Financial Officer, 

leads discussions with investors

• Is supported in her role by the Executive 

Committee

• Is supported by the Finance Committee 
and Filings Assurance Committee in the 
management of financial reporting of 
the company 

Chairman
Javier Ferrán
• Responsible for the operation, 

leadership and governance of the 
Board

• Ensures all Directors are fully informed 
of matters and receives precise, timely 
and clear information sufficient to 
make informed judgements

• Sets Board agendas and ensures 

sufficient time is allocated to ensure 
effective debate to support sound 
decision-making

• Ensures the effectiveness of the Board
• Engages in discussions with 

shareholders

Chief Financial Officer
Lavanya Chandrashekar
• Manages all aspects of the group's 

financial affairs

• Responsible for the management of 
the capital structure of the company
• Contributes to the management of the 

group's operations

• Along with the Chief Executive, leads 

discussions with investors
• Is supported by the Finance 

Committee and Filings Assurance 
Committee in the management of the 
financial affairs and reporting of the 
company

• Is a member of the Executive 

• Meets with the Non-Executive Directors 

Committee

independently of the Executive 

106

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Board of Directors
Composition of the Board
The Board comprises the Non-Executive Chairman, two Executive 
Directors, the Senior Independent Director, and seven independent 
Non-Executive Directors. The biographies of all Directors are set out in 
this Annual Report on pages 101 and 103. Debra Crew was appointed 
Chief Executive and Director, effective 8 June 2023.   

Inclusion and diversity
The Board sees championing inclusion and diversity as one of the key 
enablers for achieving Diageo’s ambition. It is also a core principle of 
the company’s global Human Rights Policy which applies to all 
employees, subsidiaries and third-party contractors and which has been 
implemented as part of our Code of Business Conduct programme. Our 
objective is to maintain and sustain an inclusive and diverse business, 
across all levels, functions and geographies, in order to create a better 
working environment and a better performing business. As part of this, 
the Board has adopted a written Board Diversity Policy alongside 
Diageo’s Code of Business Conduct and associated global policies, 
which set out Diageo’s broader commitment to inclusion and diversity. 
Diageo strongly supports diversity within its Board of Directors, including 
gender, ethnicity, age and professional diversity, as well as diversity of 
thought. The Board is comprised of individuals from a diverse range of 
skills, industries, backgrounds and nationalities, which enables a broad 
evaluation of all matters considered by the Board and contributes to a 
culture of collaborative and constructive discussion. The Board’s 
objective, as set out in its Diversity Policy, is that it shall include no less 
than 40% female representation (with the ultimate goal being parity 
between males and females on the Board) and at least one Director 
from a minority ethnic group. As at 26 July 2023, women make up 73% 
of the Board and there are four Directors (36%) who self-disclose as 
being from minority ethnic groups. Further information about diversity at 
Board and senior executive levels can be found on page 125 and in the 
‘Our people and culture’ and ‘Champion inclusion and diversity’ 
sections of the Strategic Report on pages 63-64 and 67-70 respectively. 
The Board's Diversity Policy is available at https://www.diageo.com/
en/our-business/corporate-governance/board-diversity.

Outside interests and conflicts
The Board has adopted guidelines for dealing with conflicts of interest, 
with Directors' outside interests being regularly reviewed and 
responsibility for authorising conflicts of interest reserved for the Board. 
In the case of a potential conflict, the Nomination Committee considers 
the circumstances, appropriate controls and protocols, and makes a 
recommendation to the Board. The Board confirmed that it was not 
aware of any situations that may or did give rise to conflicts with the 
interests of the company, other than those that may arise from Directors’ 
other appointments as disclosed in their biographies.

Duties of the Board
The Board manages overall control of the company’s affairs with 
reference to the formal schedule of matters reserved for the Board for 
decision. The schedule was last reviewed in July 2023 and is available 
at https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance. 
In order to fulfil their duties, procedures are in place for Directors to seek 
both independent advice and the advice and services of the Company 
Secretary, who is responsible for advising the Board on all governance 
matters. The Board considers a number of factors when making 
decisions, including the potential impact of those decisions on various 
stakeholder groups and on the Company's ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress‘ and other non-financial targets, including in respect of 
environmental sustainability. Further information on the Board and the 
Audit Committee's roles in climate risk governance can be found on 
page 72. The terms of reference of Board Committees are reviewed 
regularly, most recently in July 2023, and are available at 
https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance.

G
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R
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Corporate governance requirements
The principal corporate governance rules applying to Diageo (as a UK 
company listed on the London Stock Exchange) for the year ended 30 
June 2023 are contained in the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code 
(the Code) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Listing Rules, 
which require us to describe, in our Annual Report, our corporate 
governance from two points of view: the first dealing generally with our 
application of the Code’s main principles and the second dealing 
specifically with non-compliance with any of the Code’s provisions. The 
two descriptions together are designed to give shareholders a picture of 
governance arrangements in relation to the Code as a criterion of good 
practice. A copy of the Code is publicly available on the website of the 
Financial Reporting Council (FRC), www.frc.org.uk. Diageo’s statement 
as to compliance with the Code during the year ended 30 June 2023 
can be found on page 98. Diageo must also comply with corporate 
governance rules contained in the FCA Disclosure Guidance and 
Transparency Rules and certain related provisions in the Companies Act 
2006 (the Act). Diageo is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange 
(NYSE), and as such is subject to the applicable rules of this exchange 
and jurisdiction. For example, Diageo is subject to the listing 
requirements of the NYSE and the rules of the US Securities and 
Exchange Commission (SEC), as they apply to foreign private issuers. 
Compliance with the provisions of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 
(SOX), as it applies to foreign private issuers, is continually monitored. 
Compliance with US corporate governance rules  
Under applicable SEC rules and the NYSE’s corporate governance 
rules for listed companies, Diageo must disclose any significant ways in 
which its corporate governance practices differ from those followed by 
US companies under NYSE listing standards. Diageo believes the 
following to be the significant areas in which there are differences 
between its corporate governance practices and NYSE corporate 
governance rules applicable to US companies. This information is also 
provided on the company’s website at www.diageo.com.
• Basis of regulation: UK listed companies are required to include in 
their annual report a narrative statement of (i) how they have 
applied the principles of the Code and (ii) whether or not they have 
complied with the best practice provisions of the Code. NYSE listed 
companies must adopt and disclose their corporate governance 
guidelines. Certain UK companies are required to include in their 
annual report statements as to (i) how directors have complied with 
Section 172 of the Act, which requires directors to promote the 
success of the company for the benefit of the members as a whole, 
having regard to the interests of stakeholders and (ii) how directors 
have engaged with and taken account of the views of the 
company’s workforce and other stakeholder groups. Diageo 
complied throughout the year with the best practice provisions of the 
Code and the disclosure requirements noted above, other than as 
described on page 98.

• Director independence: The Code requires at least half the Board 
(excluding the Chairman) to be independent Non-Executive 
Directors, as determined by affirmatively concluding that a Director is 
independent in character and judgement and determining whether 
there are relationships and circumstances which are likely to affect, 
or could appear to affect, the Director’s judgement. The Code 
requires the Board to state its reasons if it determines that a director 
is independent notwithstanding the existence of relationships or 
circumstances which may appear relevant to its determination. NYSE 
rules require a majority of independent directors, according to the 
NYSE’s own ‘brightline’ tests and an affirmative determination by the 
Board that the Director has no material relationship with the listed 
company. Diageo’s Board has determined that, in its judgement and 
without taking into account the NYSE brightline tests, all of the Non-
Executive Directors are independent. As such, currently nine of 
Diageo’s eleven Directors are independent. Further details of this 
determination in relation to Alan Stewart, Non-Executive Director and 
Chairman of the Audit Committee, are set out on page 108.

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT  continued

• Chairman and Chief Executive: The Code requires these roles to be 
separate. There is no corresponding requirement for US companies. 
Diageo has a separate Chairman and Chief Executive.
• Non-Executive Director meetings: NYSE rules require Non-

Management Directors to meet regularly without management and 
independent directors to meet separately at least once a year. The 
Code requires Non-Executive Directors to meet without the Chairman 
present at least annually to appraise the Chairman’s performance. 
During the year, Diageo has complied with these requirements with 
independent Non-Executive Directors, including the Chairman, 
meeting without the Executive Directors present four times and 
independent Non-Executive Directors meeting without the Chairman 
or Executive Directors present twice.

• Board committees: Diageo has a number of Board committees that 
are similar in purpose and constitution to those required by NYSE 
rules. Diageo’s Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees 
consist entirely of independent Non-Executive Directors. Under NYSE 
standards, companies are required to have a nominating/corporate 
governance committee, which develops and recommends a set of 
corporate governance principles and is composed entirely of 
independent directors. The terms of reference for Diageo’s 
Nomination Committee, which comply with the Code, do not contain 
such a requirement. In accordance with the requirements of the 
Code, Diageo has disclosed on page 113 the results and means of its 
annual evaluation of the Board, its Committees and the Directors, 
and it provides extensive information regarding the Directors’ 
compensation in the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 
126-153 .

• Code of ethics: NYSE rules require a Code of Business Conduct and 
Code of Ethics to be adopted for directors, officers and employees 
and disclosure of any waivers for executive directors or officers. 
Diageo has adopted a Code of Business Conduct for all Directors, 
officers and employees, as well as a Code of Ethics for Senior 
Financial Officers in accordance with the requirements of SOX. See 
page 121 for further details.

• Compliance certification: NYSE rules require chief executives to 
certify to the NYSE their awareness of any NYSE corporate 
governance violations. Diageo is exempt from this as a foreign 
private issuer but is required to notify the NYSE if any executive 
officer becomes aware of any non-compliance with NYSE corporate 
governance standards. No such notification was necessary during 
the period covered by this report.

Structure and division of responsibilities
The Board is committed to the highest standards of corporate 
governance and risk management, which is demonstrated in its  
established corporate governance framework, illustrated on page 106. 
This includes the three Board Committees (Audit Committee, 
Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee), as well as 
management committees which report to the Chief Executive or Chief 
Financial Officer (Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Audit & 
Risk Committee and Filings Assurance Committee). There is a clear 
separation of the roles of the Chairman, the Senior Independent 
Director and the Chief Executive which has been clearly established, set 
out in writing and approved by the Board. A copy of this is available at 
https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance. No 
individual or group dominates the Board’s decision-making processes.

Further details on the Board Committees can be found in the separate 
reports from each committee on pages 117-153, and details of the 
Executive Committee can be found on pages 104-105 

Board skills and experience
Having an appropriate mix of experience, expertise, diversity and 
independence is essential for Diageo's Board. Such diverse attributes 
enable the Board as a whole to provide informed opinions and advice 
on strategy and relevant topics, thereby discharging its duty of 

oversight. The Board skills matrix helps to identify the experience and 
expertise of existing Directors, required skill sets or competencies, and 
the strategic requirements of the company. Key strengths and relevant 
experience of each Director are set out on pages 101 and 103, and a 
matrix of the Board’s current skills and experience is set out below. 

Banking and corporate finance 

Commercial matters 

Consumer products 

Corporate governance 

Emerging markets 

Finance 

Food and beverages

Government and public policy 

General management 

M&A 

Media 

Sales and marketing 

Strategy

Sustainability

Technology 

Transaction advisory 

Independence 
The Code requires the Board to state its reasons for concluding that a 
director is independent notwithstanding the existence of certain 
relationships or circumstances which are likely to impair or appear to 
impair the director's independence. A non-exhaustive list of such 
circumstances is set out in provision 10 of the Code and include, 
amongst other things, the fact that a director has served on the board 
for more than nine years. In September 2023, Alan Stewart will have 
served for nine years on the Board since he was first appointed in 
September 2014. Alan has also served as Chairman of the Audit 
Committee since January 2017. The Board has requested and Alan has 
agreed to extend the term of his appointment to enable a smooth 
transition of the role of Chair of the Audit Committee at a time when the 
company is commencing a significant business change programme to 
upgrade its financial systems and technology in order to enhance the 
company's reporting and controls environment, as further described on 
page 112. The Board believes that, given the critical role of the Audit 
Committee in supervising this programme, this additional period will 
help preserve the level of knowledge and experience on and help 
support a successful transition to a successor, who is expected to be 
appointed prior to the 2024 AGM. It was further considered to be in the 
best interests of the company that Alan continues in this role to provide 
further continuity in light of other changes to the Board and, in 
particular, the recent transition in Chief Executive. The Board has also 
considered the matter of Alan's independence in light of this extension 
and concluded that, notwithstanding his serving for more than nine 
years, he continues to make high-quality contributions to Board and 
committee meetings, providing effective and constructive challenge to 
management and demonstrating objective and independent judgment. 
In light of this assessment, the Board has determined that Alan Stewart 
remains independent.
Board and Committee attendance 
Directors’ attendance record at the last AGM, scheduled Board 
meetings and Board Committee meetings, for the year ended 30 June 
2023 is set out in the table shown on page 99. Directors are expected to 
attend all meetings of the Board and its Committees and the AGM, but 
if unable to do so they are encouraged to give their views to the Chair 
of the meeting in advance. The 2022 AGM was held as a combined 
physical and electronic meeting via a live webcast with all Directors 
attending either physically or by video link. For Board and Board 
Committee meetings, attendance is expressed as the number of 
meetings attended of the number that each Director was eligible to 
attend.

Re-appointment at AGMs
The Chairman has confirmed that the Non-Executive Directors standing 
for re-appointment at this year’s AGM continue to perform effectively, 
both individually and collectively as a Board, and that each Non-
Executive Director demonstrates commitment to their roles and 
continues to provide constructive challenge, strategic guidance and 

offer specialist advice, as well as holding management to account. As 
can be seen from the attendance records set out on page 99, Directors’ 
attendance levels have been consistently high throughout the year 
ended 30 June 2023. 

Board activities
Details of the main areas of focus of the Board and its Committees during the year include those summarised below:

G
O
V
E
R
N
A
N
C
E

R
E
P
O
R
T

Strategic priority

Strategic outcome

Stakeholders

1

2

3

6

1

2

3

1

4

5

6

2

3

6

EG

CVC

EG

CVC

EP

CVC

CT

EP

EG

CVC

CT

Areas of focus
Strategic
matters

• Held a two-day Annual Strategy Conference (ASC) focussing on key strategic matters, 

including implementation of strategy across regions, convenience, China, ESG performance 
and supply chain strategy

• Regularly reviewed the group’s performance against the strategy 
• Received reports on the financial performance of the group as against the annual plan
• Reviewed the group’s tax strategy and policy
• Received reports on the macro-economic environment, socio-political matters and emerging 

trends

• Carried out deep dives into key strategic topics including the group's scotch whisky portfolio 
and strategy, tequila strategy, consumer insights, Latin America and Caribbean region, 
culture and capabilities, China, health and wellness, and volatility scenario planning

Operational
matters

• Reviewed and approved the group's three-year plan and annual funding plan, insurance, 

banking and capital expenditure requirements

• Reviewed the group's long-term demand forecasting processes, global business operations 

and shared service centre arrangements

• Regularly reviewed and approved the group’s M&A and business development activities, 

reorganisations and various other projects

• Reviewed the group's supply chain activities, including supply footprint
• Approved capital expenditure investments, and various significant procurement, systems and 
other contracts, having taken into consideration financial, operational, sustainability and 
other ESG related factors

• Initiated a global business transformation programme and systems upgrade
• Reviewed the company’s capital allocation, funding and liquidity positions, and those of its 

pension schemes, and approved interim and final dividends

• Reviewed and approved the company’s share buyback programme
• Approved the appointment of a new Chief Executive, including as an Executive Director
• Acting through the Nomination Committee, reviewed the company’s succession planning and 

talent strategy

• Increased focus on ESG matters throughout the year, including conducting a deep dive in 
relation to the company's approach to ESG matters and its 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' 
programme at the ASC

• Reviewed approach and methodologies used in relation to non-financial targets
• Received reports on workforce engagement over the year
• Received regular investor reports
• Received regular updates on ESG matters and progress towards ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 

Progress‘ targets

• Completed actions identified following the previous evaluation of the Board's performance 

and carried out an internal evaluation of the Board’s performance

• Reviewed schedule of matters reserved for the Board and terms of reference of its Committees

ESG matters

Assurance
and risk
management

• Received reports in relation to material legal matters, including disputes, regulatory and 

governance developments, and areas of legal or regulatory risk

• On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, approved the company’s risk footprint, 

including reviewing and updating the principal risks

• On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, approved the company’s filings, financial 
and non-financial reporting including interim and preliminary results announcements, US 
filings and Annual Report 

Key

Strategic priorities

Strategic outcomes

Stakeholders

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sustain quality growth

EG

Efficient growth

Embed everyday efficiency

CVC

Consistent value creation

Invest smartly

Promote positive drinking

CT

EP

Credibility and trust

Engaged people

Champion inclusion and diversity

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability

People

Consumers

Customers

Suppliers

Communities

Investors

Governments and regulators

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109

 
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT  continued

Stakeholder engagement 

We aim to maintain open and positive dialogue 
with all our stakeholders, considering their key 
interests in our decision-making and 
communicating with them on a regular basis. 
This dialogue helps us build trust and respect 
and make choices as a business that help shape 
the role we play in society.

The development of strong and positive relationships between Diageo 
and its external stakeholders is an intrinsic part of our purpose and 
culture. Our stakeholders include not only business partners such as 
suppliers and customers, our people and workforce, but also 
government, consumers and the wider communities in which we 
operate. As noted in the company’s statement on Section 172 of the 
Companies Act 2006 set out on page 9, in making their decisions and 
in discharging their duties to promote the success of the company, the 
Directors must have regard to the interests of its stakeholders. We have 
summarised below why our stakeholders are important to us, what we 
believe their principal interests are and how the Board and company 
seeks to engage and respond.

Stakeholder and why we engage

Our people
• People are at the core of our business
• We aim to build a trusting, respectful and inclusive 
culture where people feel engaged and fulfilled
• We want our people to be treated with dignity at 

work and their human rights respected

What we believe matters most to them
Prioritisation of health, safety and well-being
•
Learning and development opportunities
•
Purpose, culture and benefits
•
• Contributing to the growth of our brands and performance
•
•

Promotion of inclusion and diversity
Sustainability and societal credentials

How the Board seeks to engage
• Active dialogue maintained throughout the year as part of the 

Board's ongoing workforce engagement programme 

• Direct engagement through visits to offices, production and supply 

•

chain sites during the year 
Indirect engagement through feedback from works councils, 
employee and workforce forums, community groups, Your Voice 
and pulse surveys and townhall meetings

What we believe matters most to them
• Choice of brands for different occasions, including no- and lower-

Consumers
• Understanding our consumers is critical for our 

business’ long-term growth

• Consumer motivations, attitudes and behaviours 
form the basis of our business strategy, brand 
marketing and innovation

• We want consumers to enjoy our products 

responsibly and for them to ‘drink better, not more’

Customers
• Our customers are a broad range of businesses, 
large and small, on-trade and off-trade, retailers, 
wholesalers and distributors, digital and e-
commerce

• We want to nurture mutually beneficial 

relationships to deliver joint value and great 
consumer experiences

•

•

alcohol
Innovation in heritage brands and creation and nurturing of new 
brands
Responsible marketing

•
• Great experiences
Product quality
•
Sustainability and societal credentials
•
Price
•

•

•

How the Board seeks to engage
• Monitoring consumer behaviours, motivations and insights 
•

Responding to and anticipating emerging consumer trends as part 
of strategic sessions, including the Annual Strategy Conference
Regular review of business development opportunities, including 
active brand portfolio management
Review of innovation pipeline as part of the Annual Strategy 
Conference

•

•

What we believe matters most to them
• A portfolio of leading brands that meets evolving consumer 

preferences
Identification of opportunities that offer profitable growth
Insights into consumer behaviour and shopper trends
Trusted product quality
Innovation, promotional support and merchandising

•
•
•
•
• Availability and reliable supply and stocking
•
•
•

Technical expertise
Joint risk assessment and mitigation
Sustainability and societal credentials

How the Board seeks to engage
•

Regular review of innovation pipeline and inorganic opportunities to 
ensure a broad portfolio at multiple price points
Review of supply chain footprint to ensure efficient delivery of 
products to customers

•

Reporting to the Board
•

Regular reports from workforce 
engagement activities
Feedback through employee surveys, 
including annual group-wide Your 
Voice survey

•

• Culture and capabilities session at 

Board meeting led by Chief HR Officer

Upcoming priorities
• Maintaining focus on simplifying 
internal processes, including 
upgrading and transforming business 
operations and systems
Evolving workforce engagement 
programme 

•

Reporting to the Board
•

Regular performance updates by the 
Chief Executive, including on key 
consumer trends
Papers prepared by strategy team on 
evolving consumer behaviours in 
advance of Annual Strategy 
Conference
Regular updates by Business 
Development and Innovation teams 
on organic and inorganic 
opportunities and portfolio choices

Upcoming priorities
• Ongoing review of portfolio and 

category participation opportunities

• Developing pipeline of innovation 
informed by consumer insights 
Enhancing marketing effectiveness 
through detailed understanding of 
consumer motivation 

•

Reporting to the Board
•

Regular performance updates by the 
Chief Executive, including customer 
and route-to-consumer concerns  
• Deep dive reviews on key regions or 

markets, including for example during 
fiscal 23 in relation to Latin America 
and Caribbean, include consideration 
of customer relationships

Upcoming priorities
•

Scheduling face-to-face meetings for 
Directors to meet representatives of 
key customers during market visits
Enhancing relationships between the 
company and its customers through 
engagement opportunities

Stakeholder and why we engage

Suppliers
• Our suppliers, service providers and agencies are 

experts in their fields

• We rely on them to deliver high-quality products 

and market responsibly

• We collaborate with them to improve our collective 
impact, ensure sustainable and resilient supply 
chains, and make positive contributions to society

•

•

What we believe matters most to them
Strong, mutually beneficial partnerships
•
Strategic alignment and growth opportunities
•
•
Fair contract and payment terms
• Collaboration to realise innovation
• Consistent performance measures
•
•

Joint risk assessment and mitigation
Sustainability and societal credentials

How the Board seeks to engage
•

Periodic review of supply chain footprint in key markets to ensure 
resilience and flexibility, monitoring environmental impacts and 
efficiencies
Review and approval of material supply and procurement contracts 
including for critical raw materials
Supporting management in improving supplier relationships 
through fair contract and payment terms, compliance with Diageo's 
'Partnering with Suppliers Standard' and working collaboratively to 
mitigate environmental impacts and achieve ESG goals 

Communities
• We aim to create long-term value for the 

communities in which we live, work, source and sell

• We can help build thriving communities and 
strengthen our business through empowering 
people, increasing access to opportunities and 
championing inclusion and diversity

Investors
• We want to enable equity and debt investors to 
have an in-depth understanding of our strategy, 
our operational, financial and holistic 
performance, so that they can more accurately 
assess the value of our business and the 
opportunities and risks of investing in it 

Governments and Regulators
• The regulatory environment is critical to the success 

of our business

• We share information and perspectives with those 
who influence policy and regulation to enable 
them to understand our views on areas that can 
impact public health and our business

What we believe matters most to them
•
• Access to skills development, employment and supplier 

Impact of our operations on the local economy

opportunities
Inclusion, diversity and tackling inequality in all forms
Responsible use of natural resources, biodiversity and sustainability
Transparency and engagement

•
•
•

How the Board seeks to engage
•

Setting targets and monitoring progress on broader societal 
matters, including promoting positive drinking, inclusion and 
diversity

• Considering the environmental and social consequences for 

communities of its key decisions, including encouraging inclusion 
and diversity, equal employment opportunities, skills development 
and support for communities and through wider value chains

What we believe matters most to them
Strategic priorities, opportunities and risks
•
•
Financial performance
• Corporate governance
•
•
•
•

Leadership credentials, experience and succession
Executive remuneration policy
Shareholder returns
Environmental, inclusion and diversity, and social commitments and 
progress

How the Board seeks to engage
•

Regular engagement between key investors and Chief Executive 
and Chief Financial Officer through Investor Relations programme 
of events 
Participation in investor conferences such as the Consumer Analyst 
Group of New York meeting in February 2023

•

• Hosting investor events such as the Diageo Scotch day in June 2023 
• Attendance at the Annual General Meeting in October 2022, 

including responding to questions from shareholders

What we believe matters most to them
• Compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Contribution to national and local economic development and 

•
•

public health priorities
International trade, excise, regulation and tackling illicit trade
Tackling harmful drinking and the impact of responsible drinking 
initiatives

• Climate change and water sustainability agendas, including carbon 

reduction, human rights, environmental impacts, sustainable 
agriculture, biodiversity and support for communities

How the Board seeks to engage
•

Indirect engagement through periodic updates from Chief 
Executive and corporate relations executives
Review of macro-economic and geopolitical developments as part 
of strategy sessions

•

• Updates on regulatory developments, including in relation to non-
financial reporting, corporate governance and public policy

•

Reporting to the Board
•

Terms of material contracts with 
suppliers are reviewed by the Board
Periodic updates provided to the 
Board in relation to supply chain 
agility programme rollout
Supply chain sustainability and other 
ESG data included in quarterly 
'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' 
reports provided to the Board

•

•

G
O
V
E
R
N
A
N
C
E

R
E
P
O
R
T

Upcoming priorities
• Continued focus on rollout of supply 

chain agility programme

• Monitoring impact of supply chain 
disruption on operations, including 
through Audit Committee risk reviews
Supervision of initiatives to improve 
sustainability and supply chain 
resilience

•

Reporting to the Board
• Quarterly reports provided to Board 
on progress made in relation to 
'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' 
targets
Reports on macro-economic and 
socio-political events provided to 
Board by management

•

Upcoming priorities
• Monitoring progress in relation to 
positive drinking programmes, 
including SMASHED and similar 
initiatives
Supporting management in advocacy 
in relation to water stewardship 
ambitions

•

Reporting to the Board
• Monthly reports compiled by Investor 
Relations team provided to the Board, 
providing details on engagement 
sessions with investors and key trends
Biennial survey of investor sentiment 
carried out by external consultancy 
and report provided to the Board

•

Upcoming priorities
• Continued proactive engagement with 

investors through structured 
programme of engagement activities 
over the year
Preparing for the Annual General 
Meeting to be held in September 2023
Engaging directly with investors 
through roadshow following 
announcement of fiscal 23 results

•

•

Reporting to the Board
•

Reports on socio-political events and 
issues periodically provided to the 
Board

• Developments in regulatory matters, 
including governance and reporting 
obligations, are included in biannual 
reports to the Board prepared by 
management

Upcoming priorities
• Monitoring developments in 

regulation and best practice in respect 
of non-financial reporting 
requirements, corporate governance 
and audit regime  
Supporting management's advocacy 
in relation to key public policy matters 
including water stewardship, positive 
drinking, inclusion and diversity

• Direct engagement with key customers during market visits

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT  continued

Principal Board decision – Transforming our 
business processes and systems
In May 2022, the Board approved the commencement of a multi-year 
project with the aim of improving Diageo’s internal processes and 
upgrading its financial systems and technology. This project is 
expected to be a significant business change programme introducing 
more intuitive business processes, powered by technology, to provide 
better access to data and information in order to enable quicker and 
more informed decision-making. The project, which is expected to be 
implemented over a five-year period, has been designed to enhance 
Diageo’s business resilience and controls environment through 
simplifying and standardising the group’s ways of working across its 
functional domains. A key part of the project will be a transition to a 
new cloud-based enterprise resource planning platform, SAP S/4 
HANA, which will be used to manage Diageo’s day-to-day business 
activities, enabling the flow of data between the group’s business 
processes in a way which minimises duplication and provides data 
integrity. During the course of fiscal 23, the progress of the project has 
been monitored by both the Board and Audit Committee due to its 
importance to the company’s controls and reporting capabilities. For 
example, at its meetings in January 2023 and April 2023 the Audit 
Committee reviewed reports from the project team and supervised key 
decisions. These included the appropriate timing and phasing of rollout 
of the project, the need to ensure standardisation of end-to-end 
process ownership through a global process ownership model, the 
establishment of appropriate governance structures for the project, and 
the selection and engagement of key third-party suppliers and partners 
for implementation. 

The Board has also considered a number of broader interdependencies 
between this project and other matters, including its relationship with 
the company’s culture and workforce capabilities, and the impact of 
the project on the scope of work of certain other functions. One related 
matter was the impact of the change in the company's functional 
currency to US dollar which took effect from 1 July 2023, as noted on 
page 36. As it was important to ensure that the company's reporting 
systems were capable of operating in a different currency, the Board 
was kept informed of the work being undertaken to prepare the 
company's reporting systems to minimise any disruption and ensure a 
smooth transition. As a result, when the functional currency change 
took effect, the Board approved go live of the systems change and 
approved a change in the company's presentation currency to US 
dollar to provide a better alignment of the reporting of Diageo's 
performance with its business exposures. The Board has also decided 
that commencing with the interim dividend to be declared in January 
2024 and paid in April 2024, it intends to declare future dividends 
denominated in US dollar but that, subject to the relevant resolutions 
being passed at the forthcoming AGM, holders of ordinary shares will 
continue to receive their dividends in sterling and will be offered the 
option to elect to receive their dividends in US dollar instead while 
holders of the company's ADRs will continue to receive dividends in US 
dollar as is currently the case. 

The potential implications of the project on key stakeholder groups 
have been important factors in these considerations, as required under 
Section 172 of the Companies Act. These have included:

• the impact of this project on the day-to-day activities and 

experience of employees and the wider workforce, including in 
particular the importance of simplification and streamlining of 
internal processes, as noted by feedback consistently received 
through the various engagement structures used by the Board to 
understand workforce views;

• the improved capabilities in terms of accessibility and robustness of 
data as a result of implementing the new platform, which should 
enable quicker reporting both internally but also to external 
stakeholders including regulators and authorities; 

• the benefits for investors and analysts in better understanding 

business performance by minimising foreign exchange volatility 
through the presentation of results and declaration of dividends in 
US dollars, consistent with the company's functional currency and 
more representative of its underlying business; 

• the ability to offer choice to shareholders as to which currency in 

which to receive payment of dividends; and

• the implications of the new platform for supply chain third parties 

and customers, including customer and vendor lifecycle 
management processes, product sales reporting and returnable 
packaging management.

Wider stakeholder engagement
Diageo has ambitious goals across a variety of social and 
environmental targets and has a long track record of working with 
stakeholders to achieve these goals. Our ambition to be one of the 
best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products 
companies in the world can only be achieved through engagement 
and partnership with our stakeholders. The Board and its members 
have engaged directly and indirectly with a number of its key 
stakeholders during fiscal 23, which has seen continued volatility and 
uncertainty in many markets and has sought to understand and 
respond to stakeholder considerations in making its decisions and 
determining the company’s strategy and goals. These include the 
following activities:

• During fiscal 23, the Board met and engaged with the company’s 
key customers in North America, discussing their experience of 
working with Diageo including over the period of the Covid-19 
pandemic, how the company’s ‘Raising the Bar’ programme and 
other support measures assisted them during this period and the 
impact of inflation and cost-of-living pressures on current consumer 
trends. Feedback received from customers in different markets is 
also reported to the Board by the Chief Executive in her regular 
performance summaries. Customer feedback about market trends 
and consumer activity, as well as the performance of the company’s 
portfolio, is an important input into the company’s consumer insights 
tools which are used as guidance for innovation, product 
development and marketing initiatives.

• The Board has continued its annual cycle of visits to different Diageo 

offices and production sites during fiscal 23. Directors met in 
Scotland in November 2022 for a multi-day meeting including an 
immersion into our production processes and facilities and a deep 
dive into the commercial and marketing aspects of our scotch 
whisky business. Meeting a broad group of employees supporting 
our production and scotch businesses enabled a deep 
understanding of the complexity of long-term forecasting and 
demand planning on production and maturation timelines for aged 
liquids. This is particularly relevant to recent decisions in relation to 
significant capital investment in our supply chain including in 
distillation and maturation capacity, where learnings from our 
supply sites in Scotland can be applied in relation to developing our 
supply capacity in other markets, including for example in respect of 
tequila production in Mexico.

• The Board’s workforce engagement programme is a well-

established process with regular engagement sessions held with 
different parts of the global workforce over the course of the year, 
involving all Non-Executive Directors. These sessions provide Non-
Executive Directors with insights into the company’s culture which 
are then fed back to the company’s engagement teams and used 
to shape our approach to people. See page 114 for this year’s 
workforce engagement statement which includes further details of 
the programme.

• Engagement with investors and analysts has remained a focus 

during fiscal 23, with a programme of regular meetings, calls and 
other engagement activities coordinated by the Investor Relations 
function. Highlights include participation by Board members, 

including the former and current Chief Executives and the CFO, 
alongside other senior executives at the annual Consumer Analyst 
Group of New York meeting held in February 2023 in Florida. 
Investor representatives and analysts were also invited to attend a 
presentation at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh which 
focussed on the company’s scotch whisky portfolio and business led 
by the current Chief Executive supported by the Chief Marketing 
Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, which was also webcast. 
Materials from these sessions are available on https://
www.diageo.com/en/investors/results-reports-and-presentations.

Further information on our stakeholders, what we think is important to 
them and how the Board engages and responds to them can be found 
on pages 110-111. A case study summarising how stakeholder 
considerations were taken into account by the Board during fiscal 23, 
as required by Section 172 of the Companies Act, in respect of one of 
its principal decisions is set out on page 112.

Executive direction and control
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee, appointed and chaired by the Chief 
Executive, supports her in discharging her responsibility for 
implementing the strategy agreed by the Board and for managing the 
company and the group. It consists of the individuals responsible for 
the key operational and functional components of the business: North 
America, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific, 
Supply Chain and Procurement and Corporate. The Executive 
Committee focusses its time and agenda to align with the Performance 
Ambition and how to achieve Diageo’s financial and non-financial 
performance objectives. Performance metrics have been developed to 
measure progress. There is also focus on the company’s reputation. In 
support, monthly performance delivery calls, involving the managing 
directors of each market, focus on current performance. Committees 
appointed by the Chief Executive and intended to have an ongoing 
remit, including the Audit & Risk Committee, Finance Committee and 
Filings Assurance Committee, are shown (with their remits) at https://
www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate governance. 

Performance evaluation
With the assistance of the Company Secretary, the evaluation of the 
Board's effectiveness, including the effectiveness of the Board's 
Committees and Directors, was undertaken from December 2022 to 
January 2023. The purpose of the evaluation was to review and 
evaluate how the Board and its Committees operate as measured 
against current best practice corporate governance principles framed 
by reference to Principle L and Provisions 21, 22 and 23 of the Code.

This year's evaluation was an internally managed process, comprising 
an online questionnaire for all Directors to complete, designed to 
gather an assessment of the level of satisfaction with specific areas and 
to enable each Director to express their views on them. The evaluation 
focused on Directors' views on three areas, being (i) Board 
composition, balance and performance, (ii) Board and Committee 
topics, support and provision of information, and (iii) Committees' 
effectiveness and performance. Responses to questions were sent to 
the Chairman of the Board and responses on the effectiveness of the 
Committees were also submitted to the respective Committee 
Chairmen. Following receipt of responses on the evaluation on the 
Chairman, the Senior Independent Director held a meeting with the 
Directors without the Chairman present to provide feedback in relation 
to the Chairman, consistent with the requirements of the Code. The 
results of the evaluation process were reviewed by the Board at its 
meeting in January 2023 at which various actions were agreed to be 
taken. It is the Board’s intention to continue to review annually its 
performance and that of its Committees and individual Directors, with 
such evaluation being carried out by an external facilitator every three 
years. The evaluation to be undertaken in 2023 will be carried out by 
the end of the calendar year with the assistance of an external 
facilitator, which will be engaged in due course following completion of 
a tender process. The Chairman has confirmed that the Non-Executive 
Directors standing for re-election at this year’s AGM continue to 
perform effectively, both individually and collectively as a Board, and 
that each demonstrates commitment to their roles. The main 
conclusions and key areas for focus highlighted by the December 2022 
evaluation are set out in the table below.

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Main conclusions
General feedback
• Broad satisfaction with the composition, expertise and performance of the Board and 

content of its meetings

• Diversity, inclusivity and openness of the Board are strengths
• Performance of the Committees was felt to be strong and led well by the respective 

Chairs

Board composition 
• Board members feel well integrated into the Board and company
• Strong focus on succession planning, particularly over the short to mid term
• Transition in Board composition will require continued focus on key areas of expertise 

and experience
Strategic focus 
• Continued focus on medium and longer-term issues, including tracking of key 

strategic decisions and investments

• Regular discussions of culture and values are welcomed  
• Continued focus on ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ programme including approach 

to reporting in light of changing regulatory environment 

Key actions for focus

• Continue to encourage culture of open discussion amongst Board 

members and with Executive Committee members

• There remain opportunities for improvement in the interactions 

between management and Board members

• Continue focus on Board and management succession planning and 

on ensuring pipeline of high-quality, diverse talent

• Identify key areas for additional expertise and focus recruitment and 

talent pipeline on these areas in particular

• Increase focus on key strategic matters, emerging trends and medium 

to long-term issues, ensuring appropriate allocation of time and 
resources

• Schedule post-completion reviews of key strategic decisions
• Identify alternative ways of reporting progress in relation to ongoing 

• Opportunities to enhance strategic focus of Board discussions, including in respect of 

initiatives and projects

emerging trends over the medium and long term  

• The workforce engagement process has been effective and beneficial
Company secretarial support
• Broad recognition of an effective Company Secretarial function and the support 

provided to the Board 

• Re-design of the Board induction process has been very positive 
• Pre-read materials have improved significantly; however, there is a desire for even 

greater focus on key issues

• Continue to find opportunities for Board to engage with workforce in 
different geographies and to visit production facilities, sites and offices
• Continue to develop and enhance induction process for new Directors
• Continue focus on ensuring high-quality pre-read materials, action 

closure and time allocation

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT  continued

Workforce Engagement statement
At Diageo, creating an inclusive culture and an environment where 
people can openly share their views and feel listened to is key to 
sustaining high levels of engagement and remaining a great place to 
work.

To help us understand colleagues’ experience at Diageo, we listen to 
their views using formal and informal channels. Diageo’s Workforce 
Engagement programme is an important way for the Board to gather 
employee insights and feedback on key topics, including culture, 
strategy and ways of working. It is also a valued opportunity for teams 
to have direct access to members of the Board.

Diageo’s Chairman has acted as Non-Executive Director designated to 
workforce engagement over the past four years. In fiscal 23, together 
with all Non-Executive Directors, twelve sessions were held with 948 
colleagues across all regions, functions and organisational levels. 

Sessions have been highly engaging, with the Chairman and Non-
Executive Directors valuing open conversations. These have highlighted 
many positive aspects of Diageo’s culture, as well as areas of 
opportunity.

The themes emerging from these workforce engagement discussions 
are:

• Colleagues shared their pride in working for Diageo and attributed 
this to the company’s advantaged culture, which connects them 
with Diageo’s purpose and brands, as well as the quality of 
leadership and management’s focus on performance.

• Diageo’s ongoing commitment to ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ 
targets, including a leading approach to inclusion and diversity, as 
well as an embedded approach to doing business in the right way 
were positive highlights in the discussions.

• The calibre of talent across the business is seen as a strength and 
colleagues spoke positively about opportunities for learning and 
career development.

• Overly complex systems and processes were highlighted as barriers 
that can at times prevent colleagues from operating in the most 
efficient way. Improvements are being felt, and colleagues spoke 
positively of Diageo’s commitment to invest further in this area, 
including Diageo’s recently announced five-year investment into 
global digital transformation.

• Colleagues acknowledged positive shifts that are helping to speed 
up decisions, such as stronger cross-market collaboration, freedom 
to test and learn and quicker decision-making.

These themes were also reflected in this year's strong engagement 
results seen in the global employee survey, Your Voice, where 
engagement levels grew a further 1% to 84%, and pride in working for 
Diageo is at an all-time high at 91%.

Insights gathered from workforce engagement sessions held by the 
Board, alongside broader listening tools such as Your Voice survey, 
have helped to listen and respond to the perspectives of our 
employees, as well as identify specific areas to further enhance our 
employee experience.

In this coming year, Karen Blackett has taken over accountability as 
the designated Non-Executive Director for workforce engagement. 
Karen, along with all other Non-Executive Directors, will continue to 
engage in meaningful conversation with a wide range of colleagues to 
help shape our culture, policies and ways of working, and ensure these 
insights help to inform the Board’s decision-making.

Purpose, values and culture
The Board is responsible for establishing Diageo’s purpose, values and 
culture and for monitoring how embedded that culture is within our 
business. Diageo has a long-established purpose and set of values 
which resonate strongly with our employees, as indicated by the 
Board's engagement sessions with Diageo's workforce and our 
employee surveys. We are very conscious that Diageo must operate 
with the highest standards of governance, doing business the right 
way, from grain to glass. This principle is embedded in our Code of 
Business Conduct and global policies, aligned with our ‘Society 2030: 
Spirit of Progress‘ goals, and reflected in our ways of working. We are 
pleased that we have a strong reputation for inclusion and diversity 
which reflects our values, attracts the best talent and enables our 
people to succeed. In order to improve our pace, agility and resilience, 
we continue to look to simplify and streamline our internal processes 
including through the launch of a significant business process and 
systems transformation project which is implemented in phases over 
the next few years, further details of which are set out on page 112. 

There are a number of ways in which the Board monitors and assesses 
culture, including:

Site visits
Directors are encouraged to visit the group’s offices, production 
facilities and sites in different markets and regions so that they can get 
a better understanding of the business and interact with employees 
and the wider workforce. Over the last year, Directors have visited the 
company's headquarters in London on a number of occasions as well 
as our offices in New York, meeting and interacting with employees. 
There have also been visits to our spirits production facilities, scotch 
brand homes and visitor centres in Scotland and a number of Directors 
have also travelled or are planning to travel to other locations, 
including our tequila operations in Mexico. At these locations, Directors 
get the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with employees, to see 
how Diageo’s safety and sustainability processes work in practice, to 
talk with local management and workforce and to assess how 
effectively Diageo’s culture is communicated and embedded at all 
levels. As part of the Board's workforce engagement programme, Non-
Executive Directors regularly hold in-person and virtual meetings, 
townhalls and question and answer sessions with Diageo employees in 
different locations over the course of the year.

Employee surveys
The Board receives reports from the Chief HR Officer on the results of 
the company’s global annual ‘Your Voice’ survey, including levels of 
employee engagement, employee perceptions of Diageo’s purpose 
and of their line managers (including net promoter scores), and any 
themes raised. The survey results also give visibility of areas on which 
management must continue to focus, including continued simplification 
and process improvement work across the business. Results of this 
year's 'Your Voice' survey are indicated on pages 40-41.

SpeakUp allegation reporting
The Business Integrity team provides regular reports to the Audit 
Committee of allegations of breaches of the Code of Business Conduct 
and other group policies, including those received through our 
confidential and independent whistleblowing service SpeakUp. These 
reports also include analyses of emerging trends, investigation status 
reports and closure rates, and summaries of actions taken. These 
reports enable the Directors to gain an understanding of common 
issues and action planning, as well as providing insights into how 
embedded Diageo’s purpose, values and culture are across its markets 
and functions.

For more details of the SpeakUp service, see pages 39 and 120.

Viability statement 
In accordance with the Code, the Board has also considered the 
company’s longer-term viability, based on a robust assessment of its 
principal and emerging risks. This was done through the work of the 
Audit Committee which recommended the Viability statement to the 
Board. For further information about how the Board has reviewed the 
long-term prospects of the group, see page 94.

Going concern 
Management prepared cash flow forecasts which were also sensitised 
to reflect severe but plausible downside scenarios taking into 
consideration the group's principal risks. In the base case scenario, 
management included assumptions for mid-single digit net sales 
growth, operating margin improvement and global TBA market share 
growth. In light of the ongoing geopolitical volatility, the base case 
outlook and severe but plausible downside scenarios incorporated 
considerations for a prolonged global recession, supply chain 
disruptions, higher inflation and further geopolitical deterioration. Even 
under these scenarios, the group’s liquidity is still expected to remain 
strong, as it was protected by issuing €500 million of fixed rate euro 
and $2 billion of fixed rate dollar-denominated bonds in the year 
ended 30 June 2023. Mitigating actions, should they be required, are 
all within management’s control and could include reductions in 
discretionary spending such as acquisitions and capital expenditure, as 
well as a temporary suspension of the share buyback programme and 
dividend payments in the next 12 months, or drawdowns on committed 
facilities. Having considered the outcome of these assessments, the 
Directors are comfortable that the company is a going concern for at 
least 12 months from the date of signing the group's consolidated 
financial statements.

Political donations 
The group has not given any money for political purposes in the United 
Kingdom and made no donations to EU political organisations and 
incurred no EU political expenditure during the year. The group made 
contributions to non-EU political parties totalling £0.83 million during 
the year (2022 – £0.64 million). These contributions were made almost 
exclusively to federal and state candidate committees, state political 
parties and federal leadership committees in North America (consistent 
with applicable laws), where it is common practice to make political 
contributions. No particular political persuasion was supported and 
contributions were made with the aim of promoting a better 
understanding of the group and its views on commercial matters, as 
well as a generally improved business environment.

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Workforce engagement programme
Insights drawn from the Board’s annual programme of workforce 
engagement are used by the Board to monitor and assess the culture 
of the company, with recommendations being fed back to 
management regularly with workforce engagement being discussed at 
Board meeting sessions twice a year. Over the past few years, the 
engagement programme has expanded to enable all Non-Executive 
Directors to participate by directly engaging with employees from a 
variety of regions, functions and levels in the business. From 1 July 
2023, the role of Non-Executive Director with responsibility for 
workforce engagement transitioned from the Chairman to Karen 
Blackett. For more on workforce engagement, see pages 114.

Additional information 
Internal control and risk management 
An ongoing process has been established for identifying, evaluating and 
managing risks faced by the group. This process, which complies with the 
requirements of the Code, has been in place for the full financial year and 
up to the date the consolidated financial statements were approved and 
accords with the guidance issued by the FRC in September 2014, entitled 
‘Guidance on Risk Management, Internal Control and Related Financial 
and Business Reporting’. The Board confirms that, through the activities of 
the Audit Committee described below, a robust assessment of the principal 
and emerging risks facing the company, including those that would 
threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity, has 
been carried out. These risks and their mitigations are set out above in the 
section of this Annual Report dealing with principal and emerging risks on 
pages 88-93.

The Board acknowledges that it is responsible for the company’s 
systems of internal control and risk management and for reviewing 
their effectiveness. The Board confirms that, through the activities of the 
Audit Committee described in its report, it has reviewed the 
effectiveness of the company’s systems of internal control and risk 
management. During the year, the Audit Committee considered the 
nature and extent of the risks that the Board was willing to take to 
achieve its strategic goals and reviewed the existing internal statement 
of risk appetite, which had been updated this year by the Executive 
Audit & Risk Committee, following which the Audit Committee made a 
recommendation to the Board which was then approved. The Audit 
Committee reviews the company's principal risks regularly throughout 
the year in accordance with a schedule proposed by management 
with each such risk being reviewed by management in the Audit & Risk 
Committee prior to it being considered by the Audit Committee. The 
Board also regularly reviews emerging and disruptive risks as part of its 
Annual Strategy Conference, held this year in April in New York, from 
which a number of topics are identified for more detailed review by 
either the Board or the Audit Committee over the following 12 months. 
The company has in place internal control and risk management 
systems in relation to the company’s financial reporting process and 
the group’s process for the preparation of consolidated accounts. 
Further, a review of the contents of the company's public filings and 
disclosures, including its consolidated financial statements and non-
financial disclosures, is completed by management through the Filings 
Assurance Committee to ensure that the contents of the company's 
interim and preliminary results announcements, Annual Report and 
Form 20-F appropriately reflect the non-financial and financial position 
and results of the group. Further details of this are set out in the Audit 
Committee report on pages 117-122.

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Directors’ confirmations
The Directors consider that the Annual Report and financial statements, 
taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides 
the information necessary for shareholders to assess the group’s and 
parent company’s position and performance, business model and 
strategy. Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed 
on pages 101 and 103 confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

• the group consolidated financial statements, which have been 

prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international accounting 
standards, IFRSs issued by IASB, give a true and fair view of the 
assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the group;
• the parent company financial statements, which have been 
prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Accounting 
Standards, comprising FRS 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’ and 
applicable law, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, 
financial position and profit of the parent company; and 

• the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the development and 
performance of the business and the position of the group and 
parent company, together with a description of the principal risks 
and uncertainties that it faces. 

In accordance with section 418 of the Companies Act 2006, each of 
the Directors who held office at the date of the approval of the 
Directors’ report confirm that, so far as the Director is aware, there is no 
relevant audit information of which the group’s and parent company’s 
auditors are unaware, and each Director has taken all the steps that 
they ought to have taken as a Director in order to make themselves 
aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the 
group's and parent company’s auditors are aware of that information.

The responsibility statement was approved by a duly appointed and 
authorised committee of the Board of Directors on 31 July 2023.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT  continued

Directors' responsibilities in respect of the Annual Report, 
Form 20-F and financial statements
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report, the 
information filed with the SEC on Form 20-F and the group and parent 
company financial statements in accordance with applicable law and 
regulation. Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. Under that law, the Directors have 
prepared the group consolidated financial statements in accordance 
with UK-adopted international accounting standards and the parent 
company financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom 
Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting 
Standards, comprising FRS 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’, and 
applicable law). In preparing the group consolidated financial 
statements, the Directors have also elected to comply with International 
Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (IFRSs as issued by IASB).

Under company law, the Directors must not approve the financial 
statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view 
of the state of affairs of the group and parent company and of the 
profit or loss of the group and parent company for that period. In 
preparing the financial statements, the Directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
• state whether applicable UK-adopted international accounting 

standards, IFRSs issued by IASB have been followed for the group 
financial statements and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, 
comprising FRS 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’ and applicable 
law have been followed for the parent company financial 
statements, subject to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the financial statements;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable 

and prudent; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless 
it is inappropriate to presume that the group and company will 
continue in business. 

The Directors are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the group 
and parent company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the 
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Directors 
are also responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are 
sufficient to show and explain the group’s and parent company’s 
transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the 
financial position of the group and parent company and enable them 
to ensure that the financial statements and the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Directors are 
responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and 
financial information included on the company’s website. Legislation in 
the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of 
financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

AUDIT COMMITTEE  REPORT

Ensuring integrity across the business

The Committee has also supervised progress in relation to a 
business transformation project which the company has 
commenced this year and which, once implemented, will enhance 
the company's internal reporting, systems and data management 
capabilities. Further details of this project are set out on page 112. 

Over the past few years, we have been closely following proposed 
regulatory and reporting changes, including changes to the UK 
corporate governance and audit regimes, implications of future EU 
reporting requirements with regard to corporate sustainability and 
supply chain due diligence, and developments in US disclosure 
requirements including in relation to climate change. This year the 
Committee has supervised how the company is responding to and 
preparing for these changes, in particular focussing on its approach as 
to the development of internal processes and capabilities for the 
validation and assurance of externally reported information in 
anticipation of drafting an audit and assurance policy. The company 
has also taken further steps this year to integrate its financial and non-
financial disclosure processes to improve consistency and robustness in 
reporting with oversight by the Committee. We have also commenced 
an audit services tender process during fiscal 23 which we expect to 
complete before the end of the current year.

The performance of the Audit Committee was again evaluated this 
year and I am pleased to note that feedback from Directors 
indicated very strong satisfaction with the Committee's performance.

The Committee remains committed to continuing to discharge its 
duties effectively and diligently during fiscal 24.

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Alan Stewart 
Chairman of the Audit Committee 

Dear Shareholder
On behalf of the Audit Committee, I am 
delighted to present the Committee’s report for 
the year ended 30 June 2023.

The Audit Committee has discharged its responsibilities over the 
year by providing effective independent oversight, with the support 
of management and the external auditors. The Committee has 
carried out its role of monitoring and reviewing the integrity of the 
company’s financial statements and reporting, its internal control 
and risk management processes, its audit and risk activities, 
business conduct and integrity, whistleblowing and breach 
allegation investigations, and the appointment and performance of 
the external auditor. Regular reports on internal audit findings, 
business integrity and controls assurance work, breach allegation 
and investigation processes were given to and reviewed by the 
Committee. The Committee has also reviewed the company's 
principal and emerging risks, its approach to risk appetite and 
mitigations and has reviewed deep dives into key areas of potential 
risk including supply chain disruption, pension funding, cyber 
security and IT resilience, climate change, counterfeit and product 
quality, pandemics and business interruption, business ethics and 
integrity, and international taxation. 

Role and composition of the Audit Committee  
The role of the Audit Committee is fully described in its terms of 
reference, which are available at https://www.diageo.com/en/our-
business/corporate-governance. The members of the Audit Committee 
are independent Non-Executive Directors being Alan Stewart 
(Committee Chairman), Melissa Bethell, Karen Blackett, Susan Kilsby, 
Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet, Sir John Manzoni, Lady Mendelsohn and 
Ireena Vittal. The Chairman of the Board, the Chief Financial Officer, 
the General Counsel & Company Secretary, the Group Controller, the 
Head of Global Audit & Risk (GAR), the Chief Business Integrity Officer, 
the General Counsel Corporate, the Group Chief Accountant and the 
external auditor regularly attend meetings of the Committee. The Audit 
Committee met privately with the external auditor, the Chief Business 
Integrity Officer and the Head of GAR regularly during the year. During 
the course of the year, the Committee met five times and its duly 
appointed subcommittee met once. Details of attendance of all Board 
and Committee meetings by Directors are set out on page 99.

Reporting and financial statements 
During the year, the Audit Committee reviewed the interim results 
announcement, including the interim financial statements, the Annual 
Report and associated preliminary results announcement and Form 
20-F, focussing on key areas of judgement and complexity, critical 
accounting policies, disclosures (including those relating to contingent 
liabilities, climate change and principal risks), viability and going 
concern assessments, provisioning and any changes required in these 
areas or policies. The Audit Committee has also focussed in particular 
on the company’s approach to assurance and internal approvals 
processes. The company has again looked to develop its non-financial 
reporting in a manner that enhances consistency with the financial 
reporting and throughout the Strategic Report, including in relation to 
compliance with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-
related Financial Disclosures. 

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FRC correspondence 
The Committee reviewed a letter to the company from the FRC 
following their review of the company's interim results announcement 
for the six months ended 31 December 2022. The Committee was 
pleased to note that the FRC had no questions or queries to raise 
following their review, although their letter did include some matters 
which the FRC believed could be improved for the benefit to users. In 
its reply to the FRC, the company noted those comments and 
confirmed that they would be taken into consideration in future 
reporting. The Committee notes that the FRC's review does not provide 
assurance that the interim results were correct in all material respects 
as the FRC's role is not to verify information but to consider compliance 
with reporting requirements.  

External auditor 
During the year, the Audit Committee reviewed the external audit 
strategy and the findings of the external auditor from its review of the 
interim results and its audit of the consolidated financial statements.

The Audit Committee reviews annually the appointment of the auditor 
(taking into account the auditor’s effectiveness and independence and 
all appropriate guidelines) and makes a recommendation to the Board 
accordingly. Any decision to open the external audit to tender is taken 
on the recommendation of the Audit Committee. There are no 
contractual obligations that restrict the company’s current choice of 
external auditor. Following the last tender process, PwC was appointed 
as auditor of the company in 2015. Richard Oldfield became the lead 
audit partner for the year ended 30 June 2021, following the rotation of 
the previous partner, and has been the lead audit partner during the 
year ended 30 June 2023. After three years in role, Richard is stepping 
down as the lead audit partner at PwC on the conclusion of the audit 
for the year ended 30 June 2023. We thank Richard for his conduct of 
the audit during his tenure. Richard will be replaced by Scott Berryman. 
The selection process for the new lead audit partner was designed to 
identify the best qualified partner for the role, to ensure audit quality. A 
shortlist of candidates was identified and interviewed by the Chairman 
of the Audit Committee and the Chief Financial Officer. The final 
selection was based on feedback from those interviews as well as an 
assessment of the candidates’ experience and expertise. We look 
forward to working with Scott, who has extensive knowledge of UK and 
US reporting requirements, and who we believe will continue to ensure 
the quality of the audit. 

As the company is required to have a mandatory audit tender after 10 
years, management has initiated an audit services tender process 
which is expected to complete during the year ending 30 June 2024. 
The Audit Committee considers that it is appropriate to initiate such a 
process at this time in order to prepare for an adequate transition 
during 2025 in the event that a new audit firm is selected. The 
company has complied with the provisions of The Statutory Audit 
Services for Large Companies Market Investigation (Mandatory Use of 
Competitive Tender Processes and Audit Committee Responsibilities) 
Order 2014 (CMA Order) for the year ended 30 June 2023. 

AUD I T COMMI TTEE REPORT  contin ued

This year the Committee has also had oversight of management's 
transformation project to improve Diageo’s internal processes and 
upgrading its financial systems and technology, with a particular focus 
on its impact on the company’s controls and reporting capabilities. The 
impact of the change in the company's functional and presentation 
currency, which took effect in July 2023, was also considered by the 
Committee. Further details of this project are set out on page 112.  

The company has in place internal control and risk management 
systems in relation to the company’s financial and non-financial 
reporting process including the group’s process for the preparation of 
consolidated financial statements. A review of the consolidated 
financial statements and the draft Annual Report is completed by the 
Filings Assurance Committee (FAC) to ensure that the financial position 
and results of the group are appropriately reflected therein. In addition 
to reviewing draft financial statements for publication at the half and 
full year, the FAC is responsible for examining the company’s financial 
and non-financial information and disclosures, the effectiveness of 
internal controls relating to financial and non-financial reporting and 
disclosures, legal and compliance issues and determining whether the 
company’s disclosures are accurate and adequate. The FAC comprises 
senior executives such as the Chief Executive, the Chief Financial 
Officer, the General Counsel & Company Secretary, the General 
Counsel Corporate & Deputy Company Secretary, the Group 
Controller, the Group Chief Accountant, the Head of Investor Relations, 
the Head of GAR and the Chief Business Integrity Officer. The 
company’s external auditor also attends meetings of the FAC. The 
Audit Committee reviewed the work of the FAC and a report on the 
conclusions of the FAC process was provided to the Audit Committee 
by the Chief Financial Officer.

Diageo has carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with 
the participation of management, including the Chief Executive and 
Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation 
of Diageo's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the US 
Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period 
covered by this Annual Report. Based upon that evaluation, Diageo's 
Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of 30 
June 2023, Diageo's disclosure controls and procedures were effective. 

As part of its review of the company's Annual Report and associated 
disclosures, the Audit Committee has considered whether the report is 
‘fair, balanced and understandable’ and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the company's position, 
performance, business model and strategy, as required by Principle N 
of the Code. In doing so, the Committee has noted the guidance 
issued by the FRC on this subject as well as best practice 
recommendations from external advisors. The Committee has 
considered factors such as whether the report includes descriptions of 
the business model, strategy and principal risks which are sufficiently 
clear and detailed to enable users to understand their importance to 
the company, whether the report is consistent throughout with the 
narrative reflecting the financial statements and understanding of 
directors during the year, that information is presented fairly, without 
omission of material information and not in a manner which might 
mislead users.

The Committee has also considered the presentation of GAAP and 
non-GAAP measures to ensure appropriate prominence is given to 
GAAP measures and that non-GAAP measures are presented 
consistently and can be clearly reconciled. The Audit Committee has 
also considered the governance and processes undertaken by 
management in drafting, developing and reviewing the contents of the 
Annual Report, which have been designed to ensure the robustness 
and adequacy of the information contained in it, including review by 
and input from senior executives, the company's advisors and through 
the work of the FAC. On this basis, the Audit Committee recommended 
to the Board that it could make the required statement that the Annual 
Report is ‘fair, balanced and understandable’. 

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External auditor effectiveness and quality
The Audit Committee assesses the ongoing effectiveness and quality of 
the external auditor and audit process through a number of methods, 
commencing with identification of appropriate risks by the external 
auditor as part of its detailed audit plan presented to the Audit 
Committee at the start of the audit cycle. These risks were reviewed by 
the Committee and the work performed by the auditor was used to test 
management’s assumptions and estimates relating to such risks. The 
effectiveness of the audit process in addressing these matters was 
assessed through reports presented by the auditor to the Audit 
Committee which were discussed by the Committee at both the half-
year, in January, and year-end, in July. Following completion of the 
audit process, feedback on its effectiveness was provided through 
review meetings with the company’s finance team and management 
and completion of questionnaires, in advance of management and the 
auditor providing assessments of auditor effectiveness and quality to 
the Audit Committee for consideration at its meeting in December. This 
year the questionnaire was updated to ensure more focus on the extent 
to which the auditor had challenged management. The auditor 
assessment is undertaken based on guidance issued to audit 
committees by the FRC in April 2016 and draft Minimum Standards for 
Audit Committees published by the FRC in November 2022, and 
includes consideration of the findings of the FRC's Audit Quality Review 
team which published its report on PwC in July 2022, periodic 
regulatory review carried out by the PCAOB and the Quality Assurance 
Department of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and 
Wales, as well as benchmarking of the auditor as against its peers. In 
this year's assessment, the overall satisfaction with PwC's performance 
was rated as solid, remaining broadly flat as compared to the prior 
year. Decreases from the prior year resulted from two issues, being the 
audit process in relation to hyperinflation in Turkey and the audit of 
certain UK subsidiaries. Consistent strong feedback was provided as to 
auditor independence, quality control processes, professional expertise, 
business knowledge and quality communication between auditors and 
management, which was consistent with the prior year's assessment. 
Areas where continued focus was required included timely review and 
feedback on audit matters, better alignment in internal communication, 
resource continuity and use, pro-activity in driving efficiencies, provision 
of best practice examples of processes and controls, and transparency 
on audit activities throughout the year. It was concluded that the 
relationship between the auditor and management was strong and 
open, with open and clear communications on areas and views which 
are considered significant.
During the external audit, the auditor challenged management on its 
approach taken as to impairment testing, including in relation to the 
impact of business projects across a number of markets and economic 
conditions in India and Turkey, and other judgemental matters such as 
pension valuations and tax assessments. The auditor also challenged 
management while preparing the Annual Report in relation to whether 
disclosures as to the impact of certain risks in the financial statements 
were sufficiently consistent with and linked to the risks and disclosures 
set out in the Strategic Report and whether there was sufficient balance 
in the Strategic Report. These challenges were assessed by the Audit 
Committee which sought additional evidence from management in 
support of their assessments, including requesting that independent 
legal opinions were provided as to certain tax positions.

External auditor independence
The group has a policy on auditor independence and on the use of the 
external auditor for non-audit services, which is reviewed annually, 
most recently in July 2023. When last reviewed, minor changes were 
agreed to be made to the policy’s contents, reflecting the change in 
functional currency of the company and certain other administrative 
changes. Under the auditor independence policy, any member of the 
PwC global network shall provide to the company, its subsidiaries or 
any related entity only permissible services, subject to the approval of 
the Audit Committee after it has properly assessed through its 
governance process the threats to independence and the safeguards 
applied in accordance with the FRC Ethical Standard and US Public 
Company Accounting Oversight Board rules. These services are set out 
in full in the policy and are generally those which the external auditor is 
best placed to provide, which may include reporting required by law or 
regulation to be performed by the auditor and services where the 
services are closely linked to audit work and where the auditor's 
understanding of the group is relevant to the services. Any FRC 
permissible service to be provided by the auditor, regardless of the size 
of the engagement, must be specifically approved by the Audit 
Committee or its nominated delegate (being the Chairman of the Audit 
Committee) based on a defined scope of pre-approved services. The 
policy explicitly specifies the auditor independence review and 
approval mechanism process by the Committee for permissible 
engagements above the specified threshold of £100,000. Fees paid to 
the auditor for audit, audit-related and other services are analysed in 
note 3(b) to the consolidated financial statements. The nature and level 
of all services provided by the external auditor are factors taken into 
account by the Audit Committee when it reviews annually the 
independence of the external auditor. During the year, no non-
assurance related services were provided by the external auditor to the 
company, its subsidiaries or any related entity other than personal tax 
services provided to two Non-Executive Directors and the provision of 
services in connection with the issuance of senior notes by a group 
company.

'Financial expert’, recent and relevant financial 
experience 
The Board has satisfied itself that the membership of the Audit 
Committee includes at least one Director with recent and relevant 
financial experience and has competence in accounting and/or 
auditing and in the sector which the company operates, and that all 
members are financially literate and have experience of corporate 
financial matters. For the purposes of the Code and the relevant rule 
under SOX, Section 407, the Board has determined that Alan Stewart is 
independent and may be regarded as an Audit Committee financial 
expert, having recent and relevant financial experience, and that all 
members of the Audit Committee are independent Non-Executive 
Directors with relevant financial and sectoral competence. See pages 
101 and 103 for details of relevant experience of Directors.

Internal audit, controls assurance and risk
The company’s internal GAR team undertakes an annual audit and risk 
plan by delivering a series of internal assurance and audit assignments 
across a variety of markets, processes, business units and functions. On 
the conclusion of each assignment, GAR issues a report on its findings 
which may also include an overall rating as to the status of the market, 
process or function being audited, detailed reasons for the rating and 
actions to be taken within a specific timetable. The Audit Committee 
receives regular reports from the Head of GAR on the latest reports 
issued.

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This year GAR has undertaken a number of audits of the group's end-
to-end processes and procedures in addition to market and functional 
audits. The Audit Committee assesses the effectiveness of GAR by 
reviewing its annual audit plan at the start of the financial year, 
monitoring its ongoing quality throughout the year, and assessing 
completion rates and feedback provided following completion of the 
annual audit plan. Having carried out this assessment, the Audit 
Committee is of the view that the quality, experience and expertise of 
GAR is appropriate for the business. The company operates a global 
controls assurance programme for controls in each market and 
function, which monitors compliance with and effective operation of 
the company’s controls framework. The Audit Committee receives 
regular reports on the status of the controls assurance plan, actions 
taken to enhance controls design and effectiveness, awareness training 
provided to employees, testing results and trends analysis derived from 
the company’s integrated risk management system. The Committee 
also reviewed and approved changes to the principal risk descriptions 
and risk footprint, as well as receiving regular presentations and 
reviews of the status of its principal and emerging risks. This year, these 
reviews have covered areas including cyber security and IT resilience, 
climate change, counterfeit and product quality, pandemics and 
business interruption, business ethics and integrity, and international 
taxation.

Business Integrity programmes
Diageo is committed to conducting its business responsibly and in 
accordance with all laws and regulations to which its business activities 
are subject. We hold ourselves to the principles in our Code of Business 
Conduct, which is embedded through a comprehensive training and 
education programme for all employees. Our employees are expected 
to act in accordance with our values, the Code of Business Conduct 
and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Audit 
Committee monitors compliance with the company’s ethical standards 
through the Business Integrity framework, which helps enhance and 
protect all aspects of the company’s business. Regular reports are 
provided to the Audit Committee by the Chief Business Integrity Officer 
on progress in providing guidance, training and tools for all levels in 
the business, completion rates for training modules, launch and rollout 
of new programmes or policies, monitoring use of whistleblowing 
mechanisms and investigating allegations of breaches. 

Our Code of Business Conduct, available in 20 languages, sets out 
what Diageo stands for as a company and how Diageo operates, 
enabling all employees to understand what is required of them in 
working for Diageo. Annual training on the Code of Business Conduct 
and associated policies is mandatory for all managers and their direct 

Reported and substantiated breaches
2021

2022

487

280

191

63

ò Reported
ò Reported through SpeakUp
ò Substantiated breaches
ò Code-related leavers

156

54

reports globally, encompassing over 21,000 eligible employees during 
the year ended 30 June 2023. Training is delivered in an easily 
accessible e-learning format, with classroom training delivered to those 
employees who do not have regular access to a computer. The Code 
of Business Conduct and other global policies are available at https://
www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance.

Third-party risk is also managed through our Know Your Business 
Partner programme, which is designed to help the company evaluate 
the risk of doing business with a third-party before entering and during 
a contractual relationship. Business partners are assessed for potential 
risks including economic sanctions, bribery and corruption, money 
laundering, facilitation of tax evasion, data privacy and other 
reputational issues.

Employees and third-party business partners are encouraged to raise 
concerns about potential breaches of the Code of Business Conduct or 
policies, either to line managers, legal or HR colleagues, risk, 
compliance and Business Integrity teams, or to SpeakUp, a confidential 
whistleblowing mechanism. SpeakUp is a global service administered 
by an independent provider, accessible online or by telephone. Where 
legally permitted, it can be used anonymously and reports kept 
confidential. Allegations are investigated by independent Diageo 
teams, with progress being monitored by the Business Integrity team. 
When allegations are substantiated, appropriate disciplinary and 
corrective actions are taken. The Audit Committee receives and 
reviews regular reports on allegations, including trends information, 
root cause analysis and investigation closure rates. Since all of 
Diageo's Non-Executive Directors attend the Audit Committee, all Non-
Executive Directors who make up the Board routinely review the 
findings of the company's whistleblowing processes in accordance with 
the UK Corporate Governance Code.

During the year ended 30 June 2023, 629 allegations of breaches were 
reported which was broadly consistent with the prior year. The 
substantiation rate of allegations has also remained broadly consistent 
compared to last year, with 32% of cases confirmed as breaches 
(versus 30% in fiscal 22). As of the end of fiscal 23, 43 people exited 
the business as a result of breaches of our Code of Business Conduct or 
policies (fiscal 22: 54 people). This is due to a reduction in severity and 
type of breaches this year. The number of leavers for fiscal 22 has been 
restated due to a number of open cases from fiscal 22 being 
concluded this year. At the end of fiscal 23, we had 137 open cases, 
which may lead to more people exiting the business. See below a 
summary of reported and substantiated breaches over the past three 
years.

635

433

2023

158

43

629

419

Senior financial officers’ code of ethics and dealing 
code
In accordance with the requirements of SOX and related SEC rules, 
Diageo has adopted a code of ethics covering its Chief Executive, 
Chief Financial Officer, and other senior financial officers. During the 
year, no waivers were granted in respect of, this code of ethics. The full 
text of the code of ethics is available at https://www.diageo.com/en/
our-business/corporate-governance/compliance. Both the Audit & Risk 
Committee and the Audit Committee regularly review the strategy and 
operation of the Business Integrity programme through the year. 

The company has also adopted a dealing code setting out 
requirements in relation to dealings in Diageo securities by Directors, 
Executive Committee members and certain other employees, which is 
designed to ensure compliance with applicable insider trading and 
market abuse regulations, in particular the UK Market Abuse 
Regulation. 

Audit and Assurance Policy
During the year management has reviewed its approach to assurance 
in preparation for drafting and adopting an audit and assurance 
policy, consistent with the reporting requirements set out in draft 
legislation proposed by the UK Department for Business and Trade in 
July 2023. The Committee has reviewed and discussed the principles 
on which such policy will be based and will continue to monitor 
management's development of the policy.

Management’s report on internal control over financial 
reporting 
Management, under the supervision of the Chief Executive and Chief 
Financial Officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining 
adequate control over the group’s financial reporting. The Filings 
Assurance Committee supports the Chief Executive and Chief Financial 
Officer in ensuring the accuracy of the company’s financial reporting, 
filings and disclosures. As summarised on page 118, prior to interim 
reporting and preliminary reporting each year, the Filings Assurance 
Committee examines the company’s financial information and 
processes, the effectiveness of its controls in respect of financial 
reporting, and the contents of its disclosures.

Management has assessed the effectiveness of Diageo’s internal 
control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13(a)-13(f) and 
15(d)-15(f) under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934) 
based on the framework in the document ‘Internal Control – Integrated 
Framework’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of 
the Treadway Commission (COSO) in 2013. Based on this assessment, 
management concluded that, as at 30 June 2023, internal control over 
financial reporting was effective. During the period covered by this 
report, there were no changes in internal control over financial 
reporting that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to 
materially affect the effectiveness of internal control over financial 
reporting. The same independent registered public accounting firm 
which audits the group’s consolidated financial statements has audited 
the effectiveness of the group’s internal control over financial reporting, 
and has issued an unqualified report thereon, which is included in the 
integrated audit report which is included in the company’s Form 20-F to 
be filed with the SEC.

Committee activities
Details of the main areas of focus of the Audit Committee during the year include those summarised below:

Areas of focus

Corporate 
reporting

Internal controls

External audit 
and assurance

• Half and full year external reporting updates
• Interim and preliminary results review and approval
• Annual Report and consolidated financial statements, Form 20-F review and approval
• Implications of group functional and presentation currency change on reporting
• GAR updates
• Business Integrity updates including breach and reporting update
• Controls testing update and Section 404 assessment
• Implications on controls environment of systems and process changes
• Report on external audit at half and full year periods
• Insights and observations on reporting review
• Auditor independence and non-audit work reviews
• Auditor independence policy review
• Review of management representation letters
• Appointment of auditor and review of terms of engagement and fees
• Auditor performance and effectiveness review and assessment
• Commencement of auditor tender process
• Audit regime reform and approach to assurance, preparatory to drafting an audit and 

assurance policy

Strategic priority

Strategic outcome

1

1

1

6

EG

CVC

CT

CT

CT

Risk
management

• Principal and emerging risk reviews and tracking
• Risk updates, including group risk footprint and risk appetite review and approvals
• Supply chain disruption, counterfeit, product quality, climate change and sustainability, energy, 

pandemics and business interruption, cyber and IT resilience, pension funding, business 
transformation and tax risk reviews

1

6

EG

CVC

CT

Key

Strategic priorities

Strategic outcomes

1

2

Sustain quality growth

Embed everyday efficiency

3

4

Invest smartly

Promote positive drinking

5

6

Champion inclusion and diversity

EG

Efficient growth

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability

CVC

Consistent value creation

CT

EP

Credibility and trust

Engaged people

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NOMI NATION COMMITTEE REPORT 

Significant issues and judgements
Significant issues and judgements that were considered in respect of the 2023 financial statements are set out below. Our consideration of issues 
included discussion of the key audit matters as outlined in the appendix to the independent auditors’ report.

Matter considered
The nature and size of any one-off items impacting 
the quality of the earnings and cash flows.

How the Audit Committee addressed the matter
The Audit Committee assessed whether the related presentation and disclosure of those items in the financial 
statements were appropriate based on management’s analysis, and concluded that they were.

Items that were to be presented as exceptional. 
Refer to note 4 of the Financial Statements.

The Audit Committee assessed whether the reporting of those items as exceptional, was in line with the 
group’s accounting policy, and that sufficient disclosure was provided in the financial statements, and 
concluded that they were.

Whether the carrying value of assets, in particular 
intangible assets, was supportable. Refer to notes 
6, 9, 10 and 13 of the Financial Statements.

The group’s more significant tax exposures and the 
appropriateness of any related provisions and 
financial statement disclosures. Refer to page 91 of 
'Our principal risks and risk management' and note 
7 of the Financial Statements.

The appropriateness of the valuation of post 
employment liabilities, and the recognition of any 
surplus. Refer to note 14 of the Financial 
Statements.

Significant legal matters impacting the group. 
Refer to note 19 of the Financial Statements. 

Accounting for business combinations. Refer to 
note 8 of the Financial Statements. 

Functional currency of Diageo plc and presentation 
currency of Diageo group.

Whether the Annual Report is fair, balanced and 
understandable.

The impact of climate change on the group’s 
financial reporting and financial statements. Refer 
to pages 71-87 of 'Pioneer grain-to-glass 
sustainability' and note 1 and note 9 of the 
Financial Statements.

The Audit Committee reviewed the methodology applied in conducting impairment assessments and result of 
management's impairment assessments that were performed during the year. The Committee was provided 
with information about the carrying amounts and the key assumptions incorporated in management’s 
estimate of discounted cash flows of significant assets that are sensitive to key assumptions. The Committee 
reviewed the key assumptions used in the impairment testing, including management’s cash flow forecasts, 
growth rates and the discount rate used in value in use calculations and agreed they were appropriate. 
The Committee agreed with management’s judgements and conclusions, whereby McDowell’s, some smaller 
other brands and investments in associates and certain fixed assets have been impaired by £549 million in the 
year ended 30 June 2023, out of which £520 million was reported as exceptional operating charge. The 
Committee agreed that the recoverable amount of the company’s other assets was in excess of their carrying 
value and that appropriate disclosure was provided with respect to assets impaired, and whose value is more 
sensitive to changes in assumptions.

The Audit Committee agreed that disclosure of tax risk appropriately addresses the significant change in the 
international tax environment, and that appropriate provisions and other disclosure with respect to uncertain 
tax positions were reflected in the financial statements.

The measurement of post employment liabilities is sensitive to changes in long-term interest rates, inflation and 
mortality assumptions. Having reviewed management’s papers setting out key changes to actuarial 
assumptions, the Audit Committee agreed that the assumptions used in the valuation are appropriate. The 
Committee reviewed management’s assessment of the economic benefit available as a refund of the surplus 
or as a reduction of contribution and the key judgements made in respect of the surplus restriction and 
concluded that those judgements were appropriate. The Committee reviewed and concluded that sufficient 
disclosures were provided in the financial statements.

The Committee agreed that adequate provision and/or disclosure have been made for all material litigation 
and disputes, based on the current most likely outcomes, including the litigation summarised in note 19 of the 
Financial Statements.

Diageo acquired Kanlaon Limited and Chat Noir Co. Inc. on 10 March 2023 and completed a number of 
other smaller acquisitions during the year ended 30 June 2023, for an aggregate consideration of £397 
million. As at the completion date of these acquisitions, Diageo performed valuations of the identifiable assets 
and liabilities and the resulting goodwill. The purchase price allocation exercises are subject to management’s 
judgement and estimates, including forecast cash flows, buyer specific synergies and the applicable discount 
rates used in valuations. The Committee reviewed management’s purchase price allocations and the 
disclosures provided in the Financial Statements and concluded they were appropriate.

The Audit Committee agreed that in line with reporting requirements the functional currency of Diageo plc has 
changed from sterling to US dollar which is applied prospectively from fiscal 24. This is because the group's 
share of net sales and expenses in the US and other countries whose currencies correlate closely with the US 
dollar has been increasing over the years, and that trend is expected to continue in line with the group's 
strategic focus. Diageo has also decided to change its presentation currency to US dollar with effect from 1 
July 2023, applied retrospectively, as it believes that this change will provide better alignment of the reporting 
of performance with its business exposures.

The Audit Committee concluded that the Annual Report, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the company’s 
performance, business model and strategy and that there is an appropriate balance between statutory 
(GAAP) and adjusted (non-GAAP) measures ensuring equal prominence.

The Audit Committee agreed that the disclosures on pages 71-87 made in response to the recommendations 
of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures are appropriate and that the assumptions used in 
the financial statements are consistent with these disclosures.

Championing our talent strategy

We welcome Debra back to the Board and congratulate her on her 
appointment. The Committee was unanimous in deciding that 
Debra is the right person to lead Diageo into the next phase of 
growth, with her deep understanding of the company and its 
stakeholders coupled with her broad experience in other consumer 
goods industries. 

This year the Committee also managed the evaluation of the 
effectiveness of the Board, its Committees, members and processes. 
Further details, including the review’s conclusions, recommendations 
and actions as presented to the Board in January 2023, are set out 
on page 113.

The Committee has also been involved in reviewing talent planning 
and succession of Executive Committee membership, with two 
changes being implemented or approved during the year. Claudia 
Schubert was appointed as President, North America in October 
2022 and Soraya Benchikh assumed the role of President, Europe in 
January 2023. I congratulate Claudia and Soraya on their 
appointments and look forward to working with them. 

Javier Ferrán
Chairman of the Nomination Committee 

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Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to provide the report of the 
Nomination Committee for the year ended 
30 June 2023. 

A key responsibility for the Committee is to ensure adequate 
succession planning for Board appointments, maintenance of a 
pipeline of strong candidates for potential nomination as directors, 
and supervising transitions for new appointments. During this year, 
the Committee had oversight of the transition of Chief Executives 
with Debra Crew succeeding Sir Ivan Menezes after ten years of 
dedicated leadership of the company. This transition was well 
underway when Ivan sadly passed away following a brief illness, 
with Debra taking over earlier than expected. 

Role and composition of the Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee is responsible for keeping under review the 
composition of the Board and succession to it, reviewing succession 
planning for key Executive Committee roles, and succession planning 
and overall talent strategy for senior leadership positions, including in 
relation to ensuring and encouraging diversity in leadership positions. It 
makes recommendations to the Board concerning appointments to the 
Board. More details on the role of the Nomination Committee are set 
out in its terms of reference which are available at 
https://www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance.

The Nomination Committee comprises Javier Ferrán (Committee 
Chairman), Melissa Bethell, Karen Blackett, Susan Kilsby, Valérie 
Chapoulaud-Floquet, Sir John Manzoni, Lady Mendelsohn, Alan 
Stewart and Ireena Vittal.

Recruitment and election procedures
The recruitment process for Non-Executive Directors includes the 
development of a candidate profile and the engagement of a 
professional search agency specialising in the recruitment of high-
calibre candidates. We have engaged executive search companies 
Egon Zehnder and Russell Reynolds Associates (neither of which have 
a connection with the company other than acting as an executive 
search agency) to assist with our current recruitment and pipelining 
requirements.

In the case of Executive Director or Executive Committee appointments, 
an executive leadership assessment may be carried out by an external 
professional agency. Reports on potential appointees are provided to 
the Committee, which, after careful consideration, makes a 
recommendation to the Board. In determining its recommendations, 
the Committee has regard to a broad range of factors including the 
candidate's background, skillset and experience, their ability to express 
independent judgement and participate across a broad range of 
topics, including on sustainability and societal matters, their ability to 
devote sufficient time to the company and whether their appointment 
would contribute towards the Board’s diversity objectives which are set 
out in the Board Diversity Policy. This policy, which applies to the Board 
and its Committees, reflects the Board's belief that it is critical that 
Board membership includes a diverse range of skills, professional and 
industry backgrounds, geographical experience and expertise, gender, 
tenure, ethnicity and diversity of thought.

Any new Directors are appointed by the Board and, in accordance with 
the company’s articles of association, they must be elected at the next 
AGM to continue in office. All existing Directors retire by rotation and 
stand for re-election every year. The company’s policy is for all 
Directors to attend the AGM, either physically or by video conference 
as permitted by the company's Articles of Association. Details of 
attendance of all Board and Committee meetings by Directors are set 
out on page 99.

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External appointments
While the Board does not have a written policy as regards the 
maximum number of other appointments that Directors should have, 
before recommending new appointments to the Board, the Nomination 
Committee considers other demands on candidates’ time. As a general 
principle, the Committee takes the view that Non-Executive Directors 
should have no more than four, and Executive Directors no more than 
one, listed mandates in addition to their role as a director of the 
company. Once appointed, any proposed additional external 
appointments are also reviewed by the Nomination Committee to 
ensure that the additional demands on a Director’s time will not impact 
on the Director’s ability to perform his or her role as a Director of the 
company before the additional appointment is recommended for 
approval by the Board. Directors’ interests are reviewed and updated 
at each Board meeting. The Board has concluded that each Non-
Executive Director has sufficient time to discharge their duties as a 
director of the company, taking into consideration their external 
appointments and commitments. 

CEO succession 
It is the role of the Nomination Committee to have oversight of the 
company’s senior leadership development and succession plans, 
ensuring that the company has a pipeline of high-quality candidates 
for senior roles which is aligned with the company’s long-term strategic 
ambitions and diverse leadership requirements. In March 2023, it was 
announced that, after ten years in role, Sir Ivan Menezes would retire 
as Chief Executive and step down from the Board on 30 June 2023 
and that Debra Crew, then Chief Operating Officer, would take over as 
Chief Executive effective 1 July 2023. Sir Ivan, who was one of the UK’s 
longest serving FTSE 100 chief executives, had led the company 
through an outstanding period of change, growth and performance.

As succession planning is an ongoing process, the Nomination 
Committee had an established process for identifying the most suitable 
person for the role of Chief Executive including a shortlist of potential 
successors which was kept under review in anticipation of a transition. 
As part of this process, the Nomination Committee conducted a review 
of potential candidates including a number of internal candidates on 
the company’s internal succession plan as well as external candidates. 
The review included candidates who had different backgrounds and 
experience, and included diverse candidates. Following this review, the 
Nomination Committee made a recommendation to the Board that 
Debra Crew was the most suitable successor to Sir Ivan, having been a 
highly valued member of the Executive Committee with an impressive 
track record at both Diageo and other global consumer goods 
companies. Acting on the recommendation of the Nomination 
Committee, the Board approved her appointment and announced the 
transition on 28 March 2023. With the sad passing of Sir Ivan in early 
June 2023 after a brief illness, Debra’s appointment as Chief Executive 
and Executive Director took effect earlier than expected, on 8 June 2023.

Set out below are the principal steps taken in relation to the 
announcement of the appointment of a new Chief Executive on 28 
March 2023:

Prior to fiscal 21 and ongoing thereafter:
• A preliminary assessment of potential internal candidates and their 
development plans was reviewed, as part of annual talent and 
succession review with the Board.

During fiscal 21:
• An updated role specification for the Chief Executive was prepared, 
reviewed and approved by the Nomination Committee. Amongst 
other things, this set out the requirements for the role with regards to 
leadership capabilities, personal characteristics and key 
experiences, within the context of the performance and culture 
needed in Diageo.

• The Nomination Committee reviewed the results of an external 

talent benchmarking exercise conducted by an executive search 
firm, alongside continued assessment of the development of 
candidates on Diageo’s internal succession plan.

Commencing during fiscal 21 and subject to ongoing review thereafter:
• A focussed longlist of external candidates was reviewed by the 
Nomination Committee, together with internal candidates.

• Internal candidates were invited to take part in a formal assessment 

process overseen by the Chairman supported by the Chief HR 
Officer.

• A panel of Nomination Committee members met shortlisted 

candidates for formal panel interviews with the Chairman and the 
Non-Executive Directors.

• Development plans were drawn up for internal candidates to 

enable the Nomination Committee to review progress on a periodic 
basis.

During fiscal 22:
• Periodic regular review of the development progress of internal 
candidates was undertaken by the Nomination Committee.

• The role specification was kept under ongoing review to ensure it 
reflected developments in Diageo’s business context and any 
emerging requirements.

During fiscal 23:
• Proposed remuneration arrangements for the incoming and 

outgoing Chief Executives were reviewed and approved by the 
Remuneration Committee.

• The Nomination Committee recommended that the Board approve 
the appointment of Debra Crew as Diageo’s next Chief Executive. 
The Remuneration Committee approved remuneration 
arrangements for the appointment of Debra Crew and the 
retirement of Sir Ivan Menezes.

• The Board unanimously approved the appointment and a 
regulatory announcement was released on 28 March 2023.

Activities of the Nomination Committee
The principal activities of the Nomination Committee during the year 
were:
• the consideration, selection and recommendation as to the 

appointment of and transition plan for a new Chief Executive;  
• the consideration of the talent pipeline for potential new Non-
Executive Directors and other appointments to the Board;

• the design and conduct of the annual review of Board, Committee 

and individual Director effectiveness and performance and a review 
of the findings of the review and recommended actions;

• consideration and approval of the report of the Committee in the 

company’s Annual Report and consolidated financial statements for 
the year ended 30 June 2023;

• consideration and recommendation to the Board of proposed 

changes in Directors’ outside interests and any potential conflicts of 
interest; and

• a review of the succession plans for Executive Committee roles, 

including potential candidates for such roles, their backgrounds and 
experience, and how such candidates would contribute towards the 
company's diversity objectives.

Evaluation
As part of the annual Board evaluation, all members of the Nomination 
Committee participated in an evaluation of the Committee. Feedback 
indicated that the Committee was effective and that Directors were 
satisfied with its performance, that it had managed the Chief Executive 
succession during the year well and that its processes were robust, 
transparent and effective. Further details of the evaluation can be 
found on page 113.

Induction and training 
Our customary induction processes for newly appointed Directors 
includes individual meetings with Executive Committee members and 
other senior executives, visits to the company’s production facilities and 
offices including the company's head office in London and the group's 
spirits production facilities, scotch brand homes, visitor centres and 
archives in Scotland.

Induction programmes for new Directors are tailored to suit the 
particular background and experience of the individual Director, with 
the Committee advising on priorities for that individual and tracking 
induction activity. These induction processes supplement existing 
practices whereby a continuing understanding of the business is 
developed through appropriate business engagements for Non-
Executive Directors such as visits to customers, engagements with 
employees, and brand events worked into the annual cycle of Board 
meetings. Training on specific areas of risk and detailed reviews of 
strategic matters are provided by Executive Committee members, other 
internal senior leaders and external guest speakers and specialists 
through presentations, roundtable discussions and other sessions as 
part of the Board’s Annual Strategy Conference and during the year as 
part of Board and Audit Committee meetings. In addition, Executive 
Committee members and other senior executives are invited, as 

appropriate, to Board and strategy meetings to make presentations on 
their areas of responsibility. All Directors are also provided with regular 
briefings to ensure they are kept up to date on relevant legal and 
governance developments or changes, best practice developments 
and changing commercial and other risks.

Diversity 
The Board has a longstanding commitment to prioritise diversity and 
supports the recommendations of the FTSE Women Leaders Review 
(previously the Hampton-Alexander Review) on gender diversity and 
the Parker Review on ethnic diversity. The Board Diversity Policy sets out 
specific objectives with parity between male and female members of 
the Board being the ultimate goal in terms of gender diversity, with a 
commitment to have no less than 40% female representation on the 
Board, and having at least one Director reflecting ethnic diversity as 
defined in accordance with the Parker Review. The Committee is 
pleased to confirm that both these objectives have currently been met. 
The Board Diversity Policy also sets out the Board’s support for 
management’s actions to increase the proportion of senior leadership 
roles held by women and by people from minority backgrounds and 
other under-represented groups. As at 30 June 2023, the percentage of 
women on the Executive Committee and their direct reports is 43%.

Board and Executive Committee reporting on gender identity or sex  

Number of Board members

Percentage of the Board

Number of senior positions on 
the Board (CEO, CFO, SID and 
Chair)

Number in executive 
management

Percentage of executive 
management

Men

Women

Not specified/prefer not to say

3

8

—

 27.3 %

 72.7 %

—

1

3

—

7

7

—

 50.0 %

 50.0 %

—

Board and Executive Committee reporting on ethnic background  

White British or other White (including minority-white groups)

Number of Board 
members
7

Percentage of the 
Board
 63.6 %

Number of senior positions on the 
Board (CEO, CFO, SID and Chair)
3

Number in executive 
management
8

Percentage of executive 
management
 57.1 %

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Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups

Asian/Asian British

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British

Other ethnic group, including Arab

Not specified/prefer not to say

—

3

1

—

—

—

 27.3 %

 9.1 %

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

3

1

2

—

—

 21.4 %

 7.2 %

 14.3 %

—

Board
composition 

Non-Executive Director 
tenure 

Board gender 
diversity 

Board ethnic 
diversity 

ò Chairman
ò Executive Director
ò Non-Executive Director

ò 0 – 3 years
ò 3 – 6 years
ò 6 – 9 years

Executive committee nationality

22%

22% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8%

ò British
ò American
ò American/British
ò Colombian
ò French

ò Indian
ò Irish
ò South African/British
ò Spanish

ò Male
ò Female

ò Directors of colour
ò White European

Board diversity data
• Directors are defined as all Non-Executive and Executive Directors 
appointed to the Board. Board diversity related data are collated 
directly from each Director annually using a questionnaire and are 
given on a self-identifying basis.

• Directors of colour are defined in accordance with the Parker 

Review definitions as those "who identify as or have evident heritage 
from African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Central and South American 
regions".

• All Board diversity data above are given as at 30 June 2023. 

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125

 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  

Annual statement by the Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee

On behalf of the Committee, I engaged with our largest shareholders 
and their representatives on the new policy and considered the 
feedback received, which was positive. We also reviewed market 
practice trends in the FTSE 30 (excluding financial services) and our 
global consumer goods peer group. Further, and in line with our 
remuneration principles, the Committee considered the remuneration 
arrangements for the workforce globally when reviewing the policy 
for Executive Directors.  

We value the views we have received from our shareholders and the 
strong support we have had in recent years. Maintaining both the 
dialogue and the support continue to be important to the Committee. 

In this year’s report
Remuneration at a glance
Pay for performance at a glance
Remuneration Committee governance
Directors’ remuneration policy
Annual report on remuneration

Looking back on 2023
Single figure of remuneration table
Annual incentive payouts for 2023
Long-term incentives vesting in 2023
Pensions and benefits in 2023
Long-term incentives awarded in 2023
Outstanding share plan interests
Shareholding requirement and share interests
CEO total remuneration and TSR performance
Wider workforce remuneration and CEO pay ratio
Change in pay for Directors and wider workforce
Non-Executive Director pay

Looking ahead to 2024
Salary increases for the year ahead
Annual incentive design for the year ahead
Long-term incentives for the year ahead

129 
130 
131 
132 
139 

139 
140 
141 
143 
144
145 
147 
148 
149 
150 
151 

152 
152 
152 

Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to present the Directors' remuneration report for the 
year ended 30 June 2023, which contains:

•  The updated Directors’ remuneration policy, which shareholders 
are being asked to approve at the Annual General Meeting 
(AGM) on 28 September 2023; and

•  The annual remuneration report, describing how the current 
Directors' remuneration policy has been implemented during 
2023 and how the policy will be implemented in 2024.

Proposed Directors' Remuneration Policy
The Committee has reviewed the current Directors’ remuneration 
policy and determined that it continues to support the company’s 
strategy and will do so for the next three years. The Committee is 
therefore asking shareholders to approve our current policy, largely 
unchanged except for a governance enhancement to the post-
cessation shareholding requirement, which further improves 
shareholder alignment. Executive Directors will now be required to 
hold 100% of their in-service shareholding level (500% of salary for 
the CEO and 400% of salary for the CFO) for two years post-exit. 
We have also improved the level of disclosure of our malus and 
clawback policy.

As well as submitting an updated Directors’ remuneration policy for 
approval at the AGM in September 2023, shareholders are also 
being asked to approve the rules of the new Diageo Long-Term 
Incentive Plan (LTIP), as it is close to its 10-year expiry. No significant 
changes are being proposed to the rules.

During the year, the Committee reviewed the current Directors’ 
remuneration policy. In doing so, it sought to ensure continued 
alignment with the delivery of business strategy, our ongoing ability 
to recruit and retain high-quality, international talent and to meet 
the expectations of our shareholders and the governance 
community. Consideration was given to the global nature of the 
business, which includes a large presence in North America and, 
therefore, the need to compete for talent in a global pool. Attracting 
and retaining key talent in an increasingly competitive talent pool is 
critical for our business and, at all levels, Diageo’s talent strategy 
involves a global approach to internal talent mobility. Remuneration 
is an important aspect of being able to meet our talent objectives. 

CEO transition 
On 28 March 2023, we announced that Sir Ivan Menezes would retire 
on 30 June 2023 and Debra Crew would be appointed as the next 
CEO from the start of fiscal 24. Following the announcement on 7 June 
2023 that Sir Ivan had sadly passed away, Debra Crew was appointed 
to the Board as CEO and Executive Director on 8 June 2023, having 
taken over as interim CEO on 5 June due to Sir Ivan’s deteriorating 
health.

We set the salary for Debra Crew at $1,750,000, slightly below Sir 
Ivan’s salary. The Committee determined that this salary level reflects 
Debra’s significant relevant experience, which includes a prior CEO 
position in the United States and four years with Diageo, including time 
on the Diageo Board as a Non-Executive Director. The Committee 
considered both the FTSE 30 pay practices, as well as those of our 
global peer group when determining the appropriate level of pay for 
our Chief Executive.   

The remuneration arrangements for Sir Ivan were approved within the 
terms of the Directors’ remuneration policy and application of the plan 
rules on death in service. Further details, including exercises of 
discretion by the Committee, can be found on page 150.   

Business performance and employees
As mentioned elsewhere in the Annual Report, Diageo delivered a 
strong set of 2023 results during a period of economic volatility and 
continued inflationary pressures. Both organic net sales and organic 
operating profit growth were within our medium-term guidance and 
follow two consecutive years of double-digit growth and are reflected 
in lower annual incentive outcomes this year relative to the prior two 
years. Over the year, we gained or held market share in markets that 
total 70% of our net sales value, delivered further expansion of organic 
operating margin through productivity savings and return on invested 
capital was 16.3%. 

Colleagues across the business have continued to show resilience, 
agility and commitment during this period of sustained uncertainty. 
Diageo continues to focus on being market competitive and pro-active 
in the ways it supports the wellbeing of employees. Employee 
engagement has remained high again this year at 84%, two point 
higher than in 2022. Early in fiscal 23, Diageo made a one-time 
payment of £1,000 gross (capped at 15% of local equivalent annual 
salary) to all employees below Executive Committee level to recognise 
their commitment through challenging times. In addition, ongoing 
monitoring of the cost-of-living in all our geographies has resulted in 
off-cycle salary increases in countries experiencing the highest inflation. 
Other measures, such as financial education and progressive benefit 
policies have been implemented and more detail can be found on 
page 148.

Incentive outcomes
In determining annual and long-term incentive outcomes, the 
Remuneration Committee reviews not only the financial outcomes 
against targets set but also considers Diageo’s wider business 
performance. It assesses market share gains, financial returns relative 
to our Alcoholic Beverages and TSR peer groups, progress made 
towards our 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' goals and employee 
engagement, among other factors. It also considers the experience of 
shareholders over the applicable performance period, in particular the 
company’s TSR performance relative to our peer group.

Annual incentive
For the annual incentive, outcomes under the Net Sales (NSV) and 
Operating Profit (OP) measures were at and just under target 
respectively and Operating Cash Conversion (OCC) performance fell 
short of the minimum threshold required. Further detail is provided on 
page 140. Following a holistic review of business performance in the 
year, the Committee concluded that the outcome was fair and did 
not require any adjustment. Our annual incentive also includes 
Individual Business Objectives (IBOs) and the outcomes are 
described on page 140. 

Once IBO outcomes are included, overall annual incentive payouts 
for fiscal 23 were 37% of maximum for Sir Ivan Menezes, 35% of 
maximum for Debra Crew and 36% of maximum for Lavanya 
Chandrashekar. 

Long-term incentives
Strong financial performance over the three-year period, particularly 
in respect of growth in organic net sales and profit before exceptional 
items and tax (PBET), free cash flow (FCF) and share price growth of 
26% resulted in a vesting outcome of 99% of maximum for the 2020 
performance share awards for the prior CEO, the CEO and the CFO 
and 78% of maximum for the 2020 share options granted to the 
prior CEO and the CEO. The 2020 performance share awards were 
the first Diageo awards which included an Environmental, Social and 
Governance (ESG) component and the outcomes against these 
measures show solid progress towards Diageo’s ‘Society 2030: Spirit 
of Progress‘ ambition over this first three-year period.

Prior to confirming the vesting of DLTIP awards, the Committee 
considered whether there was a compelling case to change the 
formulaic outcome by reviewing overall business performance and 
the targets set for these awards. For the 2020 DLTIP awards, the 
Committee was especially cognisant of investor concerns around the 
potential for windfall gains given the timing of the grant during the 
Covid-19 pandemic. The Committee considered various factors, 
including the share price used to calculate the 2020 awards relative 
to the prior year’s price, the stretch of the targets and the 
performance relative to peers (see page 142 for more detail). The 
Committee determined that the outcomes were appropriate and 
aligned to the assessment of Diageo’s underlying business 
performance over the three-year period and made no adjustment to 
the vesting levels. 

The Committee believes that the incentive plans continue to drive the 
desired behaviours to support the company’s values and strategy 
and that the Directors’ remuneration policy has operated as intended 
in 2023. 

The year ahead and alignment of incentives with strategy
The Committee approved a base salary increase of 4% for the CFO, 
effective 1 October 2023, having reviewed market practice in the 
FTSE 30 and our global consumer goods peer group. This increase is 
below the 2023 salary increase budget for employees in the UK, 
which was 5%. There will be no increase for the CEO, whose next 
review will be in October 2024.

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127

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

The structure and performance measures for the annual and long-
term incentives remain unchanged for 2024 as these continue to 
align with the company’s strategic priorities. The annual incentive 
focuses on net sales growth, operating profit (both of which 
represent critical measures of growth for Diageo) and operating 
cash conversion (which recognises the criticality of strong cash 
performance and cash containment, particularly in the current 
challenging market conditions) and IBOs add focus on individual 
strategic and financial objectives. The long-term incentive 
measures reflect key drivers of long-term growth by incorporating 
organic net sales, organic profit before exceptional items and tax 
(PBET), free cash flow (FCF), TSR and key ESG measures 
(greenhouse gas reduction, water efficiency, positive drinking and 
gender and ethnic diversity). 

We were one of the first companies to include ESG measures in a 
long-term plan back in 2020, and consequently, as our practices 
evolve, we recognise that KPIs also need to evolve. The Committee 
believes in setting targets that incentivise the management team to 
make the right long-term decisions for all stakeholders and the 
environment. The water efficiency KPI under the 'Society 2030: Spirit 
of Progress' goals will, from fiscal 24, use an index approach, which 
links directly to the underlying water efficiency of the two production 
pillars of distillation and brewing & packaging. This approach 
reduces sensitivity to product mix compared to the current measure 
and the methodology used for each pillar is more consistent with 
what’s used by our industry peers (see page 79 for more detail). The 
water efficiency component of the 2023 LTIP awards reflects the 
updated water efficiency index KPI. 
As described on page 36 we are changing our functional currency 
from pounds sterling to US dollars from fiscal 24. The Free Cash 
Flow (FCF) targets for the 2023 DLTIP awards have therefore been 
set and disclosed in US dollars (see page 153) and the Free Cash 
Flow (FCF) targets for the in-flight awards have been translated into 
US dollars in accordance with the agreed methodology (see pages 
144 and 146). 

In summary
Diageo’s resilient performance in another period of broad and 
sustained uncertainty is reflected in the incentive outcomes and the 
decisions the Committee has made, which it considers are in line 
with the company’s philosophy of delivering market competitive pay 
in return for high performance against the company’s strategic 
objectives. 

I hope that you will vote in favour of the proposed Directors’ 
remuneration policy and the Directors’ remuneration report for fiscal 
23 at the AGM on 28 September 2023.

Finally, and importantly, I would like to personally reiterate the 
sentiment which has been so well expressed elsewhere in this 
Annual Report about the sad and shocking loss of our CEO, Sir Ivan 
Menezes, just weeks before his planned retirement. It was a 
pleasure and an honour to work with Sir Ivan over the years and my 
thoughts continue to be with his family at this time.

Susan Kilsby
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee

Remuneration principles
The approach to setting executive remuneration continues to be 
guided by the remuneration principles set out below. The 
Committee considers these principles carefully when making 
decisions on executive remuneration in order to strike the right 
balance between risk and reward, cost and sustainability, and 
competitiveness and fairness.

The company has a strategy to grow and leverage its leaders globally 
given the international nature of the business. We also need to have 
the right tools in place to source talent globally and the increasingly 
restrictive corporate governance environment in the United Kingdom 
presents some challenges when considered against the significantly 
higher pay norms in the United States and other parts of the world, 
particularly given the increasing international mobility of the senior 
talent pool.

Long-term value creation for shareholders and pay for 
performance remains at the heart of our remuneration policy and 
practices. Attracting and nurturing a vibrant mix of international 
talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities 
enables Diageo to grow and thrive, and ultimately to deliver our 
Performance Ambition. Remuneration remains a key part of 
attracting and retaining the best people to lead our global 
business, balanced against the need to ensure our packages are 
appropriate and fair in the business and wider employee context, 
delivering market-competitive pay in return for high performance 
against the company’s strategic objectives.

Delivery of business strategy 
Short and long-term incentive plans reward the 
delivery of our business strategy and Performance 
Ambition. Performance measures are reviewed 
regularly and stretching targets are set relative to the 
company’s growth plans and peer group forecasted 
performance. The Committee seeks to embed 
simplicity and transparency in the design and delivery 
of executive reward.

Creating sustainable, long-term 
performance 
A significant proportion of remuneration is delivered in 
variable pay linked to business and individual 
performance, focussed on consistent and responsible 
drivers of long-term growth. Performance against 
targets is assessed in the context of underlying 
business performance and the ‘quality of earnings’.

Winning best talent 
Well designed and market-competitive total 
remuneration, with an appropriate balance of fixed 
reward and upside opportunity, allows us to attract 
and retain the best talent from all over the world in a 
competitive talent market, which is critical to our 
continued business success.

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
Executives are focussed on creating sustainable share 
price growth. The requirement to build significant 
personal shareholdings in Diageo, and to hold shares 
acquired from long-term incentive awards for two 
years post-vesting aligns executives and shareholders. 
Decisions on executive remuneration are made with 
consideration of the interests of the wider workforce 
and other stakeholders, as well as the external climate.

Remuneration at a glance
Remuneration at a glance

Purpose 
Purpose 

Salary
Salary

• Supports the attraction 
• Supports the attraction 
and retention of the 
and retention of the 
best global talent with 
best global talent with 
the capability to 
the capability to 
deliver Diageo’s 
deliver Diageo’s 
strategy
strategy

Allowances and 
Allowances and 
benefits
benefits
• Provision of market-
• Provision of market-

competitive and cost-
competitive and cost-
effective benefits supports 
effective benefits supports 
attraction and retention of 
attraction and retention of 
talent
talent

Annual incentive
Annual incentive

• Incentivises delivery of 
• Incentivises delivery of 
Diageo’s financial and 
Diageo’s financial and 
strategic targets
strategic targets

• Provides focus on key 
• Provides focus on key 

financial metrics and the 
financial metrics and the 
individual’s contribution to 
individual’s contribution to 
the company’s 
the company’s 
performance
performance

Long-term 
Long-term 
incentives
incentives
• Rewards consistent long-term 
• Rewards consistent long-term 

performance in line with 
performance in line with 
Diageo’s business strategy
Diageo’s business strategy
• Provides focus on delivering 
• Provides focus on delivering 
superior long-term returns to 
superior long-term returns to 
shareholders
shareholders

Shareholding 
Shareholding 
requirement
requirement
• Ensures alignment between 
• Ensures alignment between 
the interests of Executive 
the interests of Executive 
Directors and shareholders
Directors and shareholders

Key features of 
Key features of 
current policy & 
current policy & 
proposed key 
proposed key 
policy changes
policy changes

• Normally reviewed 
• Normally reviewed 

annually on 1 October
annually on 1 October
• Salaries take account 
• Salaries take account 

of external market and 
of external market and 
internal employee 
internal employee 
context
context

• Provision of competitive 
• Provision of competitive 
benefits linked to local 
benefits linked to local 
market practice
market practice

• Maximum company 
• Maximum company 

• Target opportunity is 100% 
• Target opportunity is 100% 
of salary and maximum is 
of salary and maximum is 
200% of salary
200% of salary

• Annual grant of performance 
• Annual grant of performance 
shares and share options
shares and share options
• CEO award up to 500% of 
• CEO award up to 500% of 

• Performance measures, 
• Performance measures, 

salary
salary

pension contribution is 14% 
pension contribution is 14% 
of salary, which is aligned 
of salary, which is aligned 
to the offering for the wider 
to the offering for the wider 
workforce in the United 
workforce in the United 
Kingdom
Kingdom

weightings and stretching 
weightings and stretching 
targets are set by the 
targets are set by the 
Remuneration Committee
Remuneration Committee

• Subject to malus and 
• Subject to malus and 
clawback provisions
clawback provisions

• Executive Directors defer a 
• Executive Directors defer a 
minimum of one-third of 
minimum of one-third of 
earned bonus payment 
earned bonus payment 
into Diageo shares held for 
into Diageo shares held for 
three years
three years

• Remainder paid out in 
• Remainder paid out in 

cash after the end of the 
cash after the end of the 
financial year
financial year

• CFO award up to 480% of 
• CFO award up to 480% of 

salary
salary

(% of salary for both CEO 
(% of salary for both CEO 
and CFO described in 
and CFO described in 
performance share 
performance share 
equivalents)
equivalents)

• Performance measures, 
• Performance measures, 

weightings and stretching 
weightings and stretching 
targets are set annually
targets are set annually
• Three-year performance 
• Three-year performance 
period plus two-year 
period plus two-year 
retention period
retention period

• Subject to malus and 
• Subject to malus and 
clawback provisions
clawback provisions

• Number of awards granted is 
• Number of awards granted is 

based on a six-month 
based on a six-month 
average share price to 30 
average share price to 30 
June preceding grant date
June preceding grant date

Planned for year 
Planned for year 
ending 30 June 
ending 30 June 
2024
2024

Implementation 
Implementation 
in year ended 30 
in year ended 30 
June 2023
June 2023

• 4% salary increase for 
• 4% salary increase for 
the CFO, below the 
the CFO, below the 
annual salary budgets 
annual salary budgets 
for the wider workforce 
for the wider workforce 
in the United Kingdom
in the United Kingdom

• New CEO 
• New CEO 

appointment from 5 
appointment from 5 
June 2023. No salary 
June 2023. No salary 
increase in fiscal 24
increase in fiscal 24

• 3% salary increase for 
• 3% salary increase for 
the CEO and CFO, 
the CEO and CFO, 
slightly below the 
slightly below the 
annual salary budgets 
annual salary budgets 
for the wider workforce 
for the wider workforce 
in the United Kingdom 
in the United Kingdom 
and the United States
and the United States

• Allowances and benefits 
• Allowances and benefits 
unchanged from prior 
unchanged from prior 
year
year

• Company pension 
• Company pension 

contributions 14% of 
contributions 14% of 
salary
salary

• Size of annual incentive 
• Size of annual incentive 
award opportunity is 
award opportunity is 
unchanged from prior 
unchanged from prior 
year. For fiscal 24, 
year. For fiscal 24, 
measures are net sales 
measures are net sales 
growth, operating profit 
growth, operating profit 
growth and operating cash 
growth and operating cash 
conversion, 80% in total 
conversion, 80% in total 
weighted equally, with 
weighted equally, with 
remaining 20% on 
remaining 20% on 
individual objectives  
individual objectives  

•
•

•
•

Performance measures are 
Performance measures are 
net sales growth, relative 
net sales growth, relative 
TSR, cumulative free cash 
TSR, cumulative free cash 
flow, profit before 
flow, profit before 
exceptional items and tax 
exceptional items and tax 
and ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
and ‘Society 2030: Spirit of 
Progress‘ measures
Progress‘ measures
Size of long-term incentive 
Size of long-term incentive 
award opportunity is 
award opportunity is 
unchanged from prior year
unchanged from prior year

• Allowances and benefits 
• Allowances and benefits 

• Payout of 32.5% of 
• Payout of 32.5% of 

unchanged from prior year
unchanged from prior year

• Company pension 
• Company pension 

contribution:
contribution:
• CEO 20% of salary until 
• CEO 20% of salary until 
1 January 2023, which 
1 January 2023, which 
was then reduced to 
was then reduced to 
14% of salary  
14% of salary  
• CFO 14% of salary
• CFO 14% of salary

maximum for the financial 
maximum for the financial 
elements of the plan
elements of the plan

• Total payout of 37.25% of 
• Total payout of 37.25% of 
maximum for the prior 
maximum for the prior 
CEO, 35.38% for the CEO 
CEO, 35.38% for the CEO 
and 36.0% for the CFO
and 36.0% for the CFO

• Vesting of 2020 performance 
• Vesting of 2020 performance 
shares at 98.7% of maximum 
shares at 98.7% of maximum 
for Ivan Menezes, and 98.8% 
for Ivan Menezes, and 98.8% 
of maximum for Debra Crew 
of maximum for Debra Crew 
and Lavanya Chandrashekar
and Lavanya Chandrashekar
• Vesting of 2020 share options 
• Vesting of 2020 share options 
at 77.5% of maximum for 
at 77.5% of maximum for 
Ivan Menezes and Debra 
Ivan Menezes and Debra 
Crew.  Lavanya 
Crew.  Lavanya 
Chandrashekar did not 
Chandrashekar did not 
receive share options in 2020 
receive share options in 2020 

Implementation 
Implementation 
in year ended 30 
in year ended 30 
June 2022
June 2022

• 3% salary increase for 
• 3% salary increase for 
the CEO in line with 
the CEO in line with 
wider workforce in the 
wider workforce in the 
United Kingdom and 
United Kingdom and 
the United States in 
the United States in 
2021 
2021 

• CFO appointed 1 July 
• CFO appointed 1 July 

2021. No salary 
2021. No salary 
increases post 
increases post 
appointment in 2021
appointment in 2021

• Allowances and benefits 
• Allowances and benefits 

• Payout of 100% of 
• Payout of 100% of 

unchanged from prior year
unchanged from prior year

• Company pension 
• Company pension 

contribution:
contribution:
• CEO 20% of salary
• CEO 20% of salary
• CFO 14% of salary
• CFO 14% of salary

maximum for the financial 
maximum for the financial 
elements of the plan
elements of the plan

• Total payout of 93.75% of 
• Total payout of 93.75% of 
maximum for the CEO and 
maximum for the CEO and 
90.0% of maximum for the 
90.0% of maximum for the 
CFO 
CFO 

• Vesting of 2019 performance 
• Vesting of 2019 performance 
shares at 59.3% of maximum 
shares at 59.3% of maximum 
for Ivan Menezes and 59.8% 
for Ivan Menezes and 59.8% 
of maximum for Lavanya 
of maximum for Lavanya 
Chandrashekar
Chandrashekar

• Vesting of 2019 share options 
• Vesting of 2019 share options 
at 61.5% of maximum for 
at 61.5% of maximum for 
Ivan Menezes. The CFO did 
Ivan Menezes. The CFO did 
not receive share options in 
not receive share options in 
2019
2019

• Minimum shareholding 
• Minimum shareholding 

requirement within five years 
requirement within five years 
of appointment:
of appointment:
• CEO 500% of salary
• CEO 500% of salary
• CFO 400% of salary
• CFO 400% of salary

• Post-employment 
• Post-employment 

shareholding requirement for 
shareholding requirement for 
Executive Directors of 100% 
Executive Directors of 100% 
of in-employment 
of in-employment 
requirement in the first year 
requirement in the first year 
after leaving the company 
after leaving the company 
and 50% in the second year 
and 50% in the second year 
after leaving the company
after leaving the company
Proposed policy change: 
Proposed policy change: 
Post-employment 
Post-employment 
shareholding requirement for 
shareholding requirement for 
Executive Directors of 100% 
Executive Directors of 100% 
of in-employment 
of in-employment 
requirement to be retained in 
requirement to be retained in 
full for two years after leaving 
full for two years after leaving 
the company
the company

• No change to in-employment 
• No change to in-employment 
shareholding requirement
shareholding requirement

• Post-employment 
• Post-employment 

shareholding of 100% of in-
shareholding of 100% of in-
year shareholding for two 
year shareholding for two 
years after leaving the 
years after leaving the 
company
company

• As at 30 June 2023, Ivan 
• As at 30 June 2023, Ivan 

Menezes' shareholding was 
Menezes' shareholding was 
2,728% of salary
2,728% of salary

• As at 30 June 2023, Debra 
• As at 30 June 2023, Debra 

Crew's shareholding was 1% 
Crew's shareholding was 1% 
of salary (she has until 8 
of salary (she has until 8 
June 2028 to meet her 
June 2028 to meet her 
requirement)
requirement)

• As at 30 June 2023, Lavanya 
• As at 30 June 2023, Lavanya 

Chandrashekar's 
Chandrashekar's 
shareholding was 47% of 
shareholding was 47% of 
salary (she has until 1 July 
salary (she has until 1 July 
2026 to meet her 
2026 to meet her 
requirement)
requirement)

• As at 30 June 2022, Ivan 
• As at 30 June 2022, Ivan 

Menezes' shareholding was 
Menezes' shareholding was 
3,093% of salary 
3,093% of salary 

• As at 30 June 2022, Lavanya 
• As at 30 June 2022, Lavanya 

Chandrashekar's 
Chandrashekar's 
shareholding was 31% of 
shareholding was 31% of 
salary (she has until 1 July 
salary (she has until 1 July 
2026 to meet requirement)
2026 to meet requirement)

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued  

Pay for performance at a glance

The charts below show performance outcomes against targets for the long-term and annual incentive plans. Targets under both incentive plans are set with 
reference to Diageo’s strategic plan and the historical and forecasted performance of Diageo and its peers.

Long-term incentives (for the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2023) 
Organic growth in net sales

Cumulative free cash flow

CAGR

Threshold

4.0%

Midpoint

6.0%

Maximum

8.0%

Threshold

£6,200m

Midpoint

£7,200m

Maximum

£8,200m

l
Actual 14.5%

l
Actual £8,404m

Organic growth in profit before exceptional items and tax

Relative TSR ranking vs peer group

CAGR

Threshold

4.5%

Midpoint

8.25%

Maximum

12.0%

Threshold

9th (median)

Midpoint

–

Maximum

3rd (upper quintile)

l
Actual 16.5%

l
Actual 7th

ESG measure

Carbon reduction

Water efficiency

Positive drinking

Unit of measurement
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (cum%)

Improvement in water efficiency (cum%)

Number of people who confirmed changed attitudes on the dangers 
of underage drinking following participation in a Diageo supported 
education programme

Inclusion & diversity

% female leaders globally

% ethnically diverse leaders globally

Threshold

Midpoint

Maximum

 6.3% 

 5.8% 

0.75m

 41% 

 38% 

 10.3% 

 8.5% 

1.00m

 42% 

 39% 

 14.3% 

 11.2% 

1.25m

 43% 

 40% 

Actual

 14.7% 

 9.4% 

2.20m

 44% 

 43% 

Annual incentive (for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023)
Net sales growth
Threshold

Maximum

Target

3.5%

6.5%

l
Actual 6.5%

9.5%

Operating cash conversion

Threshold

95%

Target

100%

Maximum

105%

l
Actual 93.3%

Operating profit growth
Midpoint

Threshold

2.5%

7.5%

Maximum

12.5%

l
Actual 7.0%

Diageo's share price growth over 
the period 30 June 2020 to 30 June 
2023
26%

Growth in dividend distribution 
to shareholders in year ended to 
30 June 2023
5%

2023

2020

£33.79

£26.82

2023

2022

80.00p

76.18p

Historic reward outcomes under the annual and long-term incentive plans over the past five years are shown below. Vesting outcomes under the long-
term incentive plan are shown against annualised total shareholder return for the three-year period ended in the year of vesting (i.e. annualised TSR for 
the three years ended 30 June 2023 is shown against the vesting outcome for the 2020 long-term incentive awards vesting in 2023). Outcomes against 
annual incentive financial measures are shown against organic operating profit growth for each respective financial year, as disclosed in prior-year 
annual reports.

5-year vesting outcomes of long-term incentives
Executive Director vesting outcome (% of maximum)

Annualised TSR %

5-year history of annual incentive payouts
Payout (% of maximum)

Operating profit growth %

%
9
8

%
3
7

100

80

60

40

20

0

%
5
.
7
2

%
0
1

%
3
9
2

.

%
0
1

%
3
9
5

.

%
5
.
1
6

%

7
.
8
9

%
5
.
7
7

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

30

24

18

12

6

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

%
0
6

2019

%
0
0
1

%
0
0
1

%
5
2
3

.

2021

2022

2023

%
0

2020

30

24

18

12

6

0

-20

ò Performance shares
ò Share options
ò Annualised total shareholder return over three-year long-term 

incentive performance period

ò Annual incentive payout (financial measures 
excluding individual business objectives)

ò Organic operating profit growth (% on prior year)

Remuneration Committee Governance

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee consists of the following independent 
Non-Executive Directors: Susan Kilsby, Melissa Bethell, Valérie 
Chapoulaud-Floquet, Sir John Manzoni, Lady Mendelsohn, Alan 
Stewart, Ireena Vittal and Karen Blackett. Susan Kilsby is the Chair of 
the Remuneration Committee and also the Senior Independent 
Director. The Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive are 
invited to attend Remuneration Committee meetings, except when their 
own remuneration is being discussed. The Chief Human Resources 
Officer and Global Performance and Reward Director are also invited 
by the Remuneration Committee to provide their views and advice. The 
Chief Financial Officer may also attend to provide performance context 
to the Committee during its discussions about target setting and 
incentive outcomes. The Remuneration Committee's terms of reference 
are available in the corporate governance section of the company's 
website and on request from the Company Secretary.

The Remuneration Committee is responsible for all executive 
remuneration decisions throughout the year, which includes setting 
financial targets for the annual and long-term incentive plans and the 
outcomes under these plans. During fiscal 23, the Remuneration 
Committee also reviewed the Directors' remuneration policy and 
consulted with Diageo's largest investors in preparation for seeking 
shareholder approval at the 2023 AGM, as well as the CEO transition 
arrangements and the death-in-service remuneration arrangements 
following the sad passing of Sir Ivan Menezes. The Committee 
considered the remuneration policy and practices in the context of the 
principles of the Corporate Governance Code, as follows:

Clarity – the Committee engages regularly with executives, 
shareholders and their representative bodies in order to explain the 
approach to executive pay;

Simplicity – the purpose, structure and strategic alignment of each 
element of pay has been laid out in the remuneration policy;

Risk – there is an appropriate mix of fixed and variable pay, and 
financial and non-financial objectives, and there are robust measures 
in place to ensure alignment with long-term shareholder interests, 
including the DLTIP post-vesting retention period, shareholding 
requirement, bonus deferral into shares and malus and clawback 
provisions. The Committee also considers the impact on behaviour of 
both the measures and targets set;

Predictability – the pay opportunity under different performance 
scenarios is set out on page 136 of this report;

Proportionality – executives are incentivised to achieve stretching 
targets over annual and three-year performance periods, and the 

Directors’ remuneration policy(1)

Directors' remuneration report (excluding 
the policy)(2)

Total number of votes

Percentage of votes cast

Total number of votes 

Percentage of votes cast

(1) As shown on pages 89–94 of the 2020 Annual Report.
(2) As shown on pages 106–112 and 119-131 of the 2022 Annual Report.

Committee assesses performance holistically at the end of each period, 
taking into account underlying business performance and the internal 
and external context. The Committee may exercise discretion to ensure 
that payouts are appropriate; and

Alignment with culture – non-financial objectives may be incentivised 
under the individual business objective element of the annual incentive 
plan and ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ (ESG) priorities are 
incentivised under the long-term incentive plan, which reinforces the 
company’s purpose and values. The design of remuneration and the 
measures used, reflect Diageo's culture. 

External advisors
During the year ended 30 June 2023, the Remuneration Committee 
received advice on Directors' remuneration from both Deloitte and FIT.  
FIT was appointed as the Committee’s new external advisor in October 
2022. 

The fees paid to Deloitte in fiscal 23 (until the end of their appointment) 
for advice provided to the Committee were £33,900. The fees paid to 
FIT in fiscal 23 since their date of appointment were £114,265.  All fees 
were determined on a time and expenses basis.

The Committee is satisfied that FIT's (and previously Deloitte's) 
engagement partners, and the teams that provide remuneration 
advice to the Committee, have no connections with Diageo that may 
impair their independence. The Committee reviewed the potential for 
conflicts of interest and judged that there were appropriate safeguards 
against such conflicts. Deloitte provided and continues to provide 
unrelated services to the company in the areas of immigration and 
management consultancy. FIT does not provide Diageo with any other 
services. Deloitte and FIT are founder members of the Remuneration 
Consultants Group (RCG) which is responsible for developing and 
maintaining the Code of Conduct for Consultants to Remuneration 
Committees of UK listed companies. FIT attended Remuneration 
Committee meetings during the year following their appointment and 
the Committee is satisfied that the advice it has received has been 
objective and independent.

Statement of voting
The following table summarises the details of votes cast in respect of 
the resolutions on the Directors’ remuneration policy at the 2020 AGM 
and the Directors' remuneration report (excluding the policy) at the 
2022 AGM.

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For

Against

Total votes cast

1,644,443,671

121,538,951

1,765,982,622

 93.12% 

 6.88% 

 100% 

Abstentions

 3,321,427 

n/a

1,612,245,424

88,630,650

1,700,876,074

 28,285,201 

 94.79% 

 5.21% 

 100% 

n/a

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Directors' remuneration policy

This section of the report sets out the 2023 Directors' remuneration 
policy which will be put to a binding vote at the AGM on 28 September 
2023 and, if approved, will apply with effect from 1 July 2023.

The current policy, which was approved by shareholders in September 
2020, can be found on the company’s website at https://
www.diageo.com/en/our-business/corporate-governance/
remuneration-at-diageo.

The Remuneration Committee discussed the details of the policy over a 
series of meetings, taking into account the strategic priorities of the 
business and evolving market practice. An external perspective was 
provided by the Remuneration Committee’s advisor and the 
Remuneration Committee Chair engaged with the company’s 20 
largest shareholders and their representatives regarding the policy 
proposals. As referenced in the Remuneration Committee Chair’s letter, 

the Committee believes the current policy continues to support the 
business strategy and therefore the new policy being put forward for 
shareholder approval remains largely the same. The key change from 
the current policy relates to the increase in post-cessation shareholding 
requirement which requires 100% of the in-service shareholding 
requirement (or, if lower, their actual shareholding on cessation) to be 
held for two years after leaving (from 100% in the first year and 50% in 
the second year under the current policy). We have improved 
disclosures by providing more detail on our malus and clawback 
policy, the shareholding requirements and the enforcement mechanism 
for the post-cessation shareholding requirements. Some minor editorial 
changes have also been made.

The Committee reserves the right to make minor changes to the policy, 
where required for regulatory, tax or administrative reasons.

Base salary
Purpose and link to strategy
Supports the attraction and retention of the best global talent with the capability to deliver Diageo’s strategy and performance goals.

Operation
• Normally reviewed annually or following a change in responsibilities with any increases usually taking effect from 1 October. 
• The Remuneration Committee considers the following parameters when reviewing base salary levels:

• Pay increases for other employees across the group.
• Economic conditions and governance trends.
• The individual’s performance, skills and responsibilities.
• Base salaries (and total remuneration) at companies of similar size and international scope to Diageo, with roles typically benchmarked against 

the FTSE 30 excluding financial services companies, or against similar comparator groups in other locations dependent on the Executive 
Director’s home market as well as global consumer goods companies.

Opportunity
Salary increases will be made in the context of the broader employee pay environment, and will normally be in line with those made to other 
employees in the relevant markets in which Diageo operates, typically the United Kingdom and the United States, unless there is a change in role or 
responsibility or other exceptional circumstances.

Benefits
Purpose and link to strategy
Provides market-competitive and cost-effective benefits as part of remuneration packages designed to attract and retain the best global talent.
Operation
• The provision of benefits typically depends on the country of residence of the Executive Director and may include but is not limited to a company 
car or travel allowance, the provision of a contracted car service or equivalent, product allowance, life insurance, accidental death and disability 
insurance, medical and dental cover, tax support and tax return preparation costs.

• The Remuneration Committee has discretion to offer additional allowances, or benefits, to Executive Directors, if considered appropriate and 
reasonable. These may include, but are not limited to, relocation expenses, housing allowance and school fees where a Director is asked to 
relocate from his/her home location as part of their appointment. Where appropriate, for example in relation to relocation benefits, the company 
may also meet the tax costs associated with the benefit provision.

Opportunity
• The benefits package is set at a level which the Remuneration Committee considers:

• provides an appropriate level of benefits depending on the role and individual circumstances;
• is appropriate in the context of the benefits offered to the wider workforce in the relevant market; and
• is in line with comparable roles in companies of a similar size and complexity in the relevant market.

Post-retirement provision
Purpose and link to strategy
Provides competitive post-retirement benefits which are part of remuneration packages designed to attract and retain the best global talent.
Operation
• Provision of market-competitive pension arrangements or a cash alternative based on a percentage of base salary.
Opportunity
• The maximum pension contribution, or cash alternative allowance, for Executive Directors is 14% of salary. The current CEO and CFO receive a 

pension contribution of 14% of salary, in line with the UK workforce. 

Annual Incentive Plan (AIP)
Purpose and link to strategy
Incentivises delivery of Diageo’s annual financial targets and the achievement of key individual objectives which are chosen to align with the 
business strategy and create a platform for sustainable longer-term performance. Compulsory deferral of a minimum of one-third of any annual 
incentive earned into shares for three years promotes longer-term alignment of Executive Directors' interests with shareholders’ interests.
Operation
• Performance measures, weightings and targets are set by the Remuneration Committee. Appropriately stretching targets are set by reference to 

the operating plan and historical and projected performance for the company and its peer group.

• The level of award is determined with reference to Diageo’s overall financial and strategic performance and individual performance.
• A minimum of one-third of the actual earned bonus payment is normally deferred into a share award (pre-tax deferral) or owned shares (post-

tax deferral) under the Deferred Bonus Share Plan, to be held for a minimum period of three years, other than in exceptional circumstances. The 
remainder of the bonus payment is paid out in cash after the end of the financial year.

• The Remuneration Committee has discretion to adjust the level of payment if it is not deemed to reflect appropriately the individual’s 

contribution or the overall business performance. Any discretionary adjustments will be detailed in the following year’s annual report on 
remuneration.

• The Remuneration Committee has discretion to apply malus or clawback to bonus as detailed in the 'Malus and Clawback' section below.
• In the case of pre-tax deferral, notional dividends accrue on deferred bonus share awards, delivered as shares or cash at the discretion of the 

Remuneration Committee at the end of the vesting period (on post-tax deferral into owned shares, actual dividends are payable).

Opportunity
For threshold performance, up to 50% of salary may be earned, with up to 100% of salary earned for on-target performance and a maximum of 
200% of salary payable for outstanding performance. The maximum includes the deferred share element but excludes dividend equivalents 
payable in respect of deferred share awards.
Performance conditions
Annual incentive plan awards are normally based 70%-100% on financial measures which may include, but are not limited to, measures of sales, 
profit and cash, and 0%-30% on broader objectives based on strategic goals and/or individual contribution.
The Remuneration Committee has discretion to amend the performance measures in exceptional circumstances if it considers it appropriate to do 
so, e.g. in cases of accounting policy changes, merger and acquisition activities or disposals. Any such amendments would be fully disclosed and 
explained in the following year’s annual report on remuneration. 

Diageo Long-Term Incentive Plan (DLTIP)
Purpose and link to strategy
Provides a long-term incentive to achieve key performance measures which support the company’s strategy, and to align interests with 
shareholders. 
Operation
• An annual grant of performance shares and/or market-price share options which vest subject to a performance test and continued 

employment, normally over a period of three years.

• Measures and stretching targets are reviewed annually by the Remuneration Committee for each new award.
• The Remuneration Committee has the authority to exercise discretion to adjust the vesting outcome based on its assessment of the overall 

business performance over the performance period. This may include the consideration of factors such as holistic performance relative to peers, 
stakeholder outcomes and significant investment projects, for example.

• Following vesting, there is normally a further retention period of two years. Executive Directors are able to exercise an option or sell sufficient 

shares to cover any tax liability when an award vests, provided they retain the net shares arising for the two-year retention period.

• Notional dividends accrue on performance share awards to the extent that the performance conditions have been met, delivered as shares or 

cash at the discretion of the Remuneration Committee at the end of the vesting period.

• The Remuneration Committee has discretion to apply malus or clawback to bonus as detailed in the 'Malus and Clawback' section below.
Opportunity
• The maximum annual grants for the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer are 500% and 480% of salary in performance share 

equivalents respectively (where a market-price option is valued at one-third of a performance share). Included within that maximum, no more 
than 375% of salary will be awarded in face-value terms in options, with the balance awarded in performance shares, to any Executive Director 
in any year.

• Awards vest at 20% of maximum for threshold performance and 100% of maximum if the performance conditions are met in full. The vesting 
schedule related to the levels of performance between threshold and maximum, including whether or not this will include an interim stretch 
performance level, will be determined by the Remuneration Committee on an annual basis and disclosed in the relevant remuneration report 
for that year. There is a ranking profile for the vesting of the part of the award based on relative total shareholder return, starting at 20% of 
maximum for achieving the threshold.

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Diageo Long-Term Incentive Plan (DLTIP) continued
Performance conditions
The vesting of awards is linked to a range of measures which may include, but are not limited to:

• a growth measure (e.g. net sales growth, operating profit growth);
• a measure of efficiency (e.g. operating margin, cumulative free cash flow, return on invested capital);
• a measure of Diageo’s performance in relation to its peers (e.g. relative total shareholder return); and
• a measure relating to our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ (environmental, social or governance) priorities.
Measures that apply to performance shares and market-price options may differ, as is the case for current awards. Weightings of these measures 
may also vary year on year.
The Remuneration Committee has discretion to amend the performance conditions in exceptional circumstances if it considers it appropriate to do 
so, e.g. in cases of accounting policy changes, merger and acquisition activities or disposals. Any such amendments would be fully disclosed and 
explained in the following year’s annual report on remuneration.
Malus and Clawback
Under the AIP and DLTIP, the Remuneration Committee has discretion to apply malus and clawback in the circumstances specified in the 
applicable malus and clawback policy from time to time in place, for example: 

• Material misstatement of results or an error resulting in overpayment. 
• Risk failure resulting in material financial loss or any business area being the subject of a regulatory investigation or in breach of regulation.
• Employee misconduct/disciplinary action.
• Employee accountability for material reputational damage to the group which could have been avoided.
• In respect of the application of malus, deterioration in the financial situation of the Group which limits the ability to fund incentive awards.
• Any other matter which, in the reasonable opinion of the Remuneration Committee, is required to be considered to comply with prevailing legal 

and/or regulatory requirements. 

The malus and clawback provisions may be invoked for one year following an AIP cash payment and two years following a DLTIP vesting. Where 
the Remuneration Committee determines that malus and/or clawback will apply, the Remuneration Committee has discretion to determine the 
basis of application and the means by which malus and/or clawback will be implemented.

The malus and clawback policy will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that the policy is compliant with any regulatory requirements, such as 
the NYSE listing rules.

All-employee share plans
Purpose and link to strategy
To encourage broader employee share ownership through locally approved plans.
Operation
• The company operates tax-efficient all-employee share acquisition plans in various jurisdictions.
• Executive Directors’ eligibility may depend on their country of residence, tax status and employment company.
Opportunity
• Limits for all-employee share plans are set by the tax authorities. The company may choose to set its own lower limits.
Performance conditions
• Under the UK Share Incentive Plan, the annual award of Freeshares may be based on Diageo plc financial measures which may include, but 

are not limited to, measures of sales, profit and cash.

Shareholding requirement
Purpose and link to strategy
• Ensures alignment between the interests of Executive Directors and shareholders.
Operation
• The minimum in-employment shareholding requirement is 500% of base salary for the Chief Executive and 400% of base salary for any other 

Executive Directors.

• Executive Directors are normally expected to build up their in-employment shareholding within five years of their appointment to the Board.
• Shares that count towards these minimum shareholding requirements are shares beneficially held by the Executive Director and their connected 
persons, including Deferred Bonus Share Plan (DBSP) shares within the three-year deferral period, on a net (if post-tax deferral)/notional net (if 
pre-tax deferral) of tax basis.

• Executive Directors are restricted from selling more than 50% of shares which vest under the long-term incentive plan or deferred bonus share 

plan (excluding the sale of shares to cover tax on vesting and other exceptional circumstances to be specifically approved by the Chief 
Executive and/or Chairman), until the shareholding requirement is met.

• In order to provide further long-term alignment with shareholders, Executive Directors will normally be expected to maintain a Diageo 

shareholding of 100% of the in-employment shareholding requirement (or, if lower, their actual shareholding on cessation) for two years after 
leaving the company.  

• The Executive Directors enter into a deed undertaking to comply with the requirement and committing to hold the required number of shares in 

a specified nominee account.

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Directors' fees
Purpose and link to strategy
• Supports the attraction and retention of world-class talent and reflects the value of the individual, their skills and experience. 
Operation
• Fees for the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors are normally reviewed every year.
• A proportion of the Chairman’s annual fee may be used for the monthly purchase of Diageo ordinary shares, which have to be retained until 

the Chairman retires from the company or ceases to be a Director.

• Fees are reviewed in light of market practice in the FTSE 30, excluding financial services companies, and anticipated workload, tasks and 

potential liabilities.

• The Chairman and Non-Executive Directors do not participate in any of the company’s incentive plans nor do they receive pension 

contributions or benefits. Their travel and accommodation expenses in connection with attendance at Board meetings (and any tax thereon) 
are paid by the company.

• The Chairman and the Non-Executive Directors are eligible to receive a product allowance or cash equivalent at the same level as the 

Executive Directors.

• All Non-Executive Directors have letters of appointment. A summary of their terms and conditions of appointment is available at 

www.diageo.com. The Chairman of the Board, Javier Ferrán, was re-appointed on 6 October 2022 for a three-year term, terminable on three 
months’ notice by either party or, if terminated by the company, by payment of three months’ fees in lieu of notice.

Opportunity
• Fees for Non-Executive Directors are within the limits set by the shareholders from time to time, with an aggregate limit of £1,750,000, excluding 

the Chairman’s fees.

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Policy considerations 

Performance measures
Further details of the performance measures under the fiscal 24 annual 
incentive plan and measures and targets for DLTIP awards to be made 
in September 2023, are set out in the annual report on remuneration, 
on page 153. Annual incentive targets will be disclosed retrospectively 
in next year’s annual report on remuneration as they are deemed by 
the Board to be commercially sensitive until after the end of the fiscal 
year. 

Performance targets are set to be stretching yet achievable, and take 
into account the company’s strategic priorities and business 
environment. The Remuneration Committee sets targets based on a 
range of reference points, including the corporate strategy and broker 
forecasts for both Diageo and its peers.

Projected total remuneration scenarios
The graphs below illustrate scenarios for the projected total 
remuneration of Executive Directors at four different levels of 
performance: minimum, target, maximum, and maximum including 
assumed share price appreciation of 50%. The impact of potential 
share price movements is excluded from the other three scenarios. 
These charts reflect projected remuneration for the year ending 30 
June 2024.

Debra Crew

Minimum

100%100%

Target

21%21%

20%20%

59%59%

Maximum

13%13%

25%25%

62%62%

Maximum plus 50% 
share price increase

10%10%

19%19%

Total $2,028 (£1,690)

Total $9,028 (£7,523)

Total $14,278 (£11,898)

71%71%

Total $18,653 (£15,544)

$’000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

Salary, benefits and pension
Annual incentive
Long-term incentives

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Minimum

100%100%

Target

23%23%

20%20%

57%57%

Maximum

15%15%

25%25%

60%60%

Maximum plus 50% 
share price increase

12%12%

19%19%

Total $1,235 (£1,029)

Total $5,287 (£4,406)

Total $8,337 (£6,947)

69%69%

Total $10,843 (£9,036)

$’000

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Salary, benefits and pension
Annual incentive
Long-term incentives

Basis of calculation and assumptions: 
The ‘Minimum’ scenario shows fixed remuneration only, i.e. base salary 
for the year ending 30 June 2024, value of benefits received in the year 
ended 30 June 2023, or the projected annual benefit value for year 
ending 30 June 2024 in the case of the newly appointed CEO, and the 
pension benefits to be accrued over the year ending 30 June 2024. 
These are the only elements of the Executive Directors’ remuneration 
packages that are not subject to performance conditions.

The ‘Target’ scenario shows fixed remuneration as described above, 
plus a target payout of 50% of the maximum annual incentive and a 
midpoint payout of 60% of the maximum long-term incentive awards.  

The ‘Maximum’ scenario reflects fixed remuneration, plus full payout of 
annual and long-term incentives. 

The ‘Maximum plus share price growth’ scenario reflects fixed 
remuneration, plus full payout of annual and long-term incentives, 
including, for the latter, an assumed 50% share price appreciation 
over the performance period.

For long-term incentives, the awards are treated as though they were 
granted entirely as performance share awards.

The amounts shown in sterling are converted using the cumulative 
weighted average exchange rate for the year ended 30 June 2023 of 
£1 = $1.20. 

Approach to recruitment remuneration 
Diageo is a global organisation selling its products in more than 180 
countries around the world. The ability to recruit and retain the best 
talent from all over the world is critical to the future success of the 
business. People diversity in all its forms is a core element of Diageo’s 
global talent strategy and, managed effectively, is a key driver in 
delivering Diageo’s Performance Ambition.

The Remuneration Committee’s overarching principle for recruitment 
remuneration is to pay no more than is necessary to attract an 
Executive Director of the calibre required to shape and deliver Diageo’s 
business strategy, recognising that Diageo competes for talent in a 
global marketplace. The Committee will seek to align any 
remuneration package with Diageo’s remuneration policy, but retains 
the discretion to offer a remuneration package which is necessary to 
meet the individual circumstances of the recruited Executive Director 
and to enable the hiring of an individual with the necessary skills and 
expertise. However, the maximum short-term and long-term incentive 
opportunity will follow the policy, although awards may be granted 
with different performance measures and targets in the first year. On 
appointment of an external Executive Director, the Committee may 
decide to compensate for variable remuneration elements the 
individual forfeits when leaving their current employer. In doing so, the 
Committee will ensure that any such compensation would have a fair 
value no higher than that of the awards forfeited, and would generally 
be determined on a comparable basis taking into account factors 
including the form in which the awards were granted, performance 
conditions attached, the probability of the awards vesting (e.g. past, 
current and likely future performance), as well as the vesting schedules. 
Depending on individual circumstances at the time, the Committee has 
the discretion to determine the type of award (i.e. cash, shares or 
options), holding period and whether or not performance conditions 
would apply.

Any such award would be fully disclosed and explained in the 
following year’s annual report on remuneration. When exercising its 
discretion in establishing the reward package for a new Executive 
Director, the Committee will carefully consider the balance between the 
need to secure an individual in the best interests of the company 
against the concerns of investors about the quantum of remuneration 
and, if considered appropriate at the time, will consult with the 
company’s biggest shareholders. The Remuneration Committee will 
provide timely disclosure of the reward package of any new Executive 
Director.

Service contracts and policy on payment for loss of office (including takeover provisions) 
Executive Directors have rolling service contracts, details of which are set out below. These are available for inspection at the company’s registered 
office. 

Executive Director

Debra Crew

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Date of service contract

28 March 2023

13 January 2021

Notice period

Mitigation

Annual Incentive Plan (AIP)

2020 Deferred Bonus Share Plan 
(DBSP)

Diageo Long-Term Incentive Plan 
(DLTIP)

Repatriation/other

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The contracts provide for a period of six months’ notice by the Executive Director or 12 months’ notice by the 
company, the same as would apply for any newly-appointed Executive Director. A payment may be made in lieu 
of notice consisting of a sum equivalent to the base salary which the Executive Director would have received for 
any notice period outstanding on the date employment ends and the cost to the company of providing 
contractual benefits for this period (including pension contributions but excluding incentive plans). 

If, on the termination date, the Executive Director has exceeded their accrued holiday entitlement, the value of 
such excess may be deducted by the company from any sums due to them. If the Executive Director, on the 
termination date, has accrued but untaken holiday entitlement, the company will, at its discretion, either require 
the Executive Director to take such unused holiday during any notice period or make a payment to them in lieu of 
it, provided that if the employment is terminated for cause then the Executive Director will not be entitled to any 
such payment.

The Remuneration Committee requires (or may exercise its discretion to require) a proportion of the termination 
payment to be paid in instalments and, upon the Executive Director commencing new employment, to be subject 
to mitigation.

Where the Executive Director leaves for reasons including retirement, death in service, disability, ill-health, injury, 
redundancy, transfer out of the group and other circumstances at the Remuneration Committee’s discretion 
during the financial year, the Executive Director is usually entitled to an incentive payment pro-rated for the period 
of service during the performance period, which is typically payable at the usual payment date unless the 
Committee decides otherwise. Where the Executive Director leaves for any other reason, no payment or bonus 
deferral will be made. The amount is subject to performance measures being met and is at the discretion of the 
Committee. The Committee has discretion to determine an earlier payment date, for example, on death in 
service. The bonus may, if the Committee decides, be paid wholly in cash.

Where the Executive Director leaves for any reason other than dismissal, they are entitled to retain any deferred 
bonus shares, which vest in full on departure, subject to any holding requirements under the post-employment 
shareholding policy. It is not considered necessary for the bonus deferral to continue to apply after leaving, since 
the bonus is already earned based on performance, and there is a post-employment shareholding requirement 
that ensures the Executive Director continues to be invested in the company’s longer-term interests. On a 
takeover, awards vest in full. On other corporate events, the Remuneration Committee may allow awards to vest 
in full.
Where the Executive Director leaves for reasons including retirement, death in service, disability, ill-health, injury, 
redundancy, transfer out of the group and other circumstances at the Remuneration Committee’s discretion 
during the financial year, awards continue in effect. Awards will vest on the original vesting date with the 
exception of death in service, when awards will vest on the date of death, in each case unless the Remuneration 
Committee decides otherwise. When an Executive Director leaves for any other reason, all unvested awards 
generally lapse immediately. The applicable retention period for vested awards continues for all leavers (other 
than in cases of disability, ill-health or death in service, where the retention period will end on the date of death or 
leaving employment), unless the Remuneration Committee decides otherwise. Where awards were granted in the 
form of options, on vesting they are generally exercisable for 12 months (or six months for approved options).

The proportion of the award released depends on the extent to which the performance condition is met. The 
number of shares is reduced on a pro-rata basis reflecting the length of time the Executive Director was employed 
by the company during the performance period, unless the Remuneration Committee decides otherwise (for 
example, in the case of death in service).  

Where an Executive Director leaves within one month of the normal vesting date of the award, awards are not 
time pro-rated, unless the Remuneration Committee decides otherwise.

On a takeover or other corporate event, awards vest subject to the extent to which the performance conditions 
are met and, unless the Remuneration Committee decides otherwise, the awards are time pro-rated. Otherwise 
the Committee, in agreement with the new company, may decide that awards should be swapped for awards 
over shares in the new company.
In cases where an Executive Director was recruited from outside the United Kingdom and has been relocated to 
the United Kingdom as part of their appointment, the company may pay reasonable repatriation costs for leavers 
at the Remuneration Committee’s discretion. The company may also pay for reasonable costs in relation to the 
termination, for example, tax, legal and outplacement support, where appropriate.

136

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

137

 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Non-Executive Directors’ unexpired terms of 
appointment 
All Non-Executive Directors are on three-year terms which are expected 
to be extended up to a total of nine years. The date of initial 
appointment to the Board and the point at which the current letter of 
appointment expires for Non-Executive Directors are shown in the table 
below.

Non-Executive Directors

Date of appointment to the 
Board

Current letter of 
appointment expires

Javier Ferrán

Susan Kilsby

Melissa Bethell

22 July 2016

4 April 2018

30 June 2020

Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet

1 January 2021

Sir John Manzoni

Lady Mendelsohn

Alan Stewart

Ireena Vittal

Karen Blackett

1 October 2020

1 September 2014

1 September 2014

2 October 2020

1 June 2022

AGM 2025

AGM 2024

AGM 2023

AGM 2024

AGM 2023

AGM 2023

AGM 2023

AGM 2023

AGM 2025

Payments under previous policies 
The Committee reserves the right to make any remuneration payments 
and payments for loss of office, notwithstanding that they are not in line 
with the policy set out above, where the terms of the payment were 
agreed (i) under a previous policy, in which case the provision of that 
policy shall continue to apply until such payments have been made; (ii) 
before the policy or the relevant legislation came into effect; or (iii) at a 
time when the relevant individual was not a director of the company 
and, in the opinion of the Committee, the payment was not in 
consideration for the individual becoming a director of the company.

Approach to stakeholder engagement
Shareholder engagement
The Committee is interested in the views of investors and maintains an 
ongoing dialogue with a broad group of shareholders and institutional 
advisors on remuneration matters. In advance of finalising our 
proposed policy to be approved at the 2023 AGM, the Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee consulted with the company's largest 
shareholders and their representatives about the policy and the 
implementation plan for fiscal 24. The responses received from 
shareholders were supportive of the proposed change to enhance the 
post-cessation shareholding requirement, as well as the planned 
implementation for fiscal 24.   

Employee engagement on executive remuneration
The Chairman of the Board led global workforce engagement sessions 
throughout the year and there were focus group sessions led by other 
Non-Executive Directors (more information can be found in the 
corporate governance section on page 110). As part of this 
engagement, there was a session where the Chairman shared 
information with employees about executive remuneration, including 
the Directors' remuneration policy, the role of the Remuneration 
Committee, executive remuneration principles and structure and how 
executive pay aligns with pay for the wider workforce.

Diageo also runs annual employee engagement surveys, which gives 
employees the opportunity to give feedback and express their views on 
a variety of topics, including remuneration. Any comments relating to 
Executive Directors' remuneration are fed back to the Remuneration 
Committee.

These activities ensure that shareholder views and interests, as well as 
the all-employee reward context at Diageo, are considered when 
making executive remuneration decisions.

Consideration of wider workforce remuneration
When reviewing Executive Directors’ salaries, the Committee takes into 
account the company’s salary budgets for key geographies and, each 
year, the Committee has a session reviewing various aspects of 
workforce remuneration to deepen its understanding of employee pay 
arrangements. There is clear alignment in the approach to pay for 
executives and the wider workforce in the way that remuneration 
principles are followed, as well as the mechanics of the salary review 
process and incentive plan design, which are broadly consistent 
throughout the organisation. The performance measures under the 
annual incentive plan and long-term incentive plan are the same for 
executives and other eligible employees. The key differences are that a 
larger percentage of Executive Directors' remuneration is performance 
related than that of other employees and salary, benefits and incentive 
participation levels vary according to role, seniority and business 
priorities.

When reviewing the Directors’ remuneration policy, the Committee 
considered the remuneration arrangements for the workforce globally, 
as well as market practice in the FTSE 30 (excluding financial services) 
and Diageo’s global consumer peer group. The Chairman also 
explains the Directors’ remuneration policy to employees and seeks 
their feedback as part of the workforce engagement sessions, as 
described above. Given the minimal changes proposed for the 2023 
Directors’ remuneration policy, employees were not specifically 
consulted on this.

Annual report on remuneration

The following section provides details of how the company’s 2020 remuneration policy was implemented during the year ended 30 June 2023, and 
how the Remuneration Committee intends to implement the proposed remuneration policy in the year ending 30 June 2024. 

Single total figure of remuneration for Executive Directors (audited)
The table below details the Executive Directors’ remuneration for the year ended 30 June 2023.

Ivan Menezes(1) (2)

Debra Crew(1) (2)

Lavanya Chandrashekar(1)

2023

£ '000

2023

$ '000

2022

£ '000

2022

$ '000

2023

£ '000

2023

$ '000

2022

£ '000

2022

$ '000

2023

£ '000

2023

$ '000

2022

£ '000

2022

$ '000

Fixed pay
Salary (3) 
Benefits (4)
Pension(5)
Total fixed pay(9)

Performance 
related pay
Annual incentive(6)
Long-term 
incentives(7) 
Other incentives (8)

Total variable 
pay(9)

Total single figure 
of remuneration(9)

£1,403  

$1,683 

£1,277   

$1,699 

£105  

$126 

£124  

$149 

— 

— 

£133   

£209   

$177 

$278 

£4  

£10  

£1,527  

$1,832 

£1,619   

$2,153   

£120 

$5 

$13 

$145 

£1,019 

$1,223 

£2,413    $3,209   

£79 

$95 

£8,036   $9,643 

£3,312    $4,405 

£204  

$245 

— 

— 

—   

—   

— 

— 

  £9,055 

  $10,866 

£5,724   

$7,613   

£284 

$340 

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

£831  

£53  

£110  

$997 

$63 

$133 

£733   

$975 

£429   

£103   

$571 

$138 

£993  

$1,193 

£1,265   

$1,684 

n/a  

£603 

$723 

£1,320   

$1,755 

n/a

n/a  

£286  

$343 

£3 

$4 

£121   

n/a

$161 

n/a

n/a  

£892 

  $1,070 

£1,440   

$1,916 

  £10,582 

  $12,698 

£7,343    $9,767   

£403 

$485 

n/a

n/a  

£1,885 

  $2,263 

  £2,706    $3,599 

Notes
(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Exchange 
rate

CEO 
transition

The amounts shown in US dollars are converted to sterling using the cumulative weighted average exchange rate for the respective financial year. For the year 
ended 30 June 2023, the exchange rate was £1 = $1.20 and for the year ended 30 June 2022, the exchange rate was £1 = $1.33. Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew 
and Lavanya Chandrashekar are paid in US dollars.

Ivan Menezes' pay and benefits reflects time served in fiscal 2023 up to and including the date of his death-in-service, which was also his last day of 
employment (6 June 2023). Debra Crew's pay and benefits reflect the period 5 to 30 June 2023 only, following her appointment as interim CEO on 5 June 
2023 and CEO and Executive Director on 8 June 2023.

Salary

Ivan Menezes' salary figure includes an amount of £42k in respect of untaken annual leave. 

Benefits

The benefits numbers include the gross value of all taxable benefits. For Ivan Menezes, these include medical insurance (£17k), company car allowance (£17k), 
contracted car service (£19k), tax return preparation (£68k), product allowance, life and long-term disability cover. Debra Crew's benefits for the period 5 to 30 
June include flexible benefits allowance (£1.2k), travel allowance (£798), tax return preparation (£1.4k), product allowance and life and long-term disability 
cover. Lavanya Chandrashekar's benefits include flexible benefits allowance (£20k), travel allowance (£11k), tax return preparation (£14.4k), product allowance 
and life and long-term disability cover.

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Pension benefits earned during the year represents the increase in the pension fund balances over the year in the Diageo North America Inc. pension plans 
over and above the increase due to inflation. Ivan Menezes was a deferred member of the UK Diageo Pension Scheme (DPS) since 31 January 2012 and the 
pension amount that accrued in excess of inflation over each of 2022 and 2023 under this scheme was nil. Debra Crew started to accrue benefits in the 
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) from 1 October 2022. Lavanya Chandrashekar started accruing benefits in the SERP from 1 July 2021. The 
company pension contribution has been 14% of salary from 1 January 2023 for all Executive Directors, aligned to the rate for the UK workforce.

The performance achieved under the fiscal 23 annual incentive plan resulted in an outcome of 32.5% of maximum for the financial elements of the plan, which 
represented 80% of the maximum incentive opportunity. Taking account of performance against Individual Business Objectives (IBOs), the annual incentive 
payout is 37.25% of maximum for Ivan Menezes, 35.38% of maximum for Debra Crew and 36.0% of maximum for Lavanya Chandrashekar. For Debra Crew, 
the 2023 amount reflects the period 5 to 30 June 2023 (as a proportion of the financial year).
In accordance with their elections to defer post-tax, one-third of the annual incentive for fiscal 23 shown in the table above for Debra Crew (which relates to the 
period 5 to 30 June 2023) and Lavanya Chandrashekar will be deferred into owned shares which are held for three years in a nominee account. The annual 
incentive for Ivan Menezes will be paid entirely in cash, the Committee having exercised discretion to waive the one-third deferral into shares (see page 150 for 
more details.

Long-term incentives represent the estimated gain (based on the average three-month ADR price to 30 June 2023 of $178.52) delivered through share options 
and performance shares where performance conditions have been met in the respective financial year. It also includes the value of additional shares earned in 
lieu of dividends on these vested performance shares. For Ivan Menezes, the 2023 long-term incentives amount comprises performance shares and share 
options awarded in 2020 and vesting at 98.7% and 77.5% of maximum respectively. For Debra Crew, the 2023 amount reflects the period 5 to 30 June (as a 
proportion of the three-year performance period). The 2020 performance shares and share options were granted before she became an Executive Director, 
and due to a slightly different vesting schedule for awards granted below the Board, vested at 98.8% and 77.5% of maximum respectively. Lavanya 
Chandrashekar's 2020 performance share award was also granted before she became an Executive Director and vested at 98.8% of maximum.
Of the 2023 long-term incentive amounts shown in the table above, £2,954k for Ivan Menezes, £67k for Debra Crew and £72k for Lavanya Chandrashekar 
related to share price appreciation over the fiscal 21 to fiscal 23 performance period.
For 2022, long-term incentives comprise performance shares and share options awarded in 2019 that vested in September 2022 at 59.3% and 61.5% of 
maximum respectively for Ivan Menezes and performance shares that vested at 59.8% for Lavanya Chandrashekar, including dividend equivalents on 
performance shares. 2020 long-term incentive amounts have been restated to reflect the ADR share price on the vesting date of $175.09 instead of the average 
three-month ADR share price used in last year’s report of $190.22. 

Other incentives include the grant face value of awards made under the all-employee share plans. Awards do not have performance conditions attached.  

Page 
143

Page 
140

Page 
141

(5)

Pension 

(6)

Annual
incentive

(7)

Long-term 
incentives

Other 
incentives

(8)

(9)

Totals

Some figures and sub-totals add up to slightly different amounts than the totals due to rounding.

138

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

139

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Looking back on 2023

Annual incentive plan (AIP) payouts for 2023 (audited) 
AIP payout for the year ended 30 June 2023 
AIP payouts for all of the Executive Directors serving during the year are based 80% on performance against the group financial measures and 
20% on performance against Individual Business Objectives (IBOs), as assessed by the Remuneration Committee and summarised in the table 
below.  

Group financial measures(1)

Measure

Payout opportunity (% maximum)
Net sales (% growth)(2)
Operating profit (% growth)(2)
Operating cash conversion(3)

Full year performance for 1 July 2022 - 30 June 2023

Individual business objectives

Measure (IBOs equally weighted) and target
Ivan Menezes Chief Executive

Weighting Result

 20.00 %

Weighting

Threshold

Maximum

Actual

 25% 

 3.5% 

 2.5% 

Target

 50% 

 6.5% 

 7.5% 

 100% 

 9.5% 

 12.5% 

 95.0% 

 100.0% 

 105.0% 

 6.5% 

 7.0% 

 93.3% 

 26.67% 

 26.67% 

 26.67% 

 80.00% 

 10.00 % • We gained or held total trade market share in markets that total 70% of our 

net sales in fiscal 23(6) 

Payout
(% of total AIP 
opportunity)

 13.34% 

 12.67% 

 — 

 26.00% 

Payout
(% of total AIP 
opportunity)

 11.25% 

 5.00% 

 10.00 % Positive drinking targets for fiscal 23 have been exceeded as set out below:

 6.25% 

• By the end of fiscal 23, we had educated just under 2 million people on the 

dangers of underage drinking, far exceeding the target.

• The 2030 target of reaching 1 billion people with dedicated responsible 
drinking messaging has been met several years earlier than planned.

• Significant achievement with Diageo markets across the world reaching 31,600 

people with business and hospitality skills training. 

Lavanya Chandrashekar Chief Financial Officer

 20.00 %

 10.00 % • Achieved a performance level just below AOP for fiscal 23.

 10.00% 

 3.75% 

 10.00 % There has been over delivery on the finance transformation milestones for fiscal 23 

 6.25% 

as follows:
• Delivered a new integrated customer account solution into six markets making 

customer set up time faster than the target of 10 business days.

• Delivered finance productivity savings of greater than £18m.
• Closure of 100% of all audit management actions, where these were required.
• SLA improvement target exceeded for high priority incidents and just under 

target for critical incidents.

Global market share performance
• Grow or hold total trade market share in 2/3rds 

of total net sales in measured markets.

Positive drinking
Continued improvement in Positive Drinking in 
fiscal 23
• Educate 809,000 people on the dangers of 

underage drinking.

• Progress towards a cumulative total of 1 billion 
people with dedicated responsible drinking 
messaging by 2030.

• Help create a thriving hospitality sector post 

Covid-19 where responsible drinking is the norm 
by reaching 19,400 people by the end of fiscal 
23 through skills building programmes.

Global operating margin
• Deliver Operating Margin in line with fiscal 23 

Annual Operating Plan (AOP). 

Finance Transformation
• Reduce time taken to set up customers in 

specified markets, thereby increasing speed to 
market and supporting growth.

• Reduce finance organisation costs (people and 

indirect) by £10 million.

• Close 80% of audit management action plans 

on time.

• Improve Service Level Agreement(SLA) 

performance by resolving 80% of both critical 
and high priority incidents within the specified 
SLA timeframe.

Payout

Ivan Menezes(4),(5)
Debra Crew(4),(5)
Lavanya Chandrashekar(4),(5)

Group
(weighted 80%)

IBO
(weighted 20%)

Total
(% max)

Total
(% annual salary)

Total 
(’000)4  GBP 

Total
 (’000) USD

 26.00% 

 26.00% 

 26.00% 

 11.25% 

 9.38% 

 10.00% 

 37.25% 

 35.38% 

 36.00% 

 69.40% 

 5.40% 

 72.00% 

£1,019  

$1,223 

£79  

£603  

$95 

$723 

(1)   Performance against the AIP measures is calculated using 2023 budgeted exchange rates and is measured on a currency-neutral basis.
(2)   For AIP purposes, Net Sales Value (NSV) growth and Operating Profit (OP) growth are calculated on budgeted currency exchange rates, after adjustments for acquisitions and disposals 

and incorporates the organic treatment of hyperinflationary economies.

(3)   For AIP purposes, Operating Cash Conversion (OCC) is calculated by dividing cash generated from operations excluding cash inflows/outflows in respect of exceptional items, 

dividends, maturing inventories and post-employment payments in excess of the amount charged to operating profit by operating profit before depreciation, amortisation, impairment 
and exceptional items. The measure incorporates the organic treatment of hyperinflationary economies. The ratio is stated at the budgeted exchange rate for the year.

(4)   AIP payments are calculated using base salary as at 30 June 2023, in line with the global policy that applies to other employees across the company. For Ivan Menezes, the payment 
reflects time employed in fiscal 23 up to and including 6 June 2023. For Debra Crew, the payment disclosed reflects the period 5 to 30 June, covering the period from appointment as 
interim CEO on 5 June 2023 to the end of the fiscal year and is based on her CEO salary which applied from 5 June 2023. 

(5)   In accordance with the 2020 remuneration policy and their individual elections to defer post tax, one-third of Debra Crew's and Lavanya Chandrashekar's after tax AIP payout disclosed 
in the table above will be deferred into Diageo shares, which will be held for three years in a nominee account. These shares will be acquired in September 2023 and the number of 
shares will be disclosed in the 2024 remuneration report. The Committee waived the deferral requirement in respect of Ivan Menezes.

(6)   Market share reflects internal estimates incorporating Nielsen, Association of Canadian Distillers, CGA, Dichter and Neira, Frontline, Intage, IRI, ISCAM, NABCA, Scentia, State 

Monopolies, TRAC, Ipsos and other third-party providers.

(7)   No discretion was exercised by the Remuneration Committee in determining the AIP outcome. 

Long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) vesting in 2023 (audited) 
Long-term incentive awards are made under the Diageo Long-Term Incentive Plan (DLTIP), which was approved by shareholders at the AGM in 
September 2014, which will be presented for shareholder renewal at the AGM in September 2023. Awards are designed to incentivise Executive 
Directors and senior managers to deliver long-term sustainable performance and are subject to performance conditions measured over a three-year 
period. Awards are granted on an annual basis in both performance shares and share options. Awards granted to Executive Directors vest at 20% 
of maximum for threshold performance, and 100% of the award will vest if the performance conditions are met in full, with a straight-line payout 
between threshold and maximum. 

Share options – granted in September 2020, vesting in September 2023 (audited) 
In September 2020, Ivan Menezes and Debra Crew (although not an Executive Director at the time of grant) received share option awards over 
ADRs under the DLTIP, with an exercise price of $133.88. The award was subject to a performance condition assessed over a three-year period 
based on the achievement of the following equally weighted performance measures:

• Relative total shareholder return (TSR) ranked against the TSR of a peer group of international drinks and consumer goods companies; and
• Cumulative free cash flow (FCF) 

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The vesting profile for grants to Executive Directors for relative TSR is shown below: 

TSR ranking (out of 17)

Vesting (% max)

TSR ranking (out of 17)

Vesting (% max)

TSR peer group (16 companies)

1st, 2nd or 3rd

4th

5th

6th

 100 

 95 

 75 

 65 

7th

8th

9th

10th or below

 55 

 45 

 20 

 0 

AB Inbev

Brown-Forman

Carlsberg

Heineken

Pernod Ricard

Kimberly-Clark

Procter & Gamble

L'Oréal

Reckitt Benckiser

The Coca-Cola Company Mondelēz International Unilever

Colgate-Palmolive

Groupe Danone

Nestlé

PepsiCo

Performance shares – awarded in September 2020, vesting in September 2023 (audited) 
In September 2020, Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar (Ms Crew and Ms Chandrashekar were not Executive Directors at the 
time of grant) received performance share awards under the DLTIP. Awards vest after a three-year period subject to the achievement of three 
performance conditions outlined below:  

• Organic Net Sales Value (NSV) growth (weighted 40%);
• Profit Before Exceptional items and Tax (PBET) growth (weighted 40%); and 
• ESG measures (water efficiency, carbon reduction, positive drinking & diversity & inclusion) weighted 20%.

Notional dividends accrue on awards and are paid out either in cash or shares on the number of shares which vest.

Notes
The AIP payout for Debra Crew is based 80% on performance against the group financial measures as noted in the table at the top of this page 
and 20% on performance against IBOs. Debra Crew's IBOs for fiscal 23 related to her role as Chief Operating Officer (COO), prior to appointment 
as CEO late in the financial year following the death in service of Ivan Menezes. The first of two equally weighted IBOs for the COO role (growing or 
holding total trade market share in 2/3rds of total net shares in measured markets) was aligned to Ivan Menezes's goal and was achieved. Ms 
Crew's second IBO for the COO role was to grow value market share in North America Total Beverage Alcohol, whilst driving operating margin in 
line with Annual Operating Plan (AOP) targets and there was satisfactory delivery under this IBO. The resulting overall IBO outcome was 9.38% out 
of a total of 20%.

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141

 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Vesting outcome for 2020 performance share and share option awards in September 2023 (audited)
The 2020 performance share award vested at 98.7% of maximum for Ivan Menezes and 98.8% of maximum for Debra Crew and Lavanya 
Chandrashekar. The 2020 share options vested at 77.5% of maximum for Ivan Menezes and Debra Crew, as detailed below:

Vesting of 2020 DLTIP(5)

Weighting

Threshold

Midpoint

Maximum

Actual

Vesting if performance achieved (% maximum)
Organic net sales growth (NSV)(1)
Profit before exceptional items and tax (PBET) growth(2)

Carbon reduction (ESG)

Water efficiency (ESG)

Positive drinking (ESG)

Inclusion & diversity - % female leaders globally (ESG)

Inclusion & diversity - % ethnically diverse leaders 
globally (ESG)

Vesting of performance shares (% maximum)
Cumulative free cash flow (FCF)(3)
Relative total shareholder return(4)

Vesting of share options (% maximum)

20%/25% 60%/62.5%

 40.0% 

 40.0% 

 5.0% 

 5.0% 

 5.0% 

 2.5% 

 4.0% 

 4.5% 

 6.3% 

 5.8% 

0.75m

 41.0% 

 6.0% 

 8.25% 

 10.3% 

 8.5% 

1.0m

 100% 

 8.0% 

 12.0% 

 14.3% 

 11.2% 

1.25m

 14.5% 

 16.5% 

 14.7% 

 9.4% 

2.2m

 42.0% 

 43.0% 

 44.0% 

 2.5% 

 38.0% 

 39.0% 

 40.0% 

 43.0% 

 50.0%  £6,200m

£7,200m £8,200m £8,404m

 50.0% 

9th

–

3rd

7th

Ivan Menezes 
vesting
(% maximum)(5)

Debra Crew vesting
(% maximum)(5)(6)

Lavanya 
Chandrashekar 
vesting
(% maximum)(5)(6)

 40.0% 

 40.0% 

 5.0% 

 3.7% 

 5.0% 

 2.5% 

 2.5% 

 98.7% 

 50.0% 

 27.5% 

 77.5% 

 40.0% 

 40.0% 

 5.0% 

 3.8% 

 5.0% 

 2.5% 

 2.5% 

 98.8% 

 50.0% 

 27.5% 

 77.5% 

 40.0% 

 40.0% 

 5.0% 

 3.8% 

 5.0% 

 2.5% 

 2.5% 

 98.8% 

n/a

n/a

n/a

(1)  Net  Sales  Value  (NSV)  growth  is  calculated  on  budgeted  currency  exchange  rates,  after  adjustments  for  acquisitions  and  disposals  and  incorporates  the  organic  treatment  of 

hyperinflationary economies.

(2)   Profit before exceptionals and tax growth is presented on a constant currency basis and it excludes the impact of acquisitions and disposals. The impact of hyperinflation on operating 

profit is considered under the same organic methodology as for net sales while the impact on other lines (primarily on finance charges) is excluded. This metric also includes adjustment 
to exclude the fair value remeasurement of contingent considerations, earn out arrangements and biological assets and to exclude post-employment credits. Furthermore, the metric 
excluded the interest on current year’s share repurchase program (SRP) and excludes the year-over-year change of M&A related interest.

(3)  Cumulative FCF is based on the outcome for each of the three years within the performance period, measured before exceptional items and on an FX neutral basis by adjusting actual 

outcomes back to the base year exchange rates, and incorporates the organic treatment of hyperinflationary economies. Furthermore, the cash flow impact of any material business 
development activities such as share repurchase programmes, acquisitions and disposals, which were not known and planned at the beginning of the vesting period, are excluded from 
the 3-year performance.

(4)  Relative total shareholder return (TSR) is measured as the percentage growth in Diageo’s share price (assuming all dividends and capital distributions are re-invested) compared to the 
TSR of a peer group of 16 international drinks and consumer goods companies. TSR calculations are based on an averaging period of 6 months and converted to a common currency 
(US dollars). Calculation is performed and provided by FIT.

(5)   No discretion was exercised by the Remuneration Committee in determining the long-term incentive outcomes.
(6)  At the time of grant of the 2020 awards, Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar were not Executive Directors. The vesting schedule for awards granted to executives below the Board 

has a threshold vesting of 25% of maximum (62.5% at midpoint). Vesting at threshold for awards granted to Executive Directors is 20% of maximum (60.0% at midpoint). No options 
were granted to Lavanya Chandrashekar in 2020 as she was not on the Executive Committee at the time of grant.

Summary of performance share awards and options vesting (audited)

Ivan Menezes

Performance shares

03/09/2020

Award

Award Date

Share options

03/09/2020

Debra Crew

Performance shares

03/09/2020

Lavanya 
Chandrashekar

Share options

03/09/2020

Performance shares

03/09/2020

Awarded
(ADRs)

43,377

43,377
1,176(2)
714(2)

1,827

 Vesting
(% Max)

Vesting
(ADRs)

Option price

ADR price

Dividend 
equivalent 
share

Estimated 
value
($'000)(1)

Estimated 
value
(£'000)

 98.7%   

42,813   

—   

$178.52   

2,796   

$8,142   

£6,785 

 77.5%   

33,617   

$133.88   

$178.52   

 98.8% 

1,161

$178.52   

—   

75   

 77.5%   

553   

$133.88   

$178.52 

 98.8%   

1,805   

—   

$178.52 

117  

$343   

$1,501   

£1,251 

$221   

$25   

£184 

£21 

£286 

Pensions and benefits in the year ended 30 June 2023 
Benefits provisions for the Executive Directors are in accordance with the information set out in the Directors’ remuneration policy. 

Pension arrangements (audited)
Ivan Menezes was a member of the Diageo North America Inc. Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP), with an accrual rate of 20% of 
base salary until 1 January 2023 when it was reduced to 14% of base salary, until his date of death of 6 June 2023. Debra Crew and Lavanya 
Chandrashekar are members of the SERP with an accrual rate of 14% of base salary respectively during the year ended 30 June 2023. The SERP is 
an unfunded, non-qualified supplemental retirement programme. Under the plan, accrued company contributions are subject to quarterly interest 
credits. Under the rules of the SERP, Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar can withdraw the balance of the plan six months after leaving service 
or age 55, if later and the balance may be withdrawn in either a lump sum or five equal annual instalments, depending on the size of the balance. 

Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar participated in the US Cash Balance Plan and the Benefit Supplemental Plan (BSP), until 
August 2012, 30 September 2022 and June 2021 respectively, and have accrued benefits under both plans. The Cash Balance Plan is a qualified 
funded pension arrangement. Employer contributions were 10% of pay capped at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) limit. The BSP is a non-qualified 
unfunded arrangement; notional employer contributions were 10% of pay above the IRS limit. Interest (notional for the BSP) is credited quarterly on 
both plans. 

Ivan Menezes was also a member of the Diageo Pension Scheme (DPS) in the United Kingdom between 1 February 1997 and 30 November 1999. 
The accrual of pensionable service ceased in 1999 but the linkage to salary remained until January 2012.    

Upon death in service on 6 June 2023, a life insurance benefit of $3 million became payable by the insurance provider for Ivan Menezes. In the 
event of death in service, a lump sum of six times base salary is payable to Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar. 

The table below shows the pension benefits accrued by each Executive Director as at year end (or to 6 June 2023 in the case of Ivan Menezes). The 
accrued United Kingdom benefits for Ivan Menezes are annual pension amounts, whereas the accrued US benefits for Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew 
and Lavanya Chandrashekar are one-off cash balance amounts. 

Executive Director
Ivan Menezes(1)
Debra Crew(2)
Lavanya Chandrashekar(3)

30 June 2023

30 June 2022

UK pension 
£'000 p.a.

75 

Nil  

Nil  

US benefit 
£'000

9,563 

761 

413 

UK pension 
£'000 p.a.

75   

Nil  

Nil  

US benefit 
£'000

9,251 

761 

302 

(1) 

Ivan Menezes' US benefits are higher at 6 June 2023  than at 30 June 2022 by £312k. The breakdown of this relates to £452k of which is due to pension benefits earned over the year 
(none of which is over and above the increase due to inflation – as reported in the single figure of remuneration, see page 139), £103k of which is due to interest earned on his deferred 
US benefits until his death in service and a reduction of (£243k) which is due to exchange rate movements over the year.

(2)   Debra Crew's US benefits are the same at 30 June 2023 than at the date of her appointment to interim CEO and Executive Director and CEO. The breakdown of this relates to £10k of 

which is due to pension benefits earned over the year (all of which is over and above the increase due to inflation – as reported in the single figure of remuneration, see page 139), £1k of 
which is due to interest earned on her deferred US benefits over the year and a reduction of (£11k) of which is due to exchange rate movements over the year.

(3)    Lavanya Chandrashekar's US benefits are higher at 30 June 2023 than at 30 June 2022 by £111k. The breakdown of this relates to £122k of which is due to pension benefits earned over 

the year (£110k of which is over and above the increase due to inflation – as reported in the single figure of remuneration, see page 139),  £7k of which is due to interest earned on her 
deferred US benefits over the year and a reduction of (£18k) of which is due to exchange rate movements over the year.

The Normal Retirement Age applicable to each Director’s benefits depends on the pension scheme, as outlined below. 

Executive Director

Ivan Menezes

Debra Crew

Lavanya Chandrashekar

UK benefits
(DPS)

US benefits 
(Cash Balance Plan)

US benefits 
(BSP)

US benefits 
(SERP)

60

n/a

n/a

65

65

65

6 months after leaving service

6 months after leaving service

6 months after leaving service, or age 55 if later

6 months after leaving service, or age 55 if later

6 months after leaving service, or age 55 if later

6 months after leaving service, or age 55 if later

G
O
V
E
R
N
A
N
C
E

R
E
P
O
R
T

(1)   The total long-term incentives value shown in the single figure of remuneration on page 139 is split between performance shares and share options in the table above and is based on an 

average ADR price for the last three months of the fiscal year ($178.52).

(2)  The value of performance share awards and options awarded and vesting included in the table above for Debra Crew are pro-rata amounts reflecting the period from 5 to 30 June as a 
proportion of the three-year performance period, as shown in the single figure of remuneration on page 139. The 1,176 pro-rata performance shares awarded comprises 714 performance 
shares granted under the DLTIP (total award of 30,076 ADRs) and 462 performance shares granted under the DESAP (total award of 19,494 ADRs), which was granted in recognition of 
equity which was forfeited on joining Diageo. The pro-rata share options number reflects 714 share options granted under the DLTIP (total award of 30,076 ADRs)

In considering the vesting outcome of the 2020 DLTIP awards, the Remuneration Committee was especially cognisant of investor concerns around 
the potential risk of windfall gains following volatility in global stock markets at the time of grant as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 
Committee considered a number of factors including share price movement over the performance period (up 26%), Diageo's underlying financial 
performance, historical award and vesting levels and absolute award value. The Committee noted that the 2020 DLTIP awards were made in 
September 2020 and, in line with usual Diageo practice, the number of awards granted was determined using a six-month average share price up 
to 30 June. This helps to smooth out share price volatility and, at $143.63 for the 2020 grants, the price used to calculate the awards was only 
around 10% lower than the prior year's price. The Committee considered Diageo’s overall business performance and value created for shareholders 
and other relevant factors over the period and determined that the outcomes were fair and appropriate and made no adjustment to the payouts. It 
also considered the level of difficulty of the targets set at a time of uncertainty and determined that the vesting outcome was consistent with Diageo's 
long-term performance and returns to shareholders. Diageo's compound annual growth in net sales and profit over this period have also been at 
the top end of the global peer group.

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143

 
 
 
 
 
 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Long-term incentive awards made during the year ended 30 June 2023 (audited)

Outstanding share plan interests (audited)

On 3 September 2022, Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar received awards of performance shares and market-priced share 
options under the DLTIP based on a percentage of base salary as outlined below. Ms Crew was not an Executive Director at the time of grant. The 
three-year period over which performance will be measured is 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. 

The performance measures and targets for awards made in September 2022 are outlined below. Net sales and profit before exceptional items and 
tax are key levers for driving top and bottom line growth. The free cash flow measure was selected because it represents a robust measure of cash 
performance consistent with typical external practice and is a key strategic priority. Total shareholder return, the only relative performance measure 
under the plan, provides good alignment with shareholder interests and increases the leverage based on share price growth. Finally, the 
environmental, social and governance (ESG) measure (20% of total performance share award), which was introduced in 2020, reinforces the 
stretching and strategically important goals under the ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ambition, Diageo’s 10-year action plan to help create an 
inclusive and sustainable world. The definition of the ESG measures was set out on page 130 of the annual remuneration report for fiscal 22. 

Performance shares

Share options

Organic profit 
before 
exceptional items 
and tax growth

Organic net 
sales growth

Reduction in 
greenhouse gas 

emission Water efficiency

Changed 
attitudes on  
dangers of 
underage 
drinking

% Female 
leaders

% Ethnically 
diverse leaders

Cumulative free cash flow(1) 

 40% 

 40% 

 5% 

 5% 

 5% 

 2.5% 

 2.5% 

 50% 

2022 DLTIP

Weighting

Relative TSR

 50% 

Target range 4.5% - 8.5%

5% - 12% 10.7% - 17.6% 6.3% - 12.1%  2.6m - 4.0m 45% - 47% 42% - 44% $10,175m - $12,569m Median - upper quintile

(1)

The cumulative free cash flow (FCF) targets have been restated in USD following the change in reporting currency from fiscal 24 onwards (original GBP target range was £7,650m - 
£9,450m). More details can be found on page 36.

20% (25% for Ms Crew as the awards were made before she became an Executive Director) of DLTIP awards will vest at threshold, with vesting in a 
straight line up to 100% if the maximum level of performance is achieved. As explained in the remuneration policy, one performance share is 
deemed equal in value at grant to three share options. 

Executive Director

Ivan Menezes

Ivan Menezes

Debra Crew

Debra Crew

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Date of grant

Plan

02/09/2022 DLTIP - share options

02/09/2022 DLTIP - performance shares

02/09/2022 DLTIP - share options

02/09/2022 DLTIP - performance shares

02/09/2022 DLTIP - share options

02/09/2022 DLTIP - performance shares

Share type

Awards made 
during the year

Exercise 
price

Face value
$'000

Face value
(% of salary)

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

33,845  

33,845  

$176.95   

—   

26,629  

$176.95   

26,629  

18,512  

18,512  

—   

$176.95   

—   

$6,610 

$6,610 

$5,200 

$5,200 

$3,615 

$3,615 

 375 %

 375 %

 360 %

 360 %

 360 %

 360 %

The proportion of the awards outlined above that will vest is dependent on the achievement of performance conditions and continued employment, 
and the actual value received may be nil. The vesting outcomes will be disclosed in the 2025 annual remuneration report. 

In accordance with the plan rules, the number of performance shares and share options granted under the DLTIP was calculated by using the 
average closing ADR price for the last six months of the preceding financial year ($195.29). This price is used to determine the face value in the table 
above. In accordance with the plan rules, the exercise price was calculated using the average closing ADR price of the three days preceding the 
grant date ($176.95). 

Plan name 

Date of 
award

Performance 
period

Year of 
vesting

Award 
calculation 
share price

Exercise price

Number of 
shares/
options at 30 
June 2022 (1)

Granted

Vested/
exercised

Dividend 
equivalent 
Shares 
released

Number of 
shares/
options at 30 
June 2023

Lapsed

2021

2022

2020

Sep 2017

Sep 2018

Sep 2019

2018-2021

2017-2020

2019-2022

Sep 2020 2020-2023

Ivan Menezes
DLTIP – share options(3)
DLTIP – share options(3)
DLTIP – share options(3)
Total vested but unexercised share options in Ordinary shares(2) 
DLTIP - share options(4) (5) (9)
DLTIP – share options(6) (9) (11)
DLTIP - share options(7) (9) (11)
Total unvested share options subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)
2019-2022
DLTIP - performance shares
DLTIP - performance shares(4) (5) (9) Sep 2020 2020-2023
DLTIP - performance shares(6) (9) 
DLTIP - performance shares(7) (9)
Total unvested shares subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)

2022-2025

2022-2025

2021-2024

2021-2024

Sep 2022

Sep 2022

Sep 2019

Sep 2021

Sep 2021

2025

2024

2023

2022   $160.46 

2023   $143.63 

2024   $174.97 

2025   $195.29 

2023

Sep 2021

2021-2024

2024
2025

Sep 2020 2020-2023

Sep 2020 2020-2023

Sep 2021
Sep 2022

2021-2024
2022-2025

Debra Crew
DLTIP - share options(4) (5)
DLTIP – share options(6) (11)
DLTIP - share options(7) (11)
Total unvested share options subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)
DLTIP - performance shares(4) (5)
DLTIP - performance shares(6)
DLTIP - performance shares(7)
2022-2025
DESAP - performance shares(4)(5)(8) Sep 2020 2020-2023
DESAP - performance shares(8)
DESAP - performance shares(8)
DESAP - performance shares(8)
Total unvested shares subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)
DESAP – restricted stock units (8)
DESAP – restricted stock units (8)
DESAP – restricted stock units (8)
Total unvested shares not subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2), (8)

2024-2026

2023-2025

2025-2027

Mar 2022

Mar 2022

Mar 2022

Mar 2022

Mar 2022

Mar 2022

Sep 2022

2023   $143.63 

2024   $174.97 

2025   $195.29 

2023   $143.63 

2026   $197.06 

2027   $197.06 

2028   $197.06 

2027   $197.06 

2028   $197.06 

2029   $197.06 

2021

2021

2024

Sep 2021

Sep 2018

Sep 2018

Sep 2022

2018-2021

2018-2021

2021-2024

Lavanya Chandrashekar
DLTIP – share options(3)
DLTIP – share options(3)
Total vested but unexercised share options in Ordinary shares(2)
DLTIP – share options(6) (11)
DLTIP – share options(7) (11)
Total unvested share options subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)
DLTIP – performance shares
DLTIP – performance shares(4) (5)
DLTIP – performance shares(6)
DLTIP – performance shares(7)
Total unvested shares subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2)
DLTIP – restricted stock units (10)
DLTIP – restricted stock units (10)
Total unvested shares not subject to performance in Ordinary shares(2),(10)

Sep 2020 2020-2023

Sep 2020 2020-2023

Sep 2019 2019-2022

2022-2025

2022-2025

2019-2022

2021-2024

Sep 2022

Sep 2019

Sep 2021

2025

2022   $160.46 

2023   $143.63 

2024   $174.97 

2025   $195.29 

2022   $160.46 

2023   $143.63 

  $134.06   

14,098 

  $140.89   

4,284 

  $170.28   

38,827 

  $133.88 

43,377

  $194.75   

36,675 

  $176.95 

33,845

14,949

12,248

22,574

38,827

43,377 

36,675 

33,845

23,024

1,476

15,803

12,248

22,574

  $133.88 

  $194.75   
  $176.95 

30,076

27,019 

26,629

26,629

30,076

27,019 

19,494 

8,796 

8,930 

8,930 

8,796

8,930 

8,930

  $140.89 

  $140.89 

3,832

1,064

  $194.75   

20,060 

  $176.95 

18,512

1,444 

1,827 

20,060 

1,567 

 2,635 

863   

55   

581   

18,512

1,567   

1,567 

Share 
type

ADR

ADR

ADR

14,098 

4,284

23,878

G
O
V
E
R
N
A
N
C
E

R
E
P
O
R
T

169,040

ORD

43,377

24,427

11,271

ADR

ADR

ADR

316,300

ORD

0

43,377

24,427

11,271

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

316,300

ORD

30,076

27,019 
26,629

334,896
30,076

27,019 

26,629 

19,494 

8,796 

8,930 

8,930 

519,496
8,796

8,930 

8,930

106,624

3,832

1,064

19,584

20,060 

18,512

154,288

— 

1,827 

20,060 

18,512

161,596

— 

2,635

10,540

ADR

ADR
ADR

ORD
ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ORD
ADR

ADR

ADR

ORD

ADR

ADR

ORD

ADR

ADR

ORD

ADR

ADR

ADR

ADR

ORD

ADR

ADR

ORD

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145

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

(1)   For unvested awards, this is the number of shares/options initially awarded. For exercisable share options, this is the number of outstanding options. All share options have an expiry date 

of 10 years after the date of grant. 

(2)   ADRs have been converted to ORDs (one ADR is equivalent to four ordinary shares) for the purpose of calculating the total number of vested and unvested shares and options. 
(3)   The total number of share options granted under the DLTIP in September 2017, 2018 and 2019 showing as outstanding as at 30 June 2023 are vested but unexercised share options. 
(4)  Performance shares and share options granted under the DLTIP in September 2020 and due to vest in September 2023 are included here as unvested share awards subject to 

performance conditions, although the awards have also been included in the single figure of remuneration table on page 139, since the performance period ended during the year 
ended 30 June 2023. 

(5)    Details of the performance conditions attached to DLTIP and DESAP awards of performance shares and share options granted in 2020 are organic net sales growth (4%-8%), organic 
growth in profit before exceptional items and tax (4.5%-12%), reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (6.3% - 14.3%), improvement in water efficiency (5.8%-11.2%), changing attitudes 
on dangers of underage drinking (0.75m-1.25m), % of female leaders (41%-43%), % of ethnically diverse leaders (38%-40%), cumulative free cash flow (£6,200m-£8,200m) and 
relative total shareholder return (median-upper quintile). 

(6)   Details of the performance conditions attached to DLTIP awards of performance shares and share options granted in 2021 are organic net sales growth (5%-9%), organic growth in profit 
before exceptional items and tax (6.5%-13.5%), reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (19.1%-27.1%), improvement in water efficiency (6.3%-12.1%), changing attitudes on dangers of 
underage drinking (2.3m-3.7m), % of female leaders (44%-46%), % of ethnically diverse leaders (39%-41%), cumulative free cash flow ($10,058m-$12,488m) and relative total 
shareholder return (median-upper quintile). 

(7)  Details of the performance conditions attached to DLTIP awards of performance shares and share options granted in 2022 are organic net sales growth (4.5%-8.5%), organic growth in 
profit before exceptional items and tax (5.0%-12.0%), reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (10.7%-17.6%), improvement in water efficiency (6.3%-12.1%), changing attitudes on 
dangers of underage drinking (2.6m-4.0m), % of female leaders (45%-47%), % ethnically diverse leaders (42%-44%), cumulative free cash flow ($10,175m-$12,569m) and relative total 
shareholder return (median-upper quintile).

(8)  The performance shares awarded to Debra Crew in 2020 under the Diageo Exceptional Stock Award Plan (DESAP) were granted in recognition of equity which was forfeited on joining 

Diageo in 2020 and have the same performance measures and targets as the 2020 DLTIP performance shares (see footnote 5).  Debra Crew was granted a number of performance 
shares and restricted stock units under the DESAP in March 2022 for incentive and retention purposes. The DESAP performance shares will vest based on a performance hurdle of winning 
or holding market share in at least 2/3rs of total NSV in measured markets over the respective three-year performance periods (F23-F25 for awards due to vest in September 2026, F24-
F26 for awards due to vest in September 2027 and F25-F27 for awards due to vest in September 2028). The DESAP restricted stock units vest subject to continued employment up to the 
vesting date. 
In accordance with the policy and plan rules treatment on death-in-service, the 2020, 2021 and 2022 awards for Ivan Menezes vested early on 2 August 2023 based on an assessment of 
performance as at 30 June 2023. Further information can be found on page 150. 

(9) 

(10)  Lavanya Chandrashekar was granted a number of restricted stock units prior to her appointment as CFO and joining the Board.
(11)  The Free Cash Flow (FCF) performance targets for both the 2021 and 2022 DLTIP awards have been restated in USD following the change in functional currency. More details can be 

found on page 36.

Directors’ shareholding requirement and share interests (audited) 
The beneficial interests of the Directors who held office during the year ended 30 June 2023 (and their connected persons) in the ordinary shares (or 
ordinary share equivalents) of the company are shown in the table below.  

Chairman
Javier Ferrán(7)

Executive Directors
Ivan Menezes(4),(7)
Debra Crew(7),(8)
Lavanya Chandrashekar (5),(6),(7)

Non-Executive Directors
Susan Kilsby(7)

Melissa Bethell

Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet

Sir John Manzoni

Lady Nicola Mendelsohn

Alan Stewart

Ireena Vittal

Karen Blackett

Ordinary shares or equivalent(1),(2)

30 June 2023 
(or date of 
cessation, if 
earlier)

30 June 2022 
(or date of 
appointment if 
later)

26 July 2023

310,720 

310,468 

307,288 

1,141,234 

1,141,234 

1,078,566 

260 

11,113 

2,600 

2,668 

 2,098 

2,929 

5,000 

7,269 

— 

— 

260 

11,109 

2,600 

2,668 

2,098 

2,929 

5,000 

7,269 

— 

— 

n/a

6,228 

2,600 

 2,668 

 2,055 

2,870 

5,000 

7,120 

 — 

 — 

Shareholding 
requirement
(% salary)(3)

Shareholding at 
25 July 2023 
(% salary)(3)

Shareholding requirement met

 500% 

 500% 

 400% 

 2,728% 

 1% 

 47% 

Yes

No - to be met by June 2028

No - to be met by July 2026

Notes 
(1)   Each person listed beneficially owns less than 1% of Diageo’s ordinary shares. Ordinary shares held by Directors have the same voting rights as all other ordinary shares.
(2)   Any change in shareholding between the end of the financial year on 30 June 2023 and the last practicable date before publication of this report, being 26 July 2023, is outlined in the 

table above.

(3)   Both the shareholding requirement and shareholding at 26 July 2023 are expressed as a percentage of base salary on 30 June 2023 and calculated using a three-month average share 

price for period ending 30 June 2023 of £35.11.

(4)   In addition to the number of shares reported in the table above, Ivan Menezes' estate holds 169,040 vested but unexercised share options.
(5)   Lavanya Chandrashekar's 2022 Deferred Bonus Plan Shares (1,698 ADRs) are included in the total share interests shown above.
(6)   In addition to the number of shares reported in the table above, Lavanya Chandrashekar holds 19,584 vested but unexercised share options.
(7)   Javier Ferrán, Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew, Lavanya Chandrashekar and Susan Kilsby have share interests in ADRs (one ADR is equivalent to four ordinary shares). The share interests in 

the table are stated as ordinary share equivalents.

(8)  Debra Crew joined Diageo in 2020 and her first tranche of Diageo share awards will vest in September 2023.

Relative importance of spend on pay 
The graphs below illustrate the relative importance of spend on pay (total remuneration of all group employees) compared with distributions to 
shareholders (total dividends plus the share buyback programme but excluding transaction costs), and the percentage change from the year ended 
30 June 2022 to the year ended 30 June 2023. There are no other significant distributions or payments of profit or cash flow.

Distributions to shareholders
(21.5)%

2023

2022

3,129

3,986

Staff pay
1.9%

2023

2022

1,830

1,795

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

CEO total remuneration and TSR performance

The graph below shows the total shareholder return for Diageo plc and the FTSE 100 Index since 30 June 2013 and demonstrates the relationship 
between pay and performance for the Chief Executive, using current and previously published single total remuneration figures. The FTSE 100 Index 
has been chosen because it is a widely recognised performance benchmark for large companies in the United Kingdom.

Diageo
Diageo
FTSE 100
FTSE 100
Chief Executive 
Chief Executive 
total remuneration
total remuneration

Total shareholder return –
Total shareholder return –
value of hypothetical £100 holding
value of hypothetical £100 holding

Chief Executive total remuneration
Chief Executive total remuneration
(includes legacy LTIP awards) (£'000)
(includes legacy LTIP awards) (£'000)

400
400

360
360

320
320

280
280

240
240

200
200

160
160

120
120

80
80

40
40

0
0

40,000
40,000

36,000
36,000

32,000
32,000

28,000
28,000

24,000
24,000

20,000
20,000

16,000
16,000

12,000
12,000

8,000
8,000

4,000
4,000

0
0

June 2013
June 2013

June 2014
June 2014

June 2015
June 2015

June 2016
June 2016

June 2017
June 2017

June 2018
June 2018

June 2019
June 2019

June 2020
June 2020

June 2021
June 2021

June 2022
June 2022

June 2023
June 2023

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F14

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F15

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F16

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F17

Ivan 
Menezes1
£'000
F18

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F19

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F20

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F21

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F22

Ivan 
Menezes(1)
£'000
F23

Debra 
Crew(1)
£'000
F23

Chief Executive total remuneration 
(includes legacy DLTIP awards)
Annual incentive(2)
Share options(2)
Performance shares(2)

7,312

3,888

4,156

3,399

8,995

11,776

2,273

6,019

7,343

10,582

403

 9.0% 

 44.0% 

 65.0% 

 68.0% 

 70.0% 

 61.0% 

 0.0% 

 93.8% 

 93.8% 

 37.3% 

 35.4% 

 71.0% 

 0.0% 

 55.0% 

 33.0% 

 0.0% 

 31.0% 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 60.0% 

 73.1% 

 70.0% 

 89.3% 

 27.5% 

 10.0% 

 10.0% 

 61.5% 

 77.5% 

 77.5% 

 29.3% 

 59.3% 

 98.7% 

 98.8% 

(1)   To enable comparison, Ivan Menezes’ and Debra Crew's single total figure of remuneration has been converted into sterling using the average weighted exchange rate for the relevant 

financial year. The figure represented in the graph for fiscal 23 is the combined single figure total for Ivan Menezes and Debra Crew. 

(2)  % of total maximum opportunity.

Remuneration for the wider workforce and CEO pay ratio

Alignment of Executive pay with the wider workforce 
There is clear alignment in the approach to pay for executives and the wider workforce in the way that remuneration principles are followed, as well 
as the mechanics of the salary review process and incentive plan design, which are broadly consistent throughout the organisation. There is a strong 
focus on performance-related pay, and the performance measures under the annual incentive plan and long-term incentive plan are the same for 
executives and other eligible employees. The reward package for Executive Directors is consistent with that of the senior management population, 
however, a much higher proportion of total remuneration for the Executive Directors is linked to business performance, compared to the rest of the 
employee population.  The Chairman also explains the Directors' remuneration policy to employees and seeks their feedback as part of the 
workforce engagement sessions.

The structure of our reward packages is based on the principle that it should enable Diageo to attract and retain the best talent globally within our 
broader industry. It is driven by local market practice, as well as the level of seniority and accountability, reflecting the global nature of our business. 
Diageo is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, and creating a culture where every individual can thrive. Reflective of this, pay 
parity and consistency of treatment for all employees are critical to the reward practices across the organisation. The reward framework is regularly 
reviewed to ensure employees are rewarded fairly and appropriately, in line with the business strategy, performance outcomes, competitive paid 
market practice and our diversity agenda. 

During the year, the Chairman explained the directors' remuneration policy and alignment with wider workforce pay to employees as part of the 
workforce engagement sessions. 

Remuneration Committee review of wider workforce pay
Each year, the Remuneration Committee has a detailed session reviewing wider workforce remuneration. In fiscal 23, the review focussed on the 
prior year’s annual reward cycle outcomes, including improvements made to base pay competitive positions, the level of differentiation across our 
reward programmes, gender pay equity analysis, how cost-of-living challenges were addressed and how we have used reward structures to attract 
talent in key skills areas. The all-employee reward priorities for the coming year were also reviewed by the Committee. Information on wider 
workforce reward is also provided as required throughout the year to enable the Committee to consider the broader employee context when 
making executive remuneration decisions, for example the annual salary increase budgets by country.

Supporting our employees
We continue to focus on all aspects of the wellbeing of our employees. Early in fiscal 2023, we made a one-time recognition payment of £1,000 
gross (capped at 15% of local equivalent annual salary) to thank employees for their ongoing efforts and support them with the rising cost of living 
in many locations. Since then, the Executive Committee has continued to monitor the cost-of-living in all our geographies using a formal monitoring 
process and has implemented actions as required, for example off-cycle salary increases in 16 high-inflation geographies. We have also provided 
financial education to all employees to support them in managing their personal finances more effectively.

Other reward based initiatives include the roll out of a new recognition platform into North America and the UK, with more regions planned for fiscal 
24. We have deployed global support for menopause, including a global app for employees.

We continue to innovate with market leading benefit policies that support and demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion, including  
increasing the provision of fertility support and personal counselling. We have continued to evolve our flexible working policy, creating guidelines to 
empower employees and leaders to decide how, when and where they create their best work, making sure our people consider what works best for 
the individual's and team's success.

The renewed focus on our employee assistance programmes continued with the deployment of a global mental health online tool in November 
2022. This enables employees to proactively manage their mental health and covers key topics like sleep, diet, relationships and managing stress. 
To date the tool has been downloaded by over 4.7k employees, which is 19% of the global population. 

CEO pay ratio
In accordance with The Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018, the table below sets out Diageo’s CEO pay ratios for the year 
ended 30 June 2023. These CEO pay ratios provide a comparison of the Chief Executive’s total remuneration, comprising the sum of both Ivan 
Menezes and Debra Crew's total single figure of remuneration, converted into sterling, with the equivalent remuneration for the employees paid at 
the 25th (P25), 50th (P50) and 75th (P75) percentile of Diageo’s workforce in the United Kingdom. Also shown are the salary and total remuneration 
for each quartile employee.

Year

2023

2023

2023
2022 (1)

2021

2020

2019

Method
Option A(2)
Total pay and benefits

Salary
Option A(2)
Option A(2)
Option A(2)
Option A(2)

25th percentile pay ratio

Median pay ratio

75th percentile pay ratio

232:1

£47,295

£33,137

146:1

127:1

50:1

265:1

178:1

£61,733

£44,398

114:1

100:1

38:1

208:1

137:1

£80,159

£54,679

90:1

79:1

31:1

166:1

(1)   2022 CEO pay ratios have been updated to reflect the value of the updated 2022 single figure which incorporates long-term incentives based on the actual share price at vesting, rather 

than the average share price in the last three months of the financial year which had been used for the 2022 disclosure.

(2)  Only people employed in the United Kingdom and with the same number of contractual working hours throughout the full 12-month period have been included in the calculation. 

Inclusion of employees outside of this group would require a complex simulation of full-time annual remuneration based on a number of assumptions and would not have a meaningful 
impact on the ratio.

Methodology 
Consistent with the approach for Diageo’s disclosure in previous years, the methodology used to identify the employees at each quartile for 2023 is 
Option A, as defined in the regulations. We believe this is the most robust and accurate approach, and is in line with shareholder expectations. 

Total full-time equivalent remuneration for employees reflects all pay and benefits received by an individual in respect of the relevant year and has, 
other than where noted below, been calculated in line with the methodology for the ‘single figure of remuneration’ for the Chief Executive (shown on 
page 139 of this report). The total remuneration calculations were based on data as at 30 June 2023. Actual remuneration was converted into the 
full-time equivalent for the role and location by pro-rating earnings to reflect full-time contractual working hours and these figures were then ranked 
to identify the employees sitting at the percentiles. To ensure that the total remuneration for the selected median, 25th and 75th percentile employee 
is sufficiently representative of those positions, we calculated the total remuneration for a number of employees above and below each of the 
selected median, 25th and 75th percentile UK employees and used the median value.  In light of financial performance outcomes being signed off 
close to the publication of the Annual Report, the Diageo Group business multiple, which is applicable to the majority of UK employees, has been 
used to calculate all payments under the annual incentive, although some employees may receive a variation on this multiple in practice. Pension 
values for each employee are not calculated on an actuarial basis as for the Chief Executive, but rather as the notional cost of the company’s 
pension contribution during the financial year, according to the relevant section of the pension scheme for each individual. This approach allows 
meaningful data for a large group of people to be obtained in a more efficient way.

Points to note for the year ended 30 June 2023   
Diageo has delivered a strong set of results for fiscal 23 during a period of volatility, however payouts under the annual incentive plan both for 
Diageo’s Chief Executive and the wider UK workforce are lower than the prior two years which saw double digit growth in organic net sales and 
operating profit. The annual incentive plan outcome is directly linked to awards made under the Freeshares scheme, which all UK employees are 
eligible to participate in. The median remuneration and resulting pay ratio for 2023 are consistent with the pay and progression policies for Diageo’s 
UK employees as a whole and reflect the impact of performance-related pay on total remuneration for the year. As the Chief Executive has a larger 
proportion of their total remuneration linked to business performance than other employees in the UK workforce, the ratio has increased versus last 
year due to a significantly higher performance outcome under the 2020 long-term incentives which vested this year, compared to the 2019 awards 

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

which vested last year which has more than made up for the lower bonus outcome this year and resulted in a higher value used for the Chief 
Executive's remuneration. However, total remuneration for employees is reduced by the lower bonus outcome for fiscal 23 relative to fiscal 22. 

Change in pay for Directors compared to wider workforce
The table below shows the percentage change in Directors’ remuneration and average remuneration of employees on an annual basis. Given the 
small size of Diageo plc’s workforce, data for all employees of the group has also been included.

Plc employee average(1)
Average global employee(2)
Executive Directors(3)
Ivan Menezes(6)
Debra Crew(5)

Lavanya Chandrashekar
Non-Executive Directors(4)
Melissa Bethell (7)
Karen Blackett (5)
Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet (7)

Javier Ferrán (Chairman)
Susan Kilsby (7)
Sir John Manzoni (7)

Lady Mendelsohn

Alan Stewart
Ireena Vittal (7)

2023

2022

Salary

Bonus

Benefits

Salary

Bonus

Benefits

 9.0% 

 (61.3%) 

 (7.2%) 

 11.1% 

 25.8% 

 10.5% 

2021

Bonus
N/A(5)

Salary

 5.1% 

2020

Benefits

Salary

Bonus

Benefits

 38.8% 

 7.5% 

 (100.0%) 

 12.9% 

 (41.6%) 

 17.0% 

 6.4% 

 38.4% 

 11.7% 

 — 

 278.8% 

 12.6% 

 5.3% 

 (67.8) 

 9.0% 

 6.9% 

 — 
N/A(5)

 — 
N/A(5)

 2.3% 

 (58.8%) 

 2.3% 
 — 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)
 (89.4%)  N/A(5)

 4.4% 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 59.5% 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 3.0% 
N/A(5)

 3.0% 

 2.3% 

 2.6% 

 3.0% 

 3.0% 

 3.2% 

 3.0% 

— 

 — 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

 10.1% 
N/A(5)

 2.3% 
N/A(5)

 108.5% 

 (22.4%) 

 125.7% 

 20.0% 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 734.0% 

 — 

 8.3% 

 3.8% 

 — 

 2.3% 

 4.7% 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 16.0% 
N/A(5)

 — 

 28.8% 

 300.0% 

 — 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 — 

 0.7% 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

N/A(5)

 — 
N/A(5)

 0.0% 

 9.6% 

 — 

 3.2% 

 2.4% 

 — 

N/A(5)
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 (10.7) %
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 2.7% 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 (100.0) %
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 0.8% 
N/A(5)
N/A(5)

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 (87.7%) 

 37.3% 

 — 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 — 

 3.3% 

 2.5% 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 — 

 0.0% 

 68.9% 

 — 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

 0.0% 

(1) Around 60 UK-based employees are employed by Diageo plc. Their remuneration has been calculated in line with the approach used for the CEO pay-ratio calculation and the average 

year-on-year change has been reported. Only those employed during the full financial year have been included in calculations.

(2) Calculated by dividing staff cost related to salaries, bonus and benefits by the average number of employees on a full-time equivalent basis, as disclosed in note 3c to the financial 

statements under staff costs and average number of employees on page 178, but reduced to account for the inclusion of Executive Directors in reported figures. The salary, bonus and 
benefits cost data used for calculation are subsets of the Wages and salaries figure disclosed in this note. The salary data used for this calculation has been adjusted to exclude costs 
related to severance payments which are included in staff costs, and last year’s disclosure has been updated in line with this for consistency. In line with the approach for Directors, the 
bonus values used for the calculation reflect the bonus earned in relation to performance during the relevant financial year.

(3) Calculated using the data from the single figure table in the annual report on remuneration (page 139) in US dollars, reflecting payment currency for Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew and 

Lavanya Chandrashekar.

(4) Calculated using the fees and taxable benefits disclosed under Non-Executive Directors’ remuneration in the table on page 151. Taxable benefits for Non-Executive Directors comprise a 

product allowance as well as expense reimbursements relating to attendance at Board meetings, which may vary year-on-year.

(5) N/A refers to a nil value in the previous year or an incomplete prior year, meaning that the year-on-year change cannot be calculated.
The year-on-year percentage change for Ivan Menezes for 2023 is not included as we are not reporting full year values for 2023.
(6)
The increase in benefits value in fiscal 23 relates to an increase in travel expenses due to more in-person meetings taking place in fiscal 23. 
(7)

Payments to former Directors (audited) 
There were no payments to former Directors in the year ended 30 June 2023.

Payments for loss of office (audited)
Details of Sir Ivan Menezes' salary, benefits and bonus payable up to and including the date of his death, which was also his last day of 
employment (6 June 2023) are set out in the single total figure table on page 139. The time pro-rated bonus is based on full year performance and is 
payable at the normal time entirely in cash, the Committee having exercised its discretion to waive the one-third payment in deferred shares. Sir 
Ivan’s deferred bonus shares from fiscal 21 and fiscal 22 vested on the date of death in accordance with the plan rules. 

Sir Ivan’s unvested long-term incentive awards granted in 2020, 2021 and 2022 vested early on 2 August 2023 in accordance with the treatment 
under the plan rules on death-in-service, subject to an assessment against the performance measures and time pro-rating. The Committee exercised 
its discretion under the policy to slightly extend the time pro-rating from 6 to 30 June 2023 on compassionate grounds to reflect the full fiscal 23 year. 
The 2020 award vested based on actual performance measured over the full three-year period to 30 June 2023 as disclosed on pages 141 and 142. 
The 2021 and 2022 awards vested subject to an assessment by the Committee against the performance measures as at 30 June 2023. Sir Ivan was 
originally awarded 36,675 PSP and 36,675 SESOP options in 2021 which were each time pro-rated to 24,427 awards. The 2021 PSP award vested at 
81.2% and the 2021 SESOP award vested at 10.0%. The 2022 awards (33,845 PSP awards and 33,845 SESOP awards) were each time pro-rated to 
11,271 awards and vested at 48.0% (PSP) and 0.0% (SESOP). The total vesting value of the 2021 and 2022 awards was $3,693k and $987k 
respectively, calculated based on the average Diageo ADR share price over the three months from 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 of $178.52. The 
Committee has chosen not to disclose the detail of performance relative to the targets set for each performance measure for the 2021 and 2022 
awards, measured over the shortened period, on the basis that the information is regarded as commercially sensitive. SESOP options will be 
exercisable for 24 months from the date of death (already vested options) and the date of vesting (options vesting early on 2 August 2023), the 
Committee having exercised discretion to extend from 12 months to give the estate sufficient time to exercise the options. The two-year post-vesting 
holding periods will not apply and the post-employment shareholding requirement falls away.

Sir Ivan’s 2006 employment contract provided for lifetime medical cover for Sir Ivan and his spouse on a cost sharing basis with the company. The 
lifetime medical cover will continue for Sir Ivan’s surviving spouse, the company cost of which for the first year is $12,381, based on 2023 rates. The 

company will continue to provide tax support up to a maximum annual amount of £28,000 (excl. VAT) for fees incurred in connection with UK and 
US tax return submissions up to and including the 2023 US tax return and the 2023/24 UK tax return, which are the final returns required to be 
submitted on behalf of Sir Ivan before tax filings become a matter for his estate. Upon death-in-service, a life assurance benefit of $3 million became 
payable by the insurance provider and Sir Ivan’s pension benefits will be treated in accordance with the terms of the relevant pension plans.

Non-Executive Directors 
Fee policy 
Javier Ferrán’s fee as non-executive Chairman was increased by 3% from £650,000 per annum to £670,000 on 1 October 2022. The Chairman’s 
fee is appropriately positioned against our comparator group of FTSE 30 companies excluding financial services. The Executive Directors and the 
Chairman also approved an increase in the base fee for Non-Executive Directors of 3% (from £101,000 to £104,000), effective 1 October 2022.

Per annum fees

Chairman of the Board

Non-Executive Directors

Base fee

Senior Non-Executive Director

Chairman of the Audit Committee

Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

Single total figure of remuneration for Non-Executive Directors’  (audited)

2023

£'000

670 

104 

30 

35 

35 

2022

£'000

650 

101 

30 

35 

35 

Chairman
Javier Ferrán(2)

Non-Executive Directors

Melissa Bethell
Karen Blackett(3)

Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet

Susan Kilsby

Sir John Manzoni

Lady Mendelsohn

Alan Stewart

Ireena Vittal

Fees £'000

2023

Taxable benefits £'000(1)

Total £'000(4)

2022

2023

2022

2023

2022

665 

650   

103 

103 

103 

168 

103 

103 

138 

103 

100   

8   

100   

164   

100   

100   

134   

100   

1 

2 

1 

10 

11 

2 

1 

1 

10 

2   

1   

—   

5   

5   

1   

1   

1   

1   

666 

652 

105 

104 

113 

179 

105 

104 

139 

113 

102 

9 

105 

169 

102 

102 

135 

102 

(1)  Taxable benefits include a product allowance and expense reimbursements relating to travel, accommodation and subsistence in connection with attendance at Board meetings during 
the year, which are deemed by HMRC to be taxable in the United Kingdom. The amounts in the single total  figure of remuneration table above include any tax gross-ups on the benefits 
provided by the company on behalf of the Directors. Non-taxable expense reimbursements have not been included in the single figure of remuneration table above.

(2)  £100,000 of Javier Ferrán’s net remuneration in the year ended 30 June 2023 was used for the monthly purchase of Diageo ordinary shares, which will be retained until he retires from the 

company or ceases to be a Director for any other reason.
(3)  Karen Blackett was appointed to the Board on 1 June 2022.
(4)  Some figures add up to slightly different totals due to rounding.

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DIRECTORS' REMU NERATI ON REPORT  continued

Looking ahead to 2024 

Salary increases for the year ending 30 June 
2024  
The Remuneration Committee reviewed base salaries for Executive 
Committee members and agreed the following increase for the Chief 
Financial Officer, effective 1 October 2023. 

Debra Crew's salary for the CEO role became effective when she was 
appointed as interim CEO on 5 June 2023. Her next salary review will 
be in October 2024.   

Debra Crew

Lavanya Chandrashekar

Salary at 1 October ('000)

Base salary

2023
  $1,750 

% increase (over previous year)

n/a

2022

n/a

n/a

2023
  $1,044 

2022

  $1,004 

 4 %

 3 %

Annual incentive design for the year ending 
30 June 2024

The measures and targets for the annual incentive plan are reviewed 
annually by the Remuneration Committee and are carefully chosen to 
drive financial and individual business performance goals related to 
the company’s short-term strategic operational objectives. The plan 
design for Executive Directors for the year ending 30 June 2024 will 
comprise the following performance measures and weightings (no 
change from last year), with targets set for the full financial year: 

• net sales (% growth) (26.67% weighting): a key performance 

measure of year-on-year top line growth;

• operating profit (% growth) (26.67% weighting): stretching profit 

targets drive operational efficiency and influence the level of returns 
that can be delivered to shareholders through increases in share 
price and dividend income not including exceptional items or 
exchange; 

• operating cash conversion (26.67% weighting): ensures focus on 

efficient cash delivery by the end of the year; and

• individual business objectives (20% weighting): measurable 

deliverables that are specific to the individual and are focussed on 
supporting the delivery of key strategic objectives.  

The Committee has discretion to adjust the payout to reflect underlying 
business performance and any other relevant factors.  

Details of the targets for the year ending 30 June 2024 will be disclosed 
retrospectively in next year’s annual report on remuneration, by which 
time they will no longer be deemed commercially sensitive by the 
Board.

The annual incentive opportunity for Executive Directors will remain 
consistent with prior years, equal to 100% of base salary at target, with 
a maximum opportunity of 200% of base salary. 

Long-term incentive awards to be made in the 
year ending 30 June 2024 

The long-term incentive plan measures are reviewed annually by the 
Remuneration Committee and are selected to reward long-term 
consistent performance in line with Diageo’s business strategy and to 
create alignment with the delivery of value for shareholders. The 
Committee has ensured that the incentive structure for senior 
management does not raise environmental, social and governance 
risks by inadvertently motivating irresponsible behaviour.

 As per last year, DLTIP awards to be made in September 2023 will 
comprise awards of both performance shares and share options, 

based on stretching targets against the key performance measures as 
outlined in the table on page 153, assessed over a three-year 
performance period. The relative total shareholder return measure is 
based on the same constituent group and vesting schedule as outlined 
on page 141.

The performance share element of the DLTIP applies to the Executive 
Committee and the top level of senior leaders across the organisation 
worldwide, whilst the share option element is applicable to a much 
smaller population comprising only members of the Executive 
Committee. One market price performance-based option is valued at 
one-third of a performance share. 

The ESG measures in the DLTIP comprise four goals reflecting the 
‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ strategy, to make a positive impact on 
the environment and society. Each goal is weighted equally:

• reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in our direct operations 

(scope 1&2);

• improvement in the water efficiency index;
• number of people who confirm changed attitudes to the dangers of 

underage drinking after participating in a Diageo-supported 
education programme; and

• inclusion and diversity (percentage of female leaders globally and 

percentage of ethnically diverse leaders globally).

From fiscal 24, the water efficiency KPI under the 'Society 2023: Spirit of 
Progress' goals will use an index approach which links directly to the 
underlying water efficiency of the two production pillars of distillation 
and brewing & packaging. This methodology is described further on 
page 79 and the water efficiency component of the 2023 DLTIP awards 
reflects the updated 'Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' KPI.

Awards are calculated on the basis of a six-month average share price 
for the period ending 30 June 2023.

It is intended that a DLTIP award to the equivalent of 500% of base 
salary will be made to Debra Crew in September 2023, comprising 
375% of salary in performance shares and the equivalent of 125% of 
salary in market price performance-based share options. It is intended 
that a DLTIP award to the equivalent of 480% of salary will be made to 
Lavanya Chandrashekar in September 2023, comprising 360% of 
salary in performance shares and the equivalent of 120% of salary in 
market price share options. In performance share equivalents, one 
market price option is valued at one-third of a performance share. 

The table below summarises the annual DLTIP awards to Debra Crew 
and Lavanya Chandrashekar to be made in September 2023. 

Grant value (% salary)

Performance shares

Share options

Total

Chief Executive

Chief Financial Officer

Performance share equivalents (1 share: 3 options)

 375 %

 125 %

 500 %

 360 %

 120 %

 480 %

Performance conditions for long-term incentive awards to be made in the year ending 30 June 2024

Organic net 
sales (CAGR)

Organic profit 
before 
exceptional items 
and tax (CAGR)

Greenhouse 
gas reduction

Weighting (% total)

Maximum

Midpoint

Threshold

 40% 

 8.0% 

 6.0% 

 4.0% 

 40% 

 11.5% 

 8.0% 

 4.5% 

 5% 

 25.9% 

 21.9% 

 17.9% 

Performance shares

Environmental, social & governance (ESG)

Water 
efficiency 
index (1)

 5% 

 8.3% 

 6.0% 

 3.7% 

Positive 
drinking

% Female 
leaders

 5% 

4.2m

3.5m

2.8m

 2.5% 

 49% 

 48% 

 47% 

% Ethnically 
diverse 
leaders

 2.5% 

 46% 

 100% 

 45% 

 44% 

 60% 

 20% 

Share options

Vesting 
schedule

Relative Total 
Shareholder 
Return

Cumulative free 
cash flow ($m) (2)

Vesting schedule

 50.0% 

3rd and 
above

 — 

9th and 
above

 50.0% 

$12,600 

$11,000 

$9,400 

 100% 

 60% 

 20% 

(1)   For more information on the water efficiency index, see pages 152 and 79.
(2)   The cumulative free cash flow targets are shown in USD following the change in functional currency from GBP to USD from fiscal 24. More details on this can be found on page 36.

Additional information  

Key management personnel related party 
transactions (audited) 
Key management personnel of the group comprises the Executive and 
Non-Executive Directors, the members of the Executive Committee and 
the Company Secretary. 

Diageo plc has granted rolling indemnities to the Directors and the 
Company Secretary, uncapped in amount, in relation to certain losses 
and liabilities which they may incur in the course of acting as Directors 
or Company Secretary (as applicable) of Diageo plc or of one or more 
of its subsidiaries. These indemnities continue to be in place at 30 June 
2023. 

Other than disclosed in this report, no Director had any interest, 
beneficial or non-beneficial, in the share capital of the company. Save 
as disclosed above, no Director has or has had any interest in any 
transaction which is or was unusual in its nature, or which is or was 
significant to the business of the group and which was effected by any 
member of the group during the financial year, or which having been 
effected during an earlier financial year, remains in any respect 
outstanding or unperformed. There have been no material transactions 
during the last three years to which any Director or officer, or 3% or 
greater shareholder, or any spouse or dependent thereof, was a party. 
There is no significant outstanding indebtedness to the company from 
any Directors or officer or 3% or greater shareholder.

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Statutory and audit requirements 
This report was approved by a duly authorised Committee of the Board 
of Directors and was signed on its behalf on 31 July 2023 by Susan 
Kilsby who is Chair of the Remuneration Committee. 

The Board has followed the principles of good governance as set out in 
the UK Corporate Governance Code and complied with the 
regulations contained in the Schedule 8 of the Large and Medium-
sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 
2008, the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority and the 
relevant schedules of the Companies Act 2006. 

The Companies Act 2006 and the Listing Rules require the company’s 
auditor to report on the audited information in their report and to state 
that this section has been properly prepared in accordance with these 
regulations.

PwC has audited the report to the extent required by the regulations, 
being the sections headed Single total figure of remuneration for 
Executive Directors (and notes), Payments to former Directors, 
Payments for loss of office, Annual incentive plan (AIP) payouts for 
2023, Long-term incentive plans (DLTIPs) vesting in 2023, Pensions and 
benefits, Directors’ shareholding requirement and share interests, 
Outstanding share plan interests, Non-Executive Directors’ 
remuneration and Key management personnel related party 
transactions.

The annual remuneration report is subject to an advisory vote by 
shareholders at the AGM on 28 September 2023.  The Directors' 
remuneration policy is subject to a binding vote by shareholders at the 
AGM on 28 September 2023. Terms defined in this Directors' 
remuneration report are used solely herein.

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DIRECTORS' REPORT

Directors’ report  

The Directors present the Directors’ report for the year ended 30 June 
2023.

Company status
Diageo plc is a public limited liability company incorporated in 
England and Wales with registered number 23307 and registered office 
and principal place of business at 16 Great Marlborough Street, 
London W1F 7HS, United Kingdom. The company's telephone number 
is +44 (0) 20 7947 9100. The Company's agent in the United States is 
General Counsel, Diageo North America, Inc., 175 Greenwich Street, 3 
World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007, United States. The company 
was incorporated on 21 October 1886. It is the ultimate holding 
company of the group, a full list of whose subsidiaries, partnerships, 
associates, joint ventures and joint arrangements is set out in note 10 to 
the financial statements set out on pages 224-229.  

Directors
The Directors of the company who currently serve are shown in the 
section ‘Board of Directors’ on pages 101 and 103 and in accordance 
with the UK Corporate Governance Code, all the Directors will retire by 
rotation at the AGM and offer themselves for re-election. Further details 
of Directors’ contracts, remuneration and their interests in the shares of 
the company at 30 June 2023 are given in the Directors’ remuneration 
report. The Directors’ powers are determined by UK legislation and 
Diageo’s articles of association. The Directors may exercise all the 
company’s powers provided that Diageo’s articles of association or 
applicable legislation do not stipulate that any powers must be 
exercised by the members.

Auditor
The auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, is willing to continue in office 
and a resolution for its re-appointment as auditor of the company will 
be submitted to the AGM. 

Disclosure of information to the auditor 
In accordance with Section 418 of the Companies Act 2006, the 
Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors’ report 
confirm that, so far as they are each aware, there is no relevant audit 
information of which the company’s auditor is unaware; and each 
Director has taken all reasonable steps to ascertain any relevant audit 
information and to ensure that the company’s auditor is aware of that 
information.

Corporate governance statement
The corporate governance statement, prepared in accordance with 
rule 7.2 of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Guidance and 
Transparency Rules, comprises the following sections of the Annual 
Report: the ‘Corporate governance report’, the ‘Audit Committee 
report’ and the ‘Additional information for shareholders’.

Significant agreements – change of control
The following significant agreements contain certain termination and 
other rights for Diageo’s counterparties upon a change of control of the 
company. Under the partners agreement governing the company’s 
34% investment in Moët Hennessy SAS (MH) and Moët Hennessy 
International SAS (MHI), if a Competitor (as defined therein) directly or 
indirectly takes control of the company (which, for these purposes, 
would occur if such Competitor acquired more than 34% of the voting 
rights or equity interests in the company), LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis 
Vuitton SA (LVMH) may require the company to sell its interests in MH 
and MHI to LVMH.

The master agreement governing the operation of the group’s market-
level distribution joint ventures with LVMH states that if any person 

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

acquires interests and rights in the company resulting in a Control 
Event (as defined) occurring in respect of the company, LVMH may 
within 12 months of the Control Event either appoint and remove the 
chairman of each joint venture entity governed by such master 
agreement, who shall be given a casting vote, or require each 
distribution joint venture entity to be wound up. Control Event for these 
purposes is defined as the acquisition by any person of more than 30% 
of the outstanding voting rights or equity interests in the company, 
provided that no other person or entity (or group of affiliated persons 
or entities) holds directly or indirectly more than 30% of the voting 
rights in the company.

Related party transactions
Transactions with related parties are disclosed in note 21 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

Major shareholders
At 30 June 2023, the following substantial interests (3% or more) in the 
company’s ordinary share capital (voting securities) had been notified 
to the company:

Shareholder

BlackRock Investment 
Management (UK) Limited 
(indirect holding)

Capital Research and 
Management Company 
(indirect holding)

Massachusetts Financial 
Services Company (indirect 
holding)

Number of 
ordinary shares

Percentage 
of issued ordinary 
share (excluding 
treasury shares)

Date of notification of 
interest

147,296,928

 5.89%  3 December 2009

124,653,096

 4.99% 

28 April 2009

  114,036,646 

 4.95% 

1 June 2022

(1) On 3 February 2023, BlackRock Inc. filed an Amendment to Schedule 13G with the 
SEC in respect of the calendar year ended 31 December 2010, reporting that, as of 
December 31, 2022, 190,024,658 ordinary shares representing 8.4% of the issued 
ordinary share capital were beneficially owned by BlackRock Inc. and its subsidiaries 
(including BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited).

(2) On 8 February 2023, Massachusetts Financial Services Company filed an Amendment 
to Schedule 13G with the SEC in respect of the calendar year ended 31 December 
2018, reporting that, as of December 31, 2022, 118,813,187 ordinary shares representing 
5.2% of the issued ordinary share capital were beneficially owned by Massachusetts 
Financial Services Company.

The company has not been notified of any other substantial interests in 
its securities since 30 June 2023. The company’s substantial 
shareholders do not have different voting rights. Diageo, so far as is 
known by the company, is not directly or indirectly owned or controlled 
by another corporation or by any government. Diageo knows of no 
arrangements, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result 
in a change of control of the company.

As at the close of business on 26 July 2023, 324,354,320 ordinary 
shares, including those held through American Depositary Shares 
(ADSs), were held by approximately 2,678 holders (including American 
Depositary Receipt (ADR) holders) with registered addresses in the 
United States, representing approximately 14.43% of the outstanding 
ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares). At such date, 81,014,846 
ADSs were held by 2,224 registered ADR holders. Since certain of such 
ordinary shares and ADSs are held by nominees or former Grand 
Metropolitan PLC or Guinness plc ADR holders who have not re-
registered their ADSs, the number of holders may not be representative 
of the number of beneficial owners in the United States or the ordinary 
shares held by them. 

Employment policies 
A key strategic imperative of the company is to attract, retain and grow 
a pool of diverse, talented employees. Diageo recognises that a 
diversity of skills and experiences in its workplace and communities will 
provide a competitive advantage. To enable this, the company has 
various global employment policies and standards, covering such 
issues as resourcing, data protection, human rights, dignity at work, 
health, safety and wellbeing. These policies and standards seek to 
ensure that the company treats current or prospective employees justly, 
solely according to their abilities to meet the requirements and 
standards of their role and in a fair and consistent way. This includes 
giving full and fair consideration to applications from prospective 
employees who are disabled, having regard to their aptitudes and 
abilities, and not discriminating against employees under any 
circumstances (including in relation to applications, training, career 
development and promotion) on the grounds of any disability. In the 
event that an employee, worker or contractor becomes disabled in the 
course of their employment or engagement, Diageo aims to ensure 
that reasonable steps are taken to accommodate their disability by 
making reasonable adjustments to their existing employment or 
engagement. 

Trading market for shares
Diageo plc ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange 
(LSE). Diageo ADSs, representing four Diageo ordinary shares each, 
are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Diageo plc 
completed the voluntary delisting of its shares from the Dublin Euronext 
and Paris Euronext Exchanges by 30 May 2023. The principal trading 
market for the ordinary shares is the LSE. Diageo shares are traded on 
the LSE’s electronic order book. Orders placed on the order book are 
displayed on-screen through a central electronic system and trades are 
automatically executed, in price and then time priority, when orders 
match with corresponding buy or sell orders. Only member firms of the 
LSE, or the LSE itself if requested by the member firm, can enter or 
delete orders on behalf of clients or on their own account. All orders 
are anonymous. Although use of the order book is not mandatory, all 
trades, whether or not executed through the order book and regardless 
of size, must be reported within three minutes of execution, but may be 
eligible for deferred publication.

The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) allows for 
delayed publication of large trades with a sliding scale requirement 
based on qualifying minimum thresholds for the amount of 
consideration to be paid/the proportion of average daily turnover 
(ADT) of a stock represented by a trade. Provided that a trade/
consideration equals or exceeds the qualifying minimum size, it will be 
eligible for deferred publication ranging from 60 minutes from time of 
trade to three trading days after time of trade. Fluctuations in the 
exchange rate between sterling and the US dollar will affect the US 
dollar equivalent of the sterling price of the ordinary shares on the LSE 
and, as a result, will affect the market price of the ADSs on the NYSE. In 
addition, such fluctuations will affect the US dollar amounts received by 
holders of ADSs on conversion of cash dividends paid in pounds 
sterling on the underlying ordinary shares.

American depositary shares
Fees and charges payable by ADR holders
Citibank N.A. serves as the depositary (Depositary) for Diageo’s ADS 
programme. Pursuant to the deposit agreement dated 14 February 
2013 between Diageo, the Depositary and owners and holders of ADSs 
(the Deposit Agreement), ADR holders may be required to pay various 
fees to the Depositary, and the Depositary may refuse to provide any 
service for which a fee is assessed until the applicable fee has been 
paid. In particular, the Depositary, under the terms of the Deposit 
Agreement, shall charge a fee of up to $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction 
thereof) relating to the issuance of ADSs; delivery of deposited 
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other cash distributions (i.e. sale of rights and other entitlements); 
distribution of ADSs pursuant to stock dividends or other free stock 
distributions, or exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs; 
distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase 
additional ADSs (i.e. spin-off shares); and depositary services. Citibank 
N.A. is located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York, 10013, 
United States. In addition, ADR holders may be required under the 
Deposit Agreement to pay the Depositary (a) taxes (including 
applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges; 
(b) registration fees; (c) certain cable, telex, and facsimile transmission 
and delivery expenses; (d) the expenses and charges incurred by the 
Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency; (e) such fees and 
expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with 
compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory 
requirements; and (f) the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, 
the custodian, or any nominee in connection with the servicing or 
delivery of ADSs. The Depositary may (a) withhold dividends or other 
distributions or sell any or all of the shares underlying the ADSs in order 
to satisfy any tax or governmental charge and (b) deduct from any 
cash distribution the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses 
incurred by, the Depositary and any taxes, duties or other 
governmental charges on account.

Direct and indirect payments by the Depositary
The Depositary reimburses Diageo for certain expenses it incurs in 
connection with the ADR programme, subject to a ceiling set out in the 
Deposit Agreement pursuant to which the Depositary provides services 
to Diageo. The Depositary has also agreed to waive certain standard 
fees associated with the administration of the programme. Under the 
contractual arrangements with the Depositary, Diageo has received 
approximately $2.6 million arising out of fees charged in respect of 
dividends paid during the year and a fixed contribution to the 
company’s ADR programme costs. These payments are received for 
expenses associated with non-deal road shows, third-party investor 
relations consultant fees and expenses, Diageo’s cost for administration 
of the ADR programme not absorbed by the Depositary and related 
activities (e.g. expenses associated with the AGM), travel expenses to 
attend training and seminars, exchange listing fees, legal fees, auditing 
fees and expenses, the SEC filing fees, expenses related to Diageo’s 
compliance with US securities law and regulations (including, without 
limitation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and other expenses incurred by 
Diageo in relation to the ADR programme.

Articles of association
The company is incorporated under the name Diageo plc, and is 
registered in England and Wales under registered number 23307. The 
following description summarises certain provisions of Diageo’s articles 
of association (as adopted by special resolution at the Annual General 
Meeting on 28 September 2020) and applicable English law 
concerning companies (the Companies Acts), in each case as at 26 
July 2023. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the 
Companies Acts and Diageo’s articles of association. Investors can 
obtain copies of Diageo’s articles of association by contacting the 
Company Secretary at the.cosec@diageo.com. Any amendment to the 
articles of association of the company may be made in accordance 
with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006, by way of special 
resolution.

Directors
Diageo’s articles of association provide for a board of directors, 
consisting (unless otherwise determined by an ordinary resolution of 
shareholders) of not fewer than three directors and not more than 25 
directors, in which all powers to manage the business and affairs of 
Diageo are vested. Directors may be elected by the members in a 
general meeting or appointed by the Board. At each annual general 
meeting, all the directors shall retire from office and may offer 
themselves for re-election by members. There is no age limit 

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

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A shareholder is not entitled to vote at any general meeting or class 
meeting in respect of any share held by them if they have been served 
with a restriction notice (as defined in Diageo’s articles of association) 
after failure to provide Diageo with information concerning interests in 
those shares required to be provided under the Companies Acts. 

Pre-emption rights and new issues of shares
While holders of ordinary shares have no pre-emptive rights under 
Diageo’s articles of association, the ability of the Directors to cause 
Diageo to issue shares, securities convertible into shares or rights to 
shares, otherwise than pursuant to an employee share scheme, is 
restricted. Under the Companies Acts, the directors of a company are, 
with certain exceptions, unable to allot any equity securities without 
express authorisation, which may be contained in a company’s articles 
of association or given by its shareholders in a general meeting, but 
which in either event cannot last for more than five years. Under the 
Companies Acts, Diageo may also not allot shares for cash (otherwise 
than pursuant to an employee share scheme) without first making an 
offer to existing shareholders to allot such shares to them on the same 
or more favourable terms in proportion to their respective 
shareholdings, unless this requirement is waived by a special resolution 
of the shareholders.

Repurchase of shares
Subject to authorisation by special resolution, Diageo may purchase its 
own shares in accordance with the Companies Acts. Any shares which 
have been bought back may be held as treasury shares or, if not so 
held, must be cancelled immediately upon completion of the purchase, 
thereby reducing the amount of Diageo’s issued share capital. 

Restrictions on transfers of shares
The Board may decline to register a transfer of a certificated Diageo 
share unless the instrument of transfer (a) is duly stamped or certified or 
otherwise shown to the satisfaction of the Board to be exempt from 
stamp duty, and is accompanied by the relevant share certificate and 
such other evidence of the right to transfer as the Board may 
reasonably require, (b) is in respect of only one class of share and (c) if 
to joint transferees, is in favour of not more than four such transferees. 
Registration of a transfer of an uncertificated share may be refused in 
the circumstances set out in the uncertificated securities rules (as 
defined in Diageo’s articles of association) and where, in the case of a 
transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the 
uncertificated share is to be transferred exceeds four.

The Board may decline to register a transfer of any of Diageo’s 
certificated shares by a person with a 0.25% interest (as defined in 
Diageo’s articles of association) if such a person has been served with 
a restriction notice (as defined in Diageo’s articles of association) after 
failure to provide Diageo with information concerning interests in those 
shares required to be provided under the Companies Acts, unless the 
transfer is shown to the Board to be pursuant to an arm’s-length sale 
(as defined in Diageo’s articles of association).

DIRECTORS' REPORT  contin ued

requirement in respect of directors. Directors may also be removed 
before the expiration of their term of office in accordance with the 
provisions of the Companies Acts.

Voting rights
Voting on any resolution at any general meeting of the company is by 
a show of hands unless a poll is duly demanded. On a show of hands, 

(a) every shareholder who is present in person at a general meeting, 
and every proxy appointed by any one shareholder and present at a 
general meeting, has/have one vote regardless of the number of 
shares held by the shareholder (or, subject to (b), represented by the 
proxy), and 

(b) every proxy present at a general meeting who has been appointed 
by more than one shareholder has one vote regardless of the number 
of shareholders who have appointed him/her or the number of shares 
held by those shareholders, unless he/she has been instructed to vote 
for a resolution by one or more shareholders and to vote against the 
resolution by one or more shareholders, in which case he/she has one 
vote for and one vote against the resolution.

On a poll, every shareholder who is present in person or by proxy has 
one vote for every share held by that shareholder, but a shareholder or 
proxy entitled to more than one vote need not cast all his/her votes or 
cast them all in the same way (the deadline for exercising voting rights 
by proxy is set out in the form of proxy).

A poll may be demanded by any of the following:

• the chairman of the general meeting;
• at least three shareholders entitled to vote on the relevant resolution 

and present in person or by proxy at the meeting;

• any shareholder or shareholders present in person or by proxy and 
representing in the aggregate not less than one-tenth of the total 
voting rights of all shareholders entitled to vote on the relevant 
resolution; or

• any shareholder or shareholders present in person or by proxy and 
holding shares conferring a right to vote on the relevant resolution 
on which there have been paid up sums in the aggregate equal to 
not less than one-tenth of the total sum paid up on all the shares 
conferring that right.

Diageo’s articles of association and the Companies Acts provide for 
matters to be transacted at general meetings of Diageo by the 
proposing and passing of two kinds of resolutions:

• ordinary resolutions, which include resolutions for the election, re-

election and removal of directors, the declaration of final dividends, 
the appointment and re-appointment of the external auditor, the 
remuneration report and remuneration policy, the increase of 
authorised share capital and the grant of authority to allot shares; 
and 

• special resolutions, which include resolutions for the amendment of 

Diageo’s articles of association, resolutions relating to the 
disapplication of pre-emption rights, and resolutions modifying the 
rights of any class of Diageo’s shares at a meeting of the holders of 
such class. 

An ordinary resolution requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority 
of the votes cast by those entitled to vote at a meeting at which there is 
a quorum in order to be passed. Special resolutions require the 
affirmative vote of not less than three-quarters of the votes cast by 
those entitled to vote at a meeting at which there is a quorum in order 
to be passed. The necessary quorum for a meeting of Diageo is a 
minimum of two shareholders present in person or by proxy and 
entitled to vote. 

Other information 
Other information relevant to the Directors’ report may be found in the following sections of the Annual Report: 

Information (including that required by UK Listing Authority Listing Rule 9.8.4) Location in Annual Report
Agreements with controlling shareholders

Not applicable

Contracts of significance

Details of long-term incentive schemes

Directors’ indemnities and compensation

Dividends

Not applicable

Directors’ remuneration report

Directors’ remuneration report - Additional information; Consolidated financial 
statements - note 21 Related party transactions

Group financial review; Consolidated financial statements - Unaudited financial 
information

Engagement with employees

Corporate governance report - Workforce engagement statement

Engagement with suppliers, customers and others

Corporate governance report - Stakeholder engagement

Events post 30 June 2023

Financial risk management

Future developments

Greenhouse gas emissions

Interest capitalised

Non-pre-emptive issues of equity for cash (including in respect of major 
unlisted subsidiaries)

Parent participation in a placing by a listed subsidiary

Consolidated financial statements - note 23 Post balance sheet events

Consolidated financial statements - note 16 Financial instruments and risk 
management

Chairman’s statement; Chief Executive’s statement; Our market dynamics

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability; Non-Financial and sustainability information 
statement

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Political donations

Corporate governance report

Provision of services by a controlling shareholder

Not applicable

Publication of unaudited financial information

Unaudited financial information

Purchase of own shares

Research and development

Review of the business and principal risks and uncertainties

Repurchase of shares; Consolidated financial statements - note 18 Equity

Other Additional Information - Research and development; Consolidated financial 
statements - note 3 Operating costs

Chief Executive’s statement; Our principal risks and risk management; Pioneer grain-
to-glass sustainability; Business reviews

Share capital - structure, voting and other rights

Share capital - employee share plan voting rights

Shareholder waivers of dividends

Shareholder waivers of future dividends

Sustainability and responsibility

Waiver of emoluments by a director

Waiver of future emoluments by a director

Consolidated financial statements - note 18 Equity

Consolidated financial statements - note 18 Equity

Consolidated financial statements - note 18 Equity

Consolidated financial statements - note 18 Equity

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability

Not applicable

Not applicable

The Directors’ report of Diageo plc for the year ended 30 June 2023 comprises these pages and the sections of the Annual Report referred to under 
‘Directors’, ‘Corporate governance statement’ and ‘Other information’ above, which are incorporated into the Directors’ report by reference. 

In addition, certain disclosures required to be contained in the Directors’ report have been incorporated into the ‘Strategic report’ as set out in ‘Other 
information’ above. 

The Directors’ report, which has been approved by a duly appointed and authorised committee of the Board of Directors, was signed on its behalf 
by Tom Shropshire, the Company Secretary, on 31 July 2023. 

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Introduction
The group's consolidated financial statements, which have 
been prepared in accordance with international accounting 
standards in conformity with the requirements of the 
Companies Act 2006 and International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) adopted by the UK (UK-adopted 
International Accounting Standards) and IFRSs as issued by 
the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), give a 
true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit of the group. 

The financial statements of Diageo plc (the company) are 
prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and in 
accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101 Reduced 
Disclosure Framework (FRS 101).

Financial statements

Contents
Independent auditors' report to the members of Diageo plc

Primary statements

Consolidated income statement

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

Consolidated balance sheet

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Accounting information and policies

1. Accounting information and policies

Results for the year

2. Segmental information

3. Operating costs

4. Exceptional items

5. Finance income and charges

6. Investments in associates and joint ventures

7. Taxation

Operating assets and liabilities

8. Acquisition and sale of businesses and brands and 
purchase of non-controlling interests

9. Intangible assets

10. Property, plant and equipment

11. Biological assets

12. Leases

13. Other investments

14. Post employment benefits

15. Working capital

Risk management and capital structure

16. Financial instruments and risk management

17. Net borrowings

18. Equity

Other financial statements disclosures

19. Contingent liabilities and legal proceedings

20. Commitments

21. Related party transactions

22. Principal group companies

23. Post balance sheet events

Financial statements of the company

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INDEPEND ENT AU DITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF DIAGEO PLC

Independent auditors' report to the members of Diageo plc 
1. Our unmodified opinion
In our opinion:

• Diageo plc’s (“Diageo”) group financial statements and company financial statements (the “financial statements”) give a true and fair view of the 
state of the group’s and of the company’s affairs as at 30 June 2023 and of the group’s profit and the group’s cash flows for the year then ended;

• the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international accounting standards as applied in 

accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006;

• the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued 

by the International Accounting Standards Board;

• the company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice 

(United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”, and applicable law); and

• the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Our opinion is consistent with our reporting to the Audit Committee.

What we audited
We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report 2023 (the “Annual Report”), which comprise: the consolidated and 
company balance sheets as at 30 June 2023; the consolidated income statement and consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the 
consolidated statement of cash flows, and the consolidated and company statements of changes in equity for the year then ended; and the notes to 
the financial statements, which include a description of the significant accounting policies.

Basis for our opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under 
ISAs (UK) are further described in ”The scope of an audit and our responsibility” section of this report. We believe that the audit evidence we have 
obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Our independence
We remained independent of Diageo in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, 
which includes the Financial Reporting Council’s (“FRC”) Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our 
other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, we declare that non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided.
Other than those disclosed in note 3(b) to the group financial statements, we have provided no non-audit services to Diageo or its controlled 

undertakings in the period under audit.

PwC was initially appointed by you on 15 October 2015 and has acted for eight uninterrupted years. This is the third and final year that Richard 

Oldfield has acted as your Senior Statutory Auditor, with other changes in senior audit team members reflecting required partner rotation in 
Australia, Scotland, and over the group’s Treasury, Tax and technology functions.

Our independence, including the nature and size of non-audit services provided, was reviewed during the year by the Audit Committee.

2. Our audit
The scope of an audit and our responsibility
An audit has an important role in providing confidence in the financial statements that are provided by companies to their members. The scope of 
an audit is sometimes not fully understood. We believe that it is important that you understand the scope and the concept of materiality in order to 
understand the assurance that this opinion provides. A description of the scope of an audit is provided on the FRC’s website at www.frc.org.uk/
auditorsresponsibilities; we recommend that you read this description carefully. It is also important that you understand the inherent limitations of the 
audit, for example:

• the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may 

involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion; and

• our audit testing includes, in a limited number of cases, testing of complete populations of certain transactions and balances, predominantly 

using data auditing techniques, e.g. the testing of manual journals and the deactivation of leaver accounts on key applications. However, in most 
cases it involves selecting a limited number of items for testing. In some situations, we target particular items for testing based on their size or risk 
characteristics. In other cases, we will use audit sampling to enable us to draw a conclusion about the population from which the sample is 
selected. An approach based upon sampling may not identify all issues.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to 
fraud or error, and to issue a report to you that includes our opinion. This opinion is not over any particular number or disclosure. Reasonable 
assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material 
misstatement when it exists. Misstatements are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to 
influence the economic decisions you take on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities,  including  fraud,  are  instances  of  non-compliance  with  laws  and  regulations.  We  designed  procedures  in  line  with  our 
responsibilities,  capable  of  detecting  material  misstatements  caused  by  such  irregularities,  albeit  these  are  subject  to  the  inherent  limitations 
discussed above. We focused on any known and potential instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that could give rise to a material 
misstatement in the financial statements, including, but not limited to, the Companies Act 2006, the Listing Rules, international tax legislation and 
anti-bribery legislation. Examples of the procedures which we performed included:

• gaining an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to Diageo and the alcoholic beverage industry, and considering the 

risk of acts by Diageo which are contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud;

• performing inquiries of senior management, including but not limited to members of the Group Executive and regional and market chief financial 

officers, to identify areas of possible breaches of laws and regulations;

• reviewing correspondence with regulators, including the FRC, Securities and Exchange Commission and the tax authorities in Diageo’s key 

markets;

• assessing matters reported through the group’s whistleblowing programme and the results of management’s investigation in so far as they 

related to the financial statements;

• challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in its significant accounting estimates, in particular in relation to key audit 

matters;

• agreeing the financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation; and
• inspecting correspondence with legal advisors and internal audit reports in so far as they related to the financial statements.

We also evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements, including the risk of 
management override of internal controls. We determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to, for 
example, suppress expenses such as trade spend to improve financial performance, and management bias in accounting estimates. We did not 
identify any key audit matters specific to irregularities, including fraud.

How we structured the audit scope
Partners and staff from 12 countries across the PwC network have spent more than 85,000 hours supporting this report, which in addition to the 
opinion provides amongst other things, information on how we approached the audit and how it changed from the previous year.

We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on the financial statements as a 

whole, taking into account the structure of the group and the company, the accounting processes and controls, and the alcoholic beverage industry. 
There were three important aspects of our work; in which they operate.

1)  Audit work performed on individual business units
We received opinions from nine PwC member firms which had been appointed as the auditors of twenty-two group business units, either in relation 
to all of the financial information or specific accounts and balances. This included eighteen operating business units and four treasury business units. 
We also obtained reporting from a non-PwC member firm over the financial information of Moët Hennessy, the group’s principal associate.

In September 2022, we hosted in London an in-person meeting for senior staff from PwC member firms involved in the audit. At this meeting we 

considered developments specific to Diageo, key audit matters and changes to the audit necessitated by the macro-economic instability 
experienced during the financial year. We heard from key members of management and the Chair of the Audit Committee.

We issued formal, written instructions to each business unit audit team setting out the work to be performed by each of them. We were in active 
dialogue throughout the year with the teams responsible for these audits; this included consideration of how they planned and performed their work. 
Senior team members visited the business unit audit teams in Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, India, Mexico, Turkey and the United States. We also 
visited the audit team in China to further our understanding of the group’s businesses. These gave us an opportunity to discuss the audit with local 
teams, but also to meet directly with management to hear about the market and Diageo opportunities and challenges. Senior team members also 
attended via video conference the final audit meetings for certain business units, including Great Britain, Turkey, and the United States. During these 
meetings, the findings reported by each of the audit teams were discussed. We evaluated the sufficiency of the audit evidence obtained through 
discussions with each team and a review of the audit working papers.

2)  Audit work performed at shared service centres
A significant number of operational processes which are critical to financial reporting are undertaken in the GBO captive shared business service 
centres in Colombia, Hungary, India and the Philippines. PwC teams in these locations tested controls and transactions which supported the 
financial information for many of the twenty-one business units in scope, to ensure that adequate audit evidence was obtained.

3)  Audit procedures undertaken at a group level and on the company
We ensured that appropriate further audit work was undertaken at a group level and for the company. This work included auditing, for example, 
the consolidation of the group’s results, the preparation of the financial statements, certain disclosures within the Directors’ Remuneration Report, 
litigation provisions and exposures and management’s entity level and oversight controls relevant to financial reporting. We also performed work 
centrally for the audit of technology and IT general controls, goodwill and intangible assets, taxation, and one-off transactions, including acquisitions 
and disposals, undertaken during the year. This work was supported by team members who are based in Budapest and Bangalore. 

Collectively, these three areas of work covered 73% of group net sales, 82% of group total assets, and 71% of group profit before exceptional 

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items and tax (PBET (as defined in note 4)).

In planning our audit, we continued to embrace technology and innovation in the audit process to drive quality and efficiency. We continued to 
expand the deployment of technology solutions on our audit and for the first time relied on data auditing of revenue for Diageo Great Britain, testing 
the full population by tracing sales orders through to delivery note, invoice and ultimately the general ledger and cash. We also used artificial 
intelligence in the testing of some cash balances, and continued using our technology tools to enhance our scoping and risk assessment, with more 
targeted testing and real time reporting by our global team.

Changes to the audit in 2023
The audit approach remained broadly unchanged.

We considered the changing relative contribution of individual business units in determining which ones should be included within the audit 

scope, with the only change being the removal of the group’s business in Kenya. 

As required by auditing standards, our team undertook procedures which were deliberately unexpected and could not have reasonably been 
predicted by Diageo’s management. As an example, performing procedures over balances and transactions which otherwise wouldn’t have been 
subject to audit procedures due to their size such as the group’s acquisition of Balcones Distilling and rotating the inventory count locations and 
approach year on year. The results of these procedures were consistent with our expectations.

In executing our audit, we were particularly mindful of the changing economic and political conditions. Whilst the group delivered continued 
growth during the year benefiting from price increases and productivity savings, this growth has not been consistent across all business units or 

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INDEPEND ENT AU DITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF DIAGEO PLC  continued
INDEPEND ENT AU DITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF DIAGEO PLC  continued

achieved evenly over the year. We considered how these factors were included in future cash flows used in management’s models supporting key 
achieved evenly over the year. We considered how these factors were included in future cash flows used in management’s models supporting key 
audit areas and management's assessment of going concern.
audit areas and management's assessment of going concern.

Materiality
Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of the concept of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, 
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of the concept of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, 
together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on 
together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on 
the individual financial statement line items (“FSLIs”) and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements.
the individual financial statement line items (“FSLIs”) and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements.

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:
Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:

Group
Group

Company
Company

Overall materiality
Overall materiality

£251m (2022: £239m).
£251m (2022: £239m).

£273m (2022: £278m).
£273m (2022: £278m).
For the purposes of the group audit, we increased materiality to 
For the purposes of the group audit, we increased materiality to 
£40m (2022: £20m), other than for those balances which were 
£40m (2022: £20m), other than for those balances which were 
eliminated on consolidation.
eliminated on consolidation.

How we determined it
How we determined it

5% of the PBET
5% of the PBET
This approach has not changed compared to the prior year.
This approach has not changed compared to the prior year.

0.5% of the net assets.
0.5% of the net assets.
This approach has not changed compared to the prior year.
This approach has not changed compared to the prior year.

Why we believe this is 
Why we believe this is 
appropriate
appropriate

In assessing Diageo’s performance, you exclude items identified 
In assessing Diageo’s performance, you exclude items identified 
by management as exceptional. Therefore, we have used PBET 
by management as exceptional. Therefore, we have used PBET 
which is a generally accepted auditing benchmark.
which is a generally accepted auditing benchmark.

We consider a net asset measure to reflect the nature of the 
We consider a net asset measure to reflect the nature of the 
company, which primarily acts as a holding company for the 
company, which primarily acts as a holding company for the 
group’s investments and holds certain liabilities on the balance 
group’s investments and holds certain liabilities on the balance 
sheet.
sheet.

The results of procedures performed over balances and 
The results of procedures performed over balances and 
transactions contributing to the group’s overall results were used 
transactions contributing to the group’s overall results were used 
to support our group opinion.
to support our group opinion.

We asked each of the teams reporting on the individual business units to work to assigned materiality levels which reflected the size of the 
We asked each of the teams reporting on the individual business units to work to assigned materiality levels which reflected the size of the 
operations they audited. This materiality will differ from that used in any external audit of the separate financial statements for these business units, 
operations they audited. This materiality will differ from that used in any external audit of the separate financial statements for these business units, 
for example the materiality used for the company balance sheet and reported profit was lowered to £40m for the group audit as described in the 
for example the materiality used for the company balance sheet and reported profit was lowered to £40m for the group audit as described in the 
table. The range of materiality allocated across the business unit audits was between £25m (Diageo Investment Corporation) and £155m (North 
table. The range of materiality allocated across the business unit audits was between £25m (Diageo Investment Corporation) and £155m (North 
America).
America).

When planning the audit, we considered if multiple misstatements may exist which, when aggregated, could exceed our overall materiality level. 
When planning the audit, we considered if multiple misstatements may exist which, when aggregated, could exceed our overall materiality level. 

In order to reduce the risk of multiple misstatements which could aggregate to this amount we used a lower level of materiality, known as 
In order to reduce the risk of multiple misstatements which could aggregate to this amount we used a lower level of materiality, known as 
performance materiality, to identify the individual balances, classes of transactions and disclosures that were subject to audit. Our performance 
performance materiality, to identify the individual balances, classes of transactions and disclosures that were subject to audit. Our performance 
materiality was £188m (2022: £179m) for the group and £205m (2022: £209m) for the company, being 75% of overall materiality for both the group 
materiality was £188m (2022: £179m) for the group and £205m (2022: £209m) for the company, being 75% of overall materiality for both the group 
and company financial statements. In determining this amount, we considered a number of factors - the history of low levels of misstatements, our 
and company financial statements. In determining this amount, we considered a number of factors - the history of low levels of misstatements, our 
risk assessment and the effectiveness of controls - and concluded that an amount at the upper end of our normal range was appropriate. 
risk assessment and the effectiveness of controls - and concluded that an amount at the upper end of our normal range was appropriate. 

Where the audit identified any items that were not reflected appropriately in the financial information, we considered these items carefully to 
Where the audit identified any items that were not reflected appropriately in the financial information, we considered these items carefully to 
assess if they were individually or in aggregate material. We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified 
assess if they were individually or in aggregate material. We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified 
which were qualitatively significant or which exceeded £12m (2022: £11m). This amount was £14m for the company (2022: £10m). The Audit 
which were qualitatively significant or which exceeded £12m (2022: £11m). This amount was £14m for the company (2022: £10m). The Audit 
Committee was responsible for deciding whether adjustments should be made to the financial statements in respect of those items. The Directors 
Committee was responsible for deciding whether adjustments should be made to the financial statements in respect of those items. The Directors 
concluded that all items which remained unadjusted were not material to the financial statements, either individually or in aggregate. We agreed 
concluded that all items which remained unadjusted were not material to the financial statements, either individually or in aggregate. We agreed 
with their conclusion.
with their conclusion.
Key audit matters
Key audit matters
We attended each of the five Audit Committee and sub-Committee meetings held during the year. Part of each meeting involved a private 
We attended each of the five Audit Committee and sub-Committee meetings held during the year. Part of each meeting involved a private 
discussion without management present. We also met with the Chair of the Audit Committee on an ad-hoc basis. During these various conversations 
discussion without management present. We also met with the Chair of the Audit Committee on an ad-hoc basis. During these various conversations 
we discussed our observations on a variety of accounting matters, for example the accounting for acquisitions, disposals and changes in 
we discussed our observations on a variety of accounting matters, for example the accounting for acquisitions, disposals and changes in 
assumptions used in the group’s impairment assessment over goodwill and brand intangibles assets, and observations on controls over financial 
assumptions used in the group’s impairment assessment over goodwill and brand intangibles assets, and observations on controls over financial 
reporting. In December, the Audit Committee discussed and challenged the audit plan. The plan included the matters which we considered 
reporting. In December, the Audit Committee discussed and challenged the audit plan. The plan included the matters which we considered 
presented the highest risk to the audit (the key audit matters) and other information on our audit approach such as our approach to specific 
presented the highest risk to the audit (the key audit matters) and other information on our audit approach such as our approach to specific 
balances, the audit of journals and where the latest technology would be used to obtain better quality audit evidence.
balances, the audit of journals and where the latest technology would be used to obtain better quality audit evidence.

The areas of highest risk for the group audit and where we focused most effort and resources are substantially unchanged from the prior year. 
The areas of highest risk for the group audit and where we focused most effort and resources are substantially unchanged from the prior year. 

They were;
They were;
• Valuation of goodwill and brand intangible assets;
• Valuation of goodwill and brand intangible assets;
• Uncertain tax positions in respect of direct and indirect taxes in India and Brazil; and
• Uncertain tax positions in respect of direct and indirect taxes in India and Brazil; and
• Valuation of post-employment benefit assets and liabilities.
• Valuation of post-employment benefit assets and liabilities.

To help you understand their impact on the audit, we have listed them in order of decreasing audit effort. Most of these areas are common with 
To help you understand their impact on the audit, we have listed them in order of decreasing audit effort. Most of these areas are common with 
other international beverage companies. The key audit matters above are consistent with last year.
other international beverage companies. The key audit matters above are consistent with last year.

We have included in an appendix to this report an explanation of each item, why it was discussed and how the audit approach was tailored to 
We have included in an appendix to this report an explanation of each item, why it was discussed and how the audit approach was tailored to 

address the concerns.
address the concerns.

As the sponsoring company for the United Kingdom schemes, valuation of post-employment benefit schemes was also identified as a key audit 
As the sponsoring company for the United Kingdom schemes, valuation of post-employment benefit schemes was also identified as a key audit 

matter for the company.
matter for the company.
The impact of climate risk on our audit
The impact of climate risk on our audit
As explained in the “Non-financial and sustainability information statement” section of the Strategic Report, the group has also performed a risk 
As explained in the “Non-financial and sustainability information statement” section of the Strategic Report, the group has also performed a risk 
assessment to understand the potential impacts of climate change upon key selected businesses, in particular how increasing global temperatures 
assessment to understand the potential impacts of climate change upon key selected businesses, in particular how increasing global temperatures 
are likely to impact operations due to water scarcity and policy changes impacting input costs. As part of our audit, we made enquiries of 
are likely to impact operations due to water scarcity and policy changes impacting input costs. As part of our audit, we made enquiries of 
management to understand the extent of the potential impact of climate change on the group’s business and the financial statements, including 
management to understand the extent of the potential impact of climate change on the group’s business and the financial statements, including 
reviewing management’s climate change risk assessment and climate change scenarios which were prepared with support from an external expert. 
reviewing management’s climate change risk assessment and climate change scenarios which were prepared with support from an external expert. 
We used our knowledge of the group and we engaged with our own climate change experts to evaluate the risk assessment performed by 
We used our knowledge of the group and we engaged with our own climate change experts to evaluate the risk assessment performed by 
management, and to understand the scenarios considered. 
management, and to understand the scenarios considered. 

By their nature financial statements present historical information which does not fully capture future events. We did determine that the key areas 
in the financial statements that are more likely to be materially impacted by climate change are those areas that are based on estimated future cash 
flows. As a result, we considered in particular how climate risks and the impact of the ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ commitments would impact 
the assumptions made in the forecasts prepared by Diageo used in the group’s impairment analysis (see also key audit matter on Valuation of 
goodwill and brand intangibles) and for going concern purposes. We challenged how longer term physical chronic risks had been considered such 
as water scarcity from water stress together with the impacts of chronic weather on agricultural supply chains, and shorter-term transitional risks such 
as the introduction of carbon taxes. Our procedures did not identify any material impact on our audit for the year ended 30 June 2023. We ensured 
that the assumptions used in preparation of the financial statements are consistent with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
(“TCFD”) disclosure.

The accuracy of Diageo’s progress against its ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ metrics set out on pages 57 - 87 is not included within the scope of 

this audit. We were engaged separately to provide independent limited assurance to the Directors over some of these metrics marked with the 
symbol ∆. The independent limited assurance report, which explains the scope of our work and the limited procedures undertaken is included in the 
Annual Report 2023 on page 263. Limited assurance varies significantly and is substantially less in scope than that of our financial audit, which 
provides reasonable assurance.

3. Our conclusions relating to going concern
Based on the work we have performed, which included understanding and evaluating the group’s financial forecasts and the stress testing of 
liquidity, assessing and testing risk factors that could impact the going concern basis of accounting such as the impacts of an inflationary 
environment and testing the amounts of debt maturing during the assessment period, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to 
events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group's and the company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the 

financial statements is appropriate.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not a guarantee as to the group's and the company's 

ability to continue as a going concern.

In relation to the directors’ reporting on how they have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code (“the Code”), we have nothing material to 

add or draw attention to in relation to the directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether the directors considered it appropriate to 
adopt the going concern basis of accounting.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

4. Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon. The 
directors are responsible for the other information, which includes reporting based on the TCFD recommendations. Our opinion on the financial 
statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly 
stated in this report, any form of assurance thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the 

other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be 
materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude 
whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we 
have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to 
report based on these responsibilities.

With respect to the Strategic report and Directors' report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the UK Companies Act 2006 

have been included.

Based on our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006 requires us also to report certain opinions and matters as 

described below.

Strategic report and Directors’ report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Strategic report and Directors' report for the 
year ended 30 June 2023 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we did not 

identify any material misstatements in the Strategic report and Directors' report.

Directors’ Remuneration
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 
2006.

Corporate governance statement
The Listing Rules require us to review the directors’ statements in relation to going concern, longer-term viability and that part of the corporate 
governance statement relating to the company’s compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review. 
Our additional responsibilities with respect to the corporate governance statement as other information are described in the Reporting on other 
information section of this report.

Based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the following elements of the corporate governance 

statement is materially consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge obtained during the audit, and we have nothing material to add 
or draw attention to in relation to:

• The directors’ confirmation that they have carried out a robust assessment of the emerging and principal risks;
• The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those principal risks, what procedures are in place to identify emerging risks and an 

explanation of how these are being managed or mitigated;

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INDEPEND ENT AU DITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF DIAGEO PLC  continued

• The directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether they considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting 
in preparing them, and their identification of any material uncertainties to the group’s and company’s ability to continue to do so over a period of 
at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;

• The directors’ explanation as to their assessment of the group's and company’s prospects, the period this assessment covers and why the period 

is appropriate; and

• The directors’ statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the company will be able to continue in operation and meet its 
liabilities as they fall due over the period of its assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or 
assumptions.

Our review of the directors’ statement regarding the longer-term viability of the group and company was substantially less in scope than an audit 
and only consisted of making inquiries and considering the directors’ process supporting their statement; checking that the statement is in alignment 
with the relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code; and considering whether the statement is consistent with the financial 
statements and our knowledge and understanding of the group and company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit.

In addition, based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the following elements of the corporate 

governance statement is materially consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge obtained during the audit:

• The directors’ statement that they consider the Annual Report, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable, and provides the 

information necessary for the members to assess the group’s and company's position, performance, business model and strategy;
• The section of the Annual Report that describes the review of effectiveness of risk management and internal control systems; and
• The section of the Annual Report describing the work of the Audit Committee.

We have nothing to report in respect of our responsibility to report when the directors’ statement relating to the company’s compliance with the 

Code does not properly disclose a departure from a relevant provision of the Code specified under the Listing Rules for review by the auditors.

5. Exception reporting required by the Companies Act 2006
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

• we have not obtained all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not 

visited by us; or

• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
• the company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement with the accounting 

records and returns.

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.

6. Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Directors' responsibilities in respect of the Annual Report, Form 20-F and financial statements set out on page 116, the 
directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that 
they give a true and fair view. The directors are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of 
financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s and the company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either 
intend to liquidate the group or the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

The directors are also responsible for the other information referenced above.

7. Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the company’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 
of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or 
to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

Richard Oldfield (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
London
31 July 2023

Appendix: Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements and 
include the most significant assessed risks of potential material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified by us. They include those which 
had the greatest effect on; the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the audit team. These 
matters, and any comments we make on the results of our procedures, were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a 
whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit.

Valuation of goodwill and brand intangible assets
Nature of the Key Audit Matter
Impacted FSLIs 

Goodwill

Brands

2023

£2,227m

£7,520m

2022

£2,287m

£7,896m

Goodwill and brand assets have been recognised as a result of acquisitions, in the current and prior years. Diageo is required to perform testing of 
the recoverable amounts of these assets at least annually because they are deemed to have an indefinite life and are therefore not amortised. 
Testing was primarily performed by Diageo over goodwill on a number of cash generating units (CGUs) and brands in May and impairment 
triggers considered up to the balance sheet date. The testing, with supporting sensitivity analyses, calculated the value in use (VIU) and fair value 
less cost of disposal and compared this amount to the carrying value. VIU was predominantly used, unless management believed that fair value 
less cost of disposal would result in a higher recoverable amount for any CGU or brand. 
Certain CGUs and brands were identified as being sensitive to reasonable changes in significant assumptions and are required to be disclosed in 
the Annual Report. 

The methodology in the models is dependent on various assumptions, both short term and long term in nature. These assumptions, which are 
subject to estimation uncertainty, are derived from a combination of management’s judgement, experts engaged by management and market 
data. The significant assumptions that we focused our audit on were those with greater levels of management judgement and for which variations 
had the most significant impact on the recoverable amounts. Specifically, these included Diageo’s strategic plans for fiscal years 2024 to 2026 
including long-term growth rates, discount rates, and forecasts for volume, revenue and operating profit growth.
The discussion with the Audit Committee
We discussed with the Audit Committee the methodologies and significant assumptions used to determine the recoverable values of the goodwill 
in India and Turkey, the Yeni Raki brand, and the portfolio of USL (India) brands. 
These discussions covered:
• the macroeconomic environment; 
• the consistency of assumptions of the impact of climate change with the impacts discussed in the unaudited disclosures on pages 71-87  in 

response to the recommendations of the Task Force for Climate related Financial Disclosures;

• reasonably possible alternatives for significant assumptions for example, the appropriateness of discount rates relative to our independently 

calculated ranges; and

• the disclosures made in relation to goodwill and brand intangibles, including the use of sensitivity analysis to explain estimation uncertainty and 

the conditions that would result in an impairment being recognised.

How our audit addressed the Key Audit Matter
We validated the appropriateness of the CGUs selected. 

We evaluated the design and operation of controls in place over the methodologies and calculation of fair value less cost of disposal and VIU 

for each CGU and selection of the significant assumptions used.

We agreed the mathematical accuracy of the calculations, to estimate the VIU.
In respect of the significant assumptions, our testing included the following: 

• challenging the achievability of management’s strategic plan and the prospects for Diageo’s businesses for the specific CGUs and brands. We 
paid particular attention to achievement of the strategic plan and margin improvements through productivity initiatives in light of historical 
ability to achieve these and the current elevated inflationary environment;

• obtaining and evaluating evidence where available for critical data relating to significant assumptions of forecasted growth, from a 

combination of historic experience, external market (e.g. IWSR, the leading source of data and analysis on the global beverage alcohol 
market) and other financial information; 

• assessing whether the cash flows included in the model were in accordance with the accounting standard IAS 36 “Impairment of Assets”; 
• independently assessing the sensitivity of the VIU to reasonable variations in significant assumptions, both individually and in aggregate; and 
• determining a reasonable range for the discount rate used within the model, with the assistance of PwC valuation experts, and comparing it to 

the discount rate used by management.

We evaluated and tested the disclosures made in the Annual Report in relation to goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles, and considered them to 
be reasonable.
Relevant references in Annual Report
Note 1(e) - Critical accounting estimates and judgements

Note 4 - Exceptional items
Note 9 - Intangible assets

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INDEPEND ENT AU DITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF DIAGEO PLC  continued

Uncertain tax positions in respect of direct and indirect taxes in India and Brazil
Nature of the Key Audit Matter
Impacted FSLIs 

Current tax assets

Current tax liabilities

2023

£232m

£135m

2022

£149m

£252m

Provision for tax uncertainties
£156m
The group operates across a large number of jurisdictions and in the normal course of business is subject to periodic challenges by tax authorities 
on a range of matters, including transfer pricing, direct and indirect taxes, and transaction related matters. In common with all alcohol beverage 
companies, taxation is particularly challenging because of specific alcohol duties and the international distribution of certain brands.

£173m

Diageo makes judgements in assessing the likelihood of potentially material exposures, develops estimates to determine provisions where 
required, and considers whether contingent liability disclosures should be made. Of particular significance are direct and indirect tax assessments 
in developing markets and assessments relating to financing and transfer pricing arrangements. The impact of a more aggressive tax stance by 
tax authorities to deal with government financing requirements following the Covid pandemic, and, in certain instances, changes in local tax 
regulations together with ongoing inspections by local tax and customs authorities and international bodies could materially impact the amounts 
recorded in the group financial statements.
The discussion with the Audit Committee
We discussed with the Audit Committee the judgements taken by management in assessing the risk of a potentially material exposure, and the 
significant assumptions used by management in determining the level of direct and indirect tax provisioning. Our discussions specifically covered 
matters in Brazil and India. We also discussed the disclosures, including those made in note 7 and note 19 to the Annual Report.
How our audit addressed the Key Audit Matter
We evaluated the design and implementation of controls to identify uncertain tax positions related to direct and indirect taxes, and the related 
accounting policy for providing for and disclosing tax exposures. 

PwC tax specialists gained an understanding of the current status of tax assessments and investigations and monitored developments in 

ongoing disputes. We read recent rulings and correspondence with tax authorities, as well as external advice provided by the group’s tax experts 
and legal advisors to satisfy ourselves that the tax provisions had been appropriately recorded or adjusted to reflect the latest developments. 

Where the basis for the conclusion reached was less clear, we challenged the advice from legal advisors and tax experts on how their view was 

reached. We also challenged management’s key assumptions. 

We agreed the mathematical accuracy of the provision calculation.
We evaluated and tested the related disclosures in relation to uncertain tax positions and considered them to be reasonable.

Relevant references in Annual Report
Note 1(e) - Critical accounting estimates and judgements
Note 4 - Exceptional items
Note 5 - Finance income and charges

Note 7 - Taxation
Note 15 - Working capital
Note 19 - Contingent liabilities and legal 
proceedings

Valuation of post employment benefit schemes
Nature of the Key Audit Matter
Impacted FSLI

Post-employment benefit plan assets (Group)

Post-employment benefit plan assets (Company)

Post employment benefit plan liabilities (Group)

Post employment benefit plan liabilities (Company)

2023

£6,846m

£4,578m

£6,252m

£4,041m

2022

£8,399m

£6.041m

£7,234m

£4,897m

The most significant post-employment schemes are within the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States; all of which are in a net surplus 
position as at 30 June 2023.

Within the UK and Ireland pension schemes, the group invests in pension investment vehicles (PIVs) which are increasingly complex to value 

and in the current environment are experiencing a significant amount of volatility. 

The valuation of pension plan liabilities is dependent on a number of actuarial assumptions. Management uses external actuaries to assist in 
determining these assumptions, and to determine the valuation of the defined benefit obligation. The experts use valuation methodologies that 
require a number of market-based inputs and other financial and demographic assumptions, including salary increases, mortality rates, discount 
rates, inflation levels and the impact of any changes in individual pension plans. The significant assumptions that we focused our audit on were 
those with greater levels of management judgement, and for which variations had the most significant impact on the liabilities. 

Specifically, these included the discount rates, inflation rates and mortality rates.

The discussion with the Audit Committee
We discussed with the Audit Committee the methodologies and significant assumptions used by management to determine the value of the 
defined benefit assets and liabilities for the significant plans. We have performed our procedures over the following:

• the valuation of pension investment vehicles by sending confirmation requests to investment managers and custodians and reperforming the 

asset valuation calculations; and

• the methodology used by management’s experts to update key assumptions used in calculating the defined benefit obligations, including 

changes to discount rates reflecting inflationary pressure in the year and updates to mortality assumptions for the UK and Irish schemes in line 
with the Continuous Mortality Investigation (“CMI”) model published at the year end.

How our audit addressed the Key Audit Matter
We evaluated the design and implementation of controls in place over both the pension investments and defined benefit pension obligations. 
We also evaluated the objectivity and competence of Diageo’s experts involved in the valuation of the defined benefit obligations.

We have confirmed the year end valuation of pension assets, including investments in pension investment vehicles, with both investment 
managers and custodians, and reperformed the year end valuation calculations of these assets. In addition, we have reviewed the latest service 
organisation reports for the investment managers in order to determine the effectiveness of controls they operate related to investment valuation.

Our actuarial experts assessed the appropriateness of the methodology used to estimate the liabilities, and to review the calculations prepared 

by Diageo’s actuarial experts. They also understood the judgments made by Diageo and their actuarial experts in determining the significant 
assumptions, and compared these assumptions to our independently compiled expected ranges based on market observable indices, relevant 
national and industry benchmarks, and our market experience, for the significant plans.

Based on our procedures, we considered management’s significant assumptions to be within reasonable ranges. We evaluated and tested the 

related disclosures in relation to the defined benefit obligation, and considered them to be reasonable. 
Relevant references in Annual Report
Note 1(e) - Critical accounting estimates and judgements

Note 14 - Post employment benefits 
(Group)
Note 6 - Post employment benefits 
(Company)

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FINANCI AL STATEMENTS

Consolidated income statement

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 

Sales

Excise duties

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Marketing

Other operating items

Operating profit

Non-operating items

Finance income

Finance charges

Share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures

Profit before taxation

Taxation

Profit for the year

Attributable to:

Equity shareholders of the parent company 

Non-controlling interests

Weighted average number of shares

Shares in issue excluding own shares

Dilutive potential ordinary shares

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

       Year ended 
30 June 2023

         Year ended 
30 June 2022

          Year ended  
30 June 2021

Notes

2  

3  

2  

3  

3  

3  

4  

5  

5  

6  

7  

£ million

23,515 

£ million

22,448 

(6,402)   

(6,996)   

17,113 

(6,899)   

10,214 

(3,051)   

(2,531)   

4,632 

328 

340 

(934)   

370 

4,736 

15,452 

(5,973)   

9,479 

(2,721)   

(2,349)   

4,409 

(17)   

497 

(919)   

417 

4,387 

(970)   

(1,049)   

3,766 

3,338 

3,734 

32 

3,766 

million

2,264 

7 

2,271 

pence

164.9 

164.4 

3,249 

89 

3,338 

million

2,318 

7 

2,325 

pence

140.2 

139.7 

£ million

19,153 

(6,420) 

12,733 

(5,038) 

7,695 

(2,163) 

(1,801) 

3,731 

14 

278 

(651) 

334 

3,706 

(907) 

2,799 

2,660 

139 

2,799 

million

2,337 

8 

2,345 

pence

113.8 

113.4 

Other comprehensive income

Items that will not be recycled subsequently to the income statement

Net remeasurement of post employment benefit plans

Group

Associates and joint ventures

Non-controlling interests

Tax on post employment benefit plans

Changes in the fair value of equity investments at fair value through other comprehensive income

Items that may be recycled subsequently to the income statement

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations

Group

Associates and joint ventures

Non-controlling interests

Net investment hedges

Exchange (gain)/loss recycled to the income statement

On disposal of foreign operations

On step acquisitions

Tax on exchange differences – group

Tax on exchange differences – non-controlling interests

Effective portion of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges

Hedge of foreign currency debt of the group

Transaction exposure hedging of the group

Hedges by associates and joint ventures

Commodity price risk hedging of the group

Recycled to income statement – hedge of foreign currency debt of the group

Recycled to income statement – transaction exposure hedging of the group

Recycled to income statement – commodity price risk hedging of the group

Tax on effective portion of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges

Hyperinflation adjustments

Tax on hyperinflation adjustments

Other comprehensive (loss)/income, net of tax, for the year

Profit for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Attributable to:

Equity shareholders of the parent company 

Non-controlling interests

Total comprehensive income for the year

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

        Year ended 
30 June 2023

         Year ended 
30 June 2022

         Year ended 
30 June 2021

Notes

£ million

£ million

£ million

14 

14 

6 

8 

7 

18 

(643)   

13 

— 

161 

(4)   

(473)   

(876)   

(59)   

(148)   

416 

(18)   

(1)   

(2)   

— 

6 

273 

24 

(56)   

54 

(13)   

(33)   

(39)   

182 

(39)   

(329)   

(802)   

3,766 

2,964 

3,080 

(116)   

2,964 

616   

5   

(1)   

(123)   

(12)   

485   

1,128   

60   

171   

(623)   

63   

—   

(6)   

—   

233   

(172)   

(15)   

78   

(239)   

42   

(46)   

32   

365   

(74)   

997   

1,482   

3,338   

4,820   

4,561   

259   

4,820   

16 

3 

— 

(46) 

— 

(27) 

(1,233) 

(240) 

(173) 

810 

— 

— 

(9) 

(1) 

(298) 

101 

(1) 

41 

175 

10 

(2) 

(6) 

(17) 

5 

(838) 

(865) 

2,799 

1,934 

1,969 

(35) 

1,934 

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FINANCI AL STATEMENTS  contin u ed

Consolidated balance sheet 

Non-current assets

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Biological assets

Investments in associates and joint ventures

Other investments

Other receivables

Other financial assets

Deferred tax assets

Post employment benefit assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Corporate tax receivables

Assets held for sale

Other financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities

Borrowings and bank overdrafts

Other financial liabilities

Share buyback liability

Trade and other payables

Liabilities held for sale

Corporate tax payables

Provisions

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Other financial liabilities

Other payables

Provisions

Deferred tax liabilities

Post employment benefit liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity

Share capital

Share premium

Other reserves

Retained earnings

Equity attributable to equity shareholders of the parent company

Non-controlling interests

Total equity

30 June 2023

30 June 2022

Notes

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

Other reserves

Retained earnings/(deficit)

Consolidated statement of changes in equity 

11,512 

6,142 

156 

3,829 

57 

31 

394 

141 

960 

7,661 

2,720 

232 

— 

347 

1,439 

(1,701) 

(359) 

— 

(5,300) 

— 

(135) 

(119) 

(14,801) 

(747) 

(368) 

(243) 

(2,183) 

(373) 

712 

1,351 

1,861 

3,898 

9  

10  

11

6  

13  

15  

16  

7  

14  

15  

15  

7  

8  

16  

17  

17  

16  

15  

8  

7  

15  

17  

16  

15  

15  

7  

14  

18  

18

11,902 

5,848 

94 

3,652 

37 

37 

345 

114 

1,553 

23,222 

23,582 

12,399 

35,621 

12,934 

36,516 

7,094 

2,933 

149 

222 

251 

2,285 

(1,522) 

(444) 

(117) 

(5,887) 

(61) 

(252) 

(159) 

(7,614) 

(8,442) 

(14,498) 

(703) 

(380) 

(258) 

(2,319) 

(402) 

723 

1,351 

2,174 

3,550 

(18,560) 

(27,002) 

9,514 

7,798 

1,716 

9,514 

(18,715) 

(26,329) 

9,292 

7,822 

1,470 

9,292 

At 30 June 2020
Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year
Employee share schemes

Share-based incentive plans
Share-based incentive plans in respect of 

associates

Tax on share-based incentive plans

Purchase of non-controlling interests
Associates' transactions with non-controlling 

interests

Change in fair value of put option

Share buyback programme

Dividend declared for the year

At 30 June 2021
Adjustment to 2021 closing equity in respect of 

hyperinflation in Turkey
Adjusted opening balance
Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year
Employee share schemes

Share-based incentive plans
Share-based incentive plans in respect of 

associates

Tax on share-based incentive plans
Share-based payments and purchase of own 

shares in respect of subsidiaries

Unclaimed dividend

Change in fair value of put option

Share buyback programme

Dividend declared for the year

At 30 June 2022
Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year
Employee share schemes

Share-based incentive plans
Share-based incentive plans in respect of 

associates

Tax on share-based incentive plans
Share-based payments and purchase of own 

shares in respect of subsidiaries
Purchase of non-controlling interests
Associates' transactions with non-controlling 

interests

Unclaimed dividend

Change in fair value of put option

Share buyback programme
Dividend declared for the year

At 30 June 2023

Share
capital
£ million

Share 
premium
£ million

Notes

742   

1,351   

Capital 
redemption 
reserve
£ million
3,201   

Hedging 
and 
exchange 
reserve
£ million
(929) 

Other 
Own 
retained 
shares
earnings
£ million
£ million
  (1,936)    4,343    2,407   

Total
£ million

Equity 
attributable to 
parent 
company 
shareholders
£ million
6,772   

Non- 
controlling 
interests
£ million
1,668   

Total equity
£ million
8,440 

18   

8   

18   

18   

—   

—   

— 
—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

(1)   

—   

—   

—   

— 
—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

— 
—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

1   

—   

— 

(652) 

(652) 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

—    2,660    2,660   

2,660   

139   

2,799 

—   

(39)   

(39)   

(691)   

(174)   

(865) 

— 
59   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

  2,621 

  2,621 

1,969 

(10)   

49   

3   

9   

49   

49   

3   

9   

49   

49   

3   

9   

(35)   
—   

—   

1,934 
49 

49 

—   

—   

3 

9 

(15)   

(15)   

(15)   

(27)   

(42) 

(91)   

(2)   

(91)   

(2)   

(91)   

(2)   

(200)   

(200)   

(200)   

—   

—   

—   

(91) 

(2) 

(200) 

—    (1,646)    (1,646)   

(1,646)   

(72)   

(1,718) 

741   

1,351   

3,202   

(1,581) 

  (1,877)    5,061    3,184   

6,897   

1,534   

8,431 

—   

—   

—   

— 

—   

251   

251   

251   

—   

251 

741   

1,351   

3,202   

(1,581) 

  (1,877)    5,312    3,435   

7,148   

1,534   

8,682 

— 

535 

535 

—    3,249    3,249   

3,249   

89   

3,338 

—   

777   

777   

1,312   

170   

1,482 

—    4,026    4,026   

4,561   

259   

4,820 

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

18   

—   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

39   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

50   

59   

4   

9   

(11)   

3   

89   

59   

4   

9   

(11)   

3   

(34)   

(34)   

—    (2,310)    (2,310)   

—    (1,720)    (1,720)   

723 

1,351 

3,220 

  (1,046) 

  (1,838)    5,388 

  3,550 

(18)   

—   

18  

18  

8  

— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

18  

(11)   

— 

712 

  3,734 

  3,734 

(330)   

(330)   

(654)   

— 
24 

  3,404 
24 

  3,404 
48 

49 

49 

6 

6 

3 

6 

6 

3 

— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

11 

— 

— 

(324) 

(324) 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(111)   

(111)   

(111)   

(35)   

(146) 

(7)   

(7)   

1 

1 

(16)   

(16)   

(7)   

1 

(16)   

  (1,273)    (1,273)   

  (1,762)    (1,762)   

(1,273)   

(1,762)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

(7) 

1 

(16) 

(1,273) 

(97)   

(1,859) 

1,351 

3,231 

(1,370) 

  (1,814)    5,712 

  3,898 

7,822 

1,470 

  9,292 

89   

59   

4   

9   

(11)   

3   

(34)   

(2,310)   

(1,720)   

7,798 

3,734 

3,080 
48 

49 

6 

6 

3 

—   

—   

—   

—   

(6)   

1   

—   

—   

89 

59 

4 

9 

(17) 

4 

(34) 

(2,310) 

(72)   

(1,792) 

1,716 

32 

(148)   
(116)   
— 

— 

— 

— 

2 

9,514 

3,766 

(802) 
2,964 

48 

49 

6 

6 

5 

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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

These consolidated financial statements have been approved by a duly appointed and authorised committee of the Board of Directors on 
31 July 2023 and were signed on its behalf by Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar, Directors. 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

170

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

171

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Consolidated statement of cash flows 

Cash flows from operating activities
Profit for the year

Taxation

Share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures

Net finance charges

Non-operating items

Operating profit
Increase in inventories

Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables

(Decrease)/increase in trade and other payables and provisions

Net (increase)/decrease in working capital
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

Dividends received

Post employment payments less amounts included in operating profit

Other items

Cash generated from operations
Interest received

Interest paid

Taxation paid

Net cash inflow from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Disposal of property, plant and equipment and computer software

Purchase of property, plant and equipment and computer software

Movements in loans and other investments

Sale of businesses and brands
Acquisition of subsidiaries(1)
Investments in associates and joint ventures(1)
Net cash outflow from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Share buyback programme

Net sale of own shares for share schemes

Purchase of treasury shares in respect of subsidiaries

Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

Proceeds from bonds

Repayment of bonds

Purchase of shares of non-controlling interests

Cash inflow from other borrowings

Cash outflow from other borrowings

Equity dividends paid

Net cash outflow from financing activities

Net decrease in net cash and cash equivalents
Exchange differences

Net cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year

Net cash and cash equivalents at end of the year

Net cash and cash equivalents consist of:
Cash and cash equivalents

Bank overdrafts

Year ended 30 June 2023

Year ended 30 June 2022

Year ended 30 June 2021

Notes

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

3,766 

970 

(370) 

594 

(328) 

(675) 

121 

(621) 

1,066 

219 

(25) 

62 

131 

(685) 

(1,201) 

13 

(1,180) 

(57) 

462 
(342) 

(93) 

3,338 

1,049 

(417) 

422 

17 

4,632 

4,409 

(179) 

982 

5,212 

(1,277) 

3,935 

(1,175) 

1,322 

4,779 

(1,755) 

3,024 

(740) 

(378) 

939 

828 

190 

(89) 

53 

110 

(438) 

(949) 

17 

(1,097) 

(72) 

82 
(206) 

(65) 

2,799 

907 

(334) 

373 

(14) 

(443) 

(446) 

1,220 

447 

290 

(30) 

88 

89 

(440) 

(852) 

13 

(626) 

(4) 

14 
(450) 

(38) 

8  
8  
8  

3,731 

331 

795 

4,857 

(1,203) 

3,654 

(1,197) 

(1,341) 

(1,091) 

18  

(1,381) 

29 

— 

(97) 

2,229 

(1,340) 

(146) 

433 
(374) 

(1,761) 

17  
17  
8  

17

17

17

(2,284) 

18 

(15) 

(81) 

2,263 

(1,521) 

— 

503 

(424) 

(1,718) 

(109) 

49 

— 

(77) 

1,031 

(1,247) 

(42) 

34 

(787) 

(1,646) 

(2,408) 

(581) 

(227) 

2,211 

1,403 

1,439 

(36) 

1,403 

(3,259) 

(665) 

239 

2,637 

2,211 

2,285 

(74) 

2,211 

(2,794) 

(231) 

(285) 

3,153 

2,637 

2,749 

(112) 

2,637 

(1)   For the years ended 30 June 2022 and 30 June 2021, the previously reported line item of 'Acquisition of businesses' has been replaced with 'Acquisition of subsidiaries' and 'Investments in 

associates and joint ventures' to show separately the amounts which had previously been shown combined.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

Accounting information and policies 
Introduction 
This section describes the basis of preparation of the consolidated financial statements and the group’s accounting policies that are applicable to 
the financial statements as a whole. Accounting policies, critical accounting estimates and judgements specific to a note are included in the note to 
which they relate. Furthermore, the section details new accounting standards, amendments and interpretations, that the group has adopted in the 
current financial year or will adopt in subsequent years. 
1. Accounting information and policies 
(a) Basis of preparation 
The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with 
international accounting standards in conformity with the requirements 
of the Companies Act 2006 and International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) adopted by the UK (UK-adopted International 
Accounting Standards) and IFRSs, as issued by the IASB, including 
interpretations issued by the IFRS Interpretations Committee. IFRS as 
adopted by the UK differs in certain respects from IFRS as issued by the 
IASB. The differences have no impact on the group’s consolidated 
financial statements for the years presented. The consolidated financial 
statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical 
cost convention, unless stated otherwise in the relevant accounting 
policy. 

The income statements and cash flows of non-sterling entities are 
translated into sterling at weighted average rates of exchange, except 
for subsidiaries in hyperinflationary economies that are translated with 
the closing rate at the end of the year and for substantial transactions 
that are translated at the rate on the date of the transaction. Exchange 
differences arising on the retranslation to closing rates are taken to the 
exchange reserve. 

functional currency). The consolidated financial statements are 
presented in sterling, which is the functional currency of the parent 
company, Diageo plc. The functional currency of Diageo plc is 
determined by using management judgement that considers the parent 
company as an extension of its subsidiaries. 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS 
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect 
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of 
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, 
and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the year. 
Actual results could differ from those estimates.  
(b) Going concern
Management prepared cash flow forecasts which were also sensitised 
to reflect severe but plausible downside scenarios taking into 
consideration the group's principal risks. In the base case scenario, 
management included assumptions for mid-single digit net sales 
growth, operating margin improvement and global TBA market share 
growth. In light of the ongoing geopolitical volatility, the base case 
outlook and severe but plausible downside scenarios incorporated 
considerations for a prolonged global recession, supply chain 
disruptions, higher inflation and further geopolitical deterioration. Even 
under these scenarios, the group’s liquidity is still expected to remain 
strong, as it was protected by issuing €500 million of fixed rate euro 
and $2 billion of fixed rate dollar-denominated bonds in the year ended 
30 June 2023. Mitigating actions, should they be required, are all within 
management’s control and could include reductions in discretionary 
spending such as acquisitions and capital expenditure, as well as a 
temporary suspension of the share buyback programme and dividend 
payments in the next 12 months, or drawdowns on committed facilities. 
Having considered the outcome of these assessments, the Directors are 
comfortable that the company is a going concern for at least 12 months 
from the date of signing the group's consolidated financial statements.
(c) Consolidation 
The consolidated financial statements include the results of the 
company and its subsidiaries together with the group’s attributable 
share of the results of associates and joint ventures. A subsidiary is an 
entity controlled by Diageo plc. The group controls an investee when it is 
exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the 
investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power 
over the investee. Where the group has the ability to exercise joint 
control over an entity but has rights to specified assets and obligations 
for liabilities of that entity, the entity is included on the basis of the 
group’s rights over those assets and liabilities. 
(d) Foreign currencies 
Items included in the financial statements of the group’s subsidiaries, 
associates and joint ventures are measured using the currency of the 
primary economic environment in which each entity operates (its 

Assets and liabilities are translated at closing rates. Exchange 
differences arising on the retranslation at closing rates of the opening 
balance sheets of overseas entities are taken to the exchange reserve, 
as are exchange differences arising on foreign currency borrowings and 
financial instruments designated as net investment hedges, to the extent 
that they are effective. Tax charges and credits arising on such items are 
also taken to the exchange reserve. Gains and losses accumulated in 
the exchange reserve are recycled to the income statement when the 
foreign operation is sold. Other exchange differences are taken to the 
income statement. Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at 
the rate of exchange at the date of the transaction.  

The principal foreign exchange rates used in the translation of 

financial statements for the three years ended 30 June 2023, expressed 
in US dollars and euros per £1, were as follows: 

US dollar
Income statement and cash flows(1)
Assets and liabilities(2)

Euro
Income statement and cash flows(1)
Assets and liabilities(2)

2023

2022

2021

1.20 

1.26 

1.15 

1.17 

1.33   

1.21   

1.18   

1.16   

1.35 

1.39 

1.13 

1.17 

(1)  Weighted average rates 
(2)  Closing rates  
The group uses foreign exchange hedges to mitigate the effect of 
exchange rate movements. For further information, see note 16. 
(e) Critical accounting estimates and judgements  
Details of critical estimates and judgements which the Directors consider 
could have a significant impact on the financial statements are set out 
in the related notes as follows: 

• Exceptional items – management judgement whether exceptional or 

not – page 179

• Taxation – management judgement whether a provision is required 
and management estimate of amount of corporate tax payable or 
receivable, the recoverability of deferred tax assets and expectation 
on manner of recovery of deferred taxes – pages 183 and 216

• Brands, goodwill, other intangibles and contingent considerations – 
management judgement whether the assets and liabilities are to be 
recognised and synergies resulting from an acquisition. 
Management judgement and estimate are required in determining 
future cash flows and appropriate applicable assumptions to support 
the intangible asset and contingent consideration value – pages 184 
and 206

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173

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

• Post employment benefits – management judgement whether a 

surplus can be recovered and management estimate in determining 
the assumptions in calculating the liabilities of the funds – page 195

• Contingent liabilities and legal proceedings – management 

judgement in assessing the likelihood of whether a liability will arise 
and an estimate to quantify the possible range of any settlement; 
and significant unprovided tax matters where maximum exposure is 
provided for each – page 215

(f) Hyperinflationary accounting
The group applied hyperinflationary accounting for its operations in 
Turkey, Venezuela and Lebanon. Turkey has been a hyperinflationary 
economy where cumulative inflation for the three years ended 30 June 
2022 exceeded 100%. Consequently, since March 2022, the group 
applies hyperinflationary accounting for its Turkish operations. The 
group’s consolidated financial statements for the years ended 30 June 
2023 and 30 June 2022 include the results and financial position of its 
Turkish operations restated to the measuring unit current at the end of 
each period, with hyperinflationary gains and losses in respect of 
monetary items being reported in finance income and charges. 
Comparative amounts presented in the consolidated financial 
statements were not restated. Hyperinflationary accounting needs to be 
applied as if Turkey has always been a hyperinflationary economy, 
hence, as per Diageo’s accounting policy choice, the differences 
between equity at 30 June 2021 as reported and the equity after the 
restatement of the non-monetary items to the measuring unit current at 
30 June 2021 were recognised in retained earnings. Such restatement 
includes impairment of TRL 2,133 million (£177 million) recognised on the 
goodwill in the Turkey cash-generating unit and TRL 1,627 million (£135 
million) in respect of the Yenì Raki brand, as a result of the increased 
carrying values for those due to hyperinflation adjustments. When 
applying IAS 29 on an ongoing basis, comparatives in stable currency 
are not restated and the effect of inflating opening net assets to the 
measuring unit current at the end of the reporting period is presented in 
other comprehensive income. The inflation rate used by the group is the 
official rate published by the Turkish Statistical Institute. The movement 
in the publicly available official price index for the year ended 30 June 
2023 was 38% (2022 – 79%).

Venezuela is a hyperinflationary economy where the government 

maintains a regime of strict currency controls with multiple foreign 
currency rate systems. The exchange rate used to translate the results of 
the group’s Venezuelan operations was VES/£ 3,807 for the year ended 
30 June 2023 (2022 – VES/£ 759). This rate reflects management’s 
estimate of the exchange rate considering inflation and the most 
appropriate official exchange rate. Movement in the price index for the 
year ended 30 June 2023 was 382% (2022 – 268%). The inflation rate 
used by the group is provided by an independent valuer because no 
reliable, officially published rate is available for Venezuela. 

The following table presents the contribution of the group’s 
Venezuelan operations to consolidated net sales, operating profit, 
operating cash flow and assets for the years ended 30 June 2023 and 
30 June 2022 and with the amounts that would have resulted if the 
official reference exchange rate had been applied: 

Year ended 30 June 2023

Year ended 30 June 2022

At estimated
 exchange rate

3,807 VES/£

£ million

At official 
reference
 exchange rate

36 VES/£

£ million

At estimated
 exchange rate

759 VES/£

£ million

— 

— 

9 

— 

(2)   

(212)   

— 

6 

(3)   

657 

—   

(1)   

1   

—   

41   

At official 
reference
 exchange rate

7 VES/£

£ million
15 

(1) 

157 

(5) 

4,606 

Net sales

Operating loss

Other finance 
(charges)/income - 
hyperinflation 
adjustment

Net cash outflow from 
operating activities

Net assets

174

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Sterling  amounts  presented  at  the  official  reference  exchange  rate  are 
results of simple mathematical conversion.
The impact of hyperinflationary accounting for Lebanon was immaterial 
both in the current and comparative periods. 
(g) New accounting standards and interpretations 
The following amendments to the accounting standards, issued by the 
IASB and endorsed by the UK, were adopted by the group from 1 July 
2022 with no impact on the group’s consolidated results, financial 
position or disclosures: 

• Amendments to IFRS 3 Updating a Reference to the Conceptual 

Framework

• Amendments to IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment: Proceeds 

before Intended Use

• Amendments to IAS 37 Onerous Contracts - Cost of Fulfilling a 

Contract

• Amendments to Annual improvements 2018-2020 - IFRS 9 - Fees in 
the '10 per cent' Test, IFRS 16 - Lease incentives, IAS 41 - Taxation in 
Fair Value Measurements

• Amendments to IAS 12 International Tax Reform – Pillar Two Model 

Rules

The following standard and amendments issued by the IASB have been 
endorsed by the UK and have not been adopted by the group: 

• IFRS 17 – Insurance contracts (effective from the year ending 30 June 

2024) is ultimately intended to replace IFRS 4. Based on a 
preliminary assessment, the group believes that the adoption of IFRS 
17 will not have a significant impact on its consolidated results or 
financial position. 

• Amendments to IAS 12 - Income taxes (effective from the year ending 
30 June 2024) requires an entity to recognise deferred tax on initial 
recognition of particular transactions to the extent that the 
transaction gives rise to equal amounts of deferred tax assets and 
liabilities. The proposed amendments would apply to transactions 
such as leases and decommissioning obligations for which an entity 
recognises both an asset and a liability. The group believes that the 
adoption of these amendments will not have a significant impact on 
its consolidated results and financial position. 

There are a number of other amendments and clarifications to IFRSs, 
effective in future years, which are not expected to significantly impact 
the group’s consolidated results or financial position. 
(h) Climate change considerations
The impact of climate change assessment and the net zero carbon 
emission target for Diageo's direct operations (Scope 1 & 2) for 2030 
have been considered as part of the assessment of estimates and 
judgements in preparing the group's consolidated financial statements.

The climate change scenario analyses performed in 2023 – 

conducted in line with TCFD recommendations (‘Transition 
Scenario’ (RCP 2.6), a ‘Moderate Warming’ Scenario (RCP 4.5) and a 
‘Severe Warming Scenario’ (RCP 8.5)) – identified no material financial 
impact to these financial statements.

The following considerations were made in respect of the financial 

statements:

• The impact of climate change on factors (like residual values, useful 
lives and depreciation methods) that determine the carrying value of 
non-current assets.

• The impact of climate change on forecasts of cash flows used 

(including forecast depreciation in line with capital expenditure plans 
for Diageo's net zero carbon emission commitment) in impairment 
assessments for the value-in-use of non-current assets including 
goodwill (see note 9).

• The impact of climate change on post-employment assets.

Results for the year

Introduction
This section explains the results and performance of the group for the three years ended 30 June 2023. Disclosures are provided for segmental 
information, operating costs, exceptional items, finance income and charges, the group's share of results of associates and joint ventures, taxation. 
For associates, joint ventures and taxation, balance sheet disclosures are also provided in this section.

2. Segmental information 

Accounting policies
Sales comprise revenue from contracts with customers from the sale of goods, royalties and rents receivable. Revenue from the sale of goods 
includes excise and other duties which the group pays as principal but excludes duties and taxes collected on behalf of third parties, such as 
value added tax. Sales are recognised as or when performance obligations are satisfied by transferring control of a good or service to the 
customer, which is determined by considering, among other factors, the delivery terms agreed with customers. For the sale of goods, the 
transfer of control occurs when the significant risks and rewards of ownership are passed to the customer. Based on the shipping terms 
agreed with customers, the transfer of control of goods occurs at the time of dispatch for the majority of sales. Where the transfer of control is 
subsequent to the dispatch of goods, the time between dispatch and receipt by the customer is generally less than five days. The group 
includes in sales the net consideration to which it expects to be entitled. Sales are recognised to the extent that it is highly probable that a 
significant reversal will not occur. Therefore, sales are stated net of expected price discounts, allowances for customer loyalty and certain 
promotional activities and similar items. Generally, payment of the transaction price is due within credit terms that are consistent with industry 
practices, with no element of financing.
Net sales are sales less excise duties. Diageo incurs excise duties throughout the world. In the majority of countries, excise duties are 
effectively a production tax which becomes payable when the product is removed from bonded premises and is not directly related to the 
value of sales. It is generally not included as a separate item on external invoices; increases in excise duty are not always passed on to the 
customer and where a customer fails to pay for products received the group cannot reclaim the excise duty. The group therefore recognises 
excise duty, unless it regards itself as an agent of the regulatory authorities, as a cost to the group.
Advertising costs, point of sale materials and sponsorship payments are charged to marketing in operating profit when the company has a 
right of access to the goods or services acquired.

Diageo is an international manufacturer and distributor of premium drinks. Diageo also owns a number of investments in associates and joint 
ventures, as set out in note 6. 

The segmental information presented is consistent with management reporting provided to the Executive Committee (the chief operating 

decision-maker). 

The Executive Committee considers the business principally from a geographical perspective based on the location of third-party sales and the 

business analysis is presented by geographical segment. In addition to these geographical selling segments, a further segment reviewed by the 
Executive Committee is the Supply Chain and Procurement (SC&P) segment, which manufactures products for other group companies and includes 
the production sites in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Guatemala and Mexico, as well as comprises the global procurement function.

The group's operations also include the Corporate segment. Corporate costs are in respect of central costs, including finance, marketing, 
corporate relations, human resources and legal, as well as certain information systems, facilities and employee costs that are not allocable to the 
geographical segments or to the SC&P. 

Diageo uses shared services operations to deliver transaction processing activities for markets and operational entities. These centres are located 

in India, Hungary, Colombia and the Philippines. These captive business service centres also perform certain central finance activities, including 
elements of financial planning and reporting, treasury and HR services. The costs of shared services operations are recharged to the regions.    

For planning and management reporting purposes, Diageo uses budgeted exchange rates that are set at the prior year's weighted average 
exchange rate. In order to ensure a consistent basis on which performance is measured through the year, prior period results are also restated to the 
budgeted exchange rate. Segmental information for net sales and operating profit before exceptional items are reported on a consistent basis with 
management reporting. The adjustments required to retranslate the segmental information to actual exchange rates and to reconcile it to the 
group’s reported results are shown in the tables below. The comparative segmental information, prior to retranslation, has not been restated at the 
current year’s budgeted exchange rates but is presented at the budgeted rates for the respective year. 

In addition, for management reporting purposes, Diageo presents the result of acquisitions and disposals completed in the current and prior year 

separately from the results of the geographical segments. The impact of acquisitions and disposals on net sales and operating profit is disclosed 
under the appropriate geographical segments in the tables below at budgeted exchange rates. 

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175

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023

Sales

Net sales
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

Hyperinflation

Net sales

Operating profit/(loss)
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Fair value remeasurements

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

Hyperinflation

2022

Sales

Net sales
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

Hyperinflation

Net sales

Operating profit/(loss)
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Fair value remeasurements

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

Hyperinflation

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(a) Segmental information for the consolidated income statement 

North 
America

Europe 

Asia
Pacific

Latin 
America 
and 
Caribbean

Africa

SC&P

Eliminate 
inter- 
segment 
sales 

Total 
operating 
segments 

Corporate 
and other 

Total

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

7,382 

  5,996 

  5,403 

2,260 

2,386 

3,073 

(3,073)    23,427 

88 

  23,515 

  6,052 

3,377 

3,084 

1,642 

20 

8 

678 

— 

20 

38 

(41)   

175 

35 

8 

73 

— 

3 

9 

145 

— 

1,631 

104 

3 

(39)   

— 

2,942 

(2,876)   

15,852 

87 

15,939 

— 

(66)   

197 

— 

— 

— 

(197)   

— 

182 

— 

816 

175 

— 

— 

1 

— 

182 

— 

817 

175 

6,758 

3,569 

3,200 

1,799 

1,699 

3,073 

(3,073)   

17,025 

88 

17,113 

886 

5 

597 

— 

(6)   

(3)   

2,337 

1,076 

(18)   

3 

87 

280 

— 

(13)   

(24)   

25 

18 

23 

— 

20 

— 

1 

66 

— 

661 

— 

661 

347 

27 

(2)   

— 

(152)   

— 

220 

(44)   

176 

(32)   

— 

32 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

5,211 

(292)   

4,919 

1 

— 

113 

232 

23 

(6)   

— 

— 

(28)   

— 

(5) 

— 

113 

204 

23 

  5,580 

(326)   

5,254 

(622)   

— 

(622) 

4,958 

(326)   

4,632 

328 

(594) 

370 

4,736 

Operating profit/(loss) before exceptional items

2,689 

1,105 

905 

Exceptional operating items 

Operating profit/(loss)

Non-operating items

Net finance charges

Share of after tax results of associates and joint 

ventures

Profit before taxation

(97)   

(8)   

(473)   

2,592 

1,097 

432 

North 
America

Europe 

Asia
Pacific

Latin 
America 
and 
Caribbean

Africa

SC&P

Eliminate
inter-
segment
sales

Total
operating
segments

Corporate
and other

Total

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

6,682   

5,740   

5,624   

1,945   

2,403   

2,010   

(2,010)    22,394   

54    22,448 

5,955   

3,258   

2,879   

1,486   

1,699   

2,095   

(2,016)   

15,356   

55   

15,411 

34   

9   

23   

46   

97   

(304)   

—   

189   

—   

9   

(4)   

—   

3   

12   

24   

—   

15   

3   

(35)   

—   

—   

(79)   

(6)   

—   

—   

—   

6   

—   

75   

—   

(222)   

189   

—   

—   

(1)   

—   

75 

— 

(223) 

189 

  6,095   

3,212   

2,884   

1,525   

1,682   

2,010   

(2,010)   

15,398   

54   

15,452 

2,388   

1,086   

703   

528   

(28)   

(1)   

32   

63   

—   

11   

(18)   

36   

(108)   

10   

—   

(2)   

—   

10   

—   

—   

—   

(8)   

18   

—   

346   

(10)   

(1)   

—   

(20)   

—   

315   

—   

315   

(22)   

—   

22   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

5,029   

(256)   

4,773 

(27)   

—   

60   

(37)   

10   

—   

—   

—   

18   

—   

(27) 

— 

60 

(19) 

10 

5,035   

(238)   

4,797 

(388)   

—   

(388) 

4,647   

(238)   

4,409 

(17) 

(422) 

417 

4,387 

Operating profit/(loss) before exceptional items

2,454   

1,017   

711   

538   

(1)   

(146)   

2,453   

871   

(241)   

470   

—   

538   

Exceptional operating items 

Operating profit/(loss)

Non-operating items

Net finance charges
Share of after tax results of associates and joint 

ventures

Profit before taxation

176

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

North 
America

Europe 

Asia
Pacific

Latin 
America 
and 
Caribbean

Africa

SC&P

Eliminate
inter-
segment
sales

Total
operating
segments

Corporate
and other

Total

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

5,803   

4,795   

5,146   

1,369   

2,020   

1,537   

(1,537)   

19,133   

20   

19,153 

5,527   

2,579   

2,561   

1,176   

1,541   

1,627   

(1,548)   

13,463   

20   

13,483 

28   

9   

(355)   

2   

45   

(68)   

—   

9   

—   

13   

5   

3   

(82)   

(143)   

(137)   

—   

(79)   

(11)   

—   

—   

11   

35   

—   

(785)   

—   

—   

—   

35 

— 

(785) 

5,209   

2,558   

2,488   

1,046   

1,412   

1,537   

(1,537)   

12,713   

20   

12,733 

2021

Sales

Net sales
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

Net sales

Operating profit/(loss)
At budgeted exchange rates(1)

Acquisitions and disposals

SC&P allocation

Fair value remeasurement of contingent consideration

Retranslation to actual exchange rates

2,469   

728   

628   

422   

228   

(18)   

(30)   

(9)   

(175)   

(3)   

(32)   

(27)   

(31)   

—   

(5)   

—   

(15)   

—   

(27)   

—   

(92)   

303   

—   

—   

(3)   

—   

(54)   

171   

—   

171   

Operating profit/(loss) before exceptional items

2,237   

635   

608   

Exceptional operating items 

—   

(15)   

—   

Operating profit/(loss)

Non-operating items

Net finance charges

Share of after tax results of associates and joint 

ventures

Profit before taxation

2,237   

620   

608   

303   

(97)   

—   

97   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

4,378   

(218)   

4,160 

(21)   

—   

(36)   

—   

—   

—   

(21) 

— 

(36) 

(367)   

10   

(357) 

3,954   

(208)   

3,746 

(15)   

—   

(15) 

3,939   

(208)   

3,731 

14 

(373) 

334 

3,706 

(1)
(i) 

These items represent the IFRS 8 performance measures for the geographical and SC&P segments.  
The net sales figures for SC&P reported to the Executive Committee primarily comprise inter-segment sales and these are eliminated in a separate column in the above segmental 
analysis. Apart from sales by the SC&P segment to the other operating segments, inter-segmental sales are not material.  

(ii)  The group’s net finance charges are managed centrally and are not attributable to individual operating segments.  
(iii) Approximately 38% of annual net sales occurred in the last four months of calendar year 2022.

(b) Other segmental information

2023
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and computer 

software

Depreciation and intangible asset amortisation

Exceptional impairment of tangible assets

Exceptional impairment of intangible assets

2022
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and computer 

software

Depreciation and intangible asset amortisation

Exceptional impairment of tangible assets

Exceptional impairment of intangible assets

2021
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and computer 

software

Depreciation and intangible asset amortisation

 North
America
£ million

Europe 
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin
America
and
Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

SC&P
£ million

Corporate
and other
£ million

Total
£ million

197 

(95)   

(52)   

(29)   

230   

(80)   

—   

—   

209 

(98)   

2 

166 

(61)   

(22)   

(25)   

(444)   

187   

(93)   

(3)   

(96)   

146   

(93)   

—   

(240)   

121 

(18)   

— 

— 

128   

(16)   

—   

—   

126 

(80)   

— 

— 

139   

(81)   

—   

—   

356 

(134)   

— 

— 

256   

(116)   

—   

—   

5 

(10)   

— 

— 

11   

(10)   

—   

—   

1,180 

(496) 

(72) 

(498) 

1,097 

(489) 

(3) 

(336) 

153   

(76)   

23   

(31)   

56   

(60)   

20   

(16)   

125   

(79)   

125   

(126)   

124   

(59)   

626 

(447) 

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
S

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

177

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(c) Category and geographical analysis 

The average number of employees on a full-time equivalent basis 
(excluding employees of associates and joint ventures) was as follows:  

4. Exceptional items 

Category analysis

Geographic analysis

Spirits
£ million

Beer
£ million

Ready to
drink
£ million

Other
£ million

Total
£ million

United
States
£ million

India
£ million

Great
Britain
£ million

Rest of
World
£ million

Total
£ million

19,004 

3,355 

899 

257 

23,515 

6,972 

5,816 

2,751 

1,798 

2,138 

2,909 

11,654 

11,204 

23,515 

21,727 

18,164   

3,128   

882   

274   

22,448   

6,327   

3,219   

2,142   

10,760   

22,448 

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America and Caribbean

Africa

SC&P

5,899   

2,396   

2,413   

10,861   

21,569 

Corporate and other

2023

2,884

2,789

6,856

1,495 

3,526

6,934

5,753

2022

2,811

3,014

6,500

1,500

4,061

5,025

5,076

2021

2,562

3,237

6,474

1,505

4,016

5,085

4,687

30,237

27,987

27,566

2023
Sales(1)
Non-current assets(2), (3)

2022 
Sales(1)
Non-current assets(2), (3)

2021
Sales(1)
Non-current assets(2), (3)

At 30 June 2023, on a full-time equivalent basis, the group had 30,269 
(2022 – 28,558; 2021 – 27,783) employees. The average number of 
employees of the group, including part-time employees, for the year 
was 30,419 (2022 – 28,137; 2021 – 28,025).  

(d) Exceptional operating items  
Included in the table above are exceptional operating items as follows:  

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

Brand and goodwill impairment

498 

336   

Tangible asset impairment and accelerated 
depreciation

Staff costs

Other external charges

Other operating income

Total exceptional operating items (note 4)

Cost of sales

Other operating expenses

72 

10 

60 

(18)   

622 

67 

555 

—   

—   

52   

—   

388   

—   

388   

— 

— 

5 

13 

(3) 

15 

— 

15 

Accounting policies 

Critical accounting judgements 

Exceptional items are those that in management’s judgement 
need to be disclosed separately. Such items are included within 
the income statement caption to which they relate. Management 
believes that separate disclosure of exceptional items and the 
classification between operating and non-operating further helps 
investors to understand the performance of the group.

Changes in estimates and reversals in relation to items 
previously recognised as exceptional are presented consistently 
as exceptional in the current year.

Operating items 
Exceptional operating items are those that are considered to be 
material and unusual or non-recurring in nature and are part of 
the operating activities of the group, such as one-off global 
restructuring programmes which can be multi-year, impairment 
of intangible assets and fixed assets, indirect tax settlements, 
property disposals and changes in post employment plans. 

Non-operating items 
Gains and losses on the sale or directly attributable to a 
prospective sale of businesses, brands or distribution rights, step 
up gains and losses that arise when an investment becomes an 
associate or an associate becomes a subsidiary and other 
material, unusual non-recurring items, that are not in respect of 
the production, marketing and distribution of premium drinks, 
are disclosed as exceptional non-operating items below 
operating profit in the income statement. 

Taxation items 
Exceptional current and deferred tax items comprise material 
and unusual or non-recurring items that impact taxation. 
Examples include direct tax provisions and settlements in respect 
of prior years and the remeasurement of deferred tax assets and 
liabilities following tax rate changes.  

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
S

15,634   

2,562   

741   

216   

19,153   

5,441   

3,011   

1,822   

8,879   

19,153 

4,320   

2,561   

2,119   

10,063   

19,063 

The geographical analysis of sales is based on the location of third-party customers.  

(1) 
(2)  The geographical analysis of non-current assets is based on the geographical location of the assets and comprises intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, biological assets, 

investments in associates and joint ventures, other investments and non-current other receivables.  

(3)  The management information provided to the chief operating decision-maker does not include an analysis of assets and liabilities by category and therefore is not disclosed.  

3. Operating costs 

Excise duties

Cost of sales

Marketing

Other operating items

Comprising:

Excise duties

India

Great Britain

United States

Other

Increase in inventories

Raw materials and consumables

Marketing

Other external charges

Staff costs

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

Gains on disposal of properties

Net foreign exchange losses

Other operating income 

2023
£ million

6,402 

6,899 

3,051 

2,531 

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

6,996   

6,420 

5,973   

5,038 

2,721   

2,349   

2,163 

1,801 

18,883 

18,039   

15,422 

1,625 

1,095 

687 

2,995 

(513)   

4,328 

3,051 

2,747 

1,830 

1,066 

(4)   

10 

(34)   

2,182   

1,172   

614   

2,127 

1,018 

589 

3,028   

2,686 

(909)   

4,017   

2,721   

2,597   

1,795   

828   

(2)   

10   

(14)   

(293) 

3,126 

2,163 

1,978 

1,586 

447 

(1) 

22 

(26) 

18,883 

18,039   

15,422 

(b) Auditors fees  
Other external charges include the fees of the principal auditors of the 
group, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and its affiliates (PwC) and are 
analysed below.  

Audit of these financial statements

Audit of financial statements of subsidiaries
Audit related assurance services(1)

Total audit fees (Audit fees)
Other assurance services (Audit related 

fees)(2)

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

5.2 

5.7 

2.7 

13.6 

1.2 

14.8 

4.2   

6.1   

2.5   

3.8 

4.4 

2.6 

12.8   

10.8 

0.7   

13.5   

0.8 

11.6 

(1)  Audit related assurance services are in respect of reporting under section 404 of the US 

Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the review of the interim financial information.  

(2)  Other assurance services comprise the aggregate fees for assurance and related 

services that are not reported under ‘total audit fees’.  

(i)   Disclosure requirements for auditors fees in the United States are different from those 
required in the United Kingdom. The terminology by category required in the United 
States is disclosed in brackets in the above table.

Audit services provided by firms other than PwC for the year ended 30 
June 2023 were £0.1 million (2022 – £0.1 million; 2021 – £0.1 million). 
Further PwC fees for audit services in respect of post employment plans 
were £0.3 million for the year ended 30 June 2023 (2022 – £0.2 million; 
2021 – £0.2 million).

(c) Staff costs and average number of employees  

(a) Other external charges   
Other external charges include research and development expenditure 
in respect of new drinks products and package design of £53 million 
(2022 – £43 million; 2021 – £40 million) and maintenance and repairs of 
£143 million (2022 – £136 million; 2021 – £107 million).

Aggregate remuneration

Wages and salaries

Share-based incentive plans

Employer’s social security

Employer’s pension

Defined benefit plans

Defined contribution plans

Other post employment plans

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

1,548   

1,557 

1,336

48   

115   

67   

44   

8  

59 

107 

36 

33 

3 

50

83

82

25

10

1,830 

1,795   

1,586 

178

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

179

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

Exceptional operating items

Brand and goodwill impairment (1)

(498)   

(336)   

Supply chain agility programme (2)

Distribution termination fee (3)

Winding down Russian operations (4)

Other exceptional operating items (5)

Non-operating items

Sale of businesses and brands

Guinness Cameroun S.A. (6)

Archers brand (7)

USL Popular brands (8)

USL businesses (9)

Tyku brand (10)

Picon brand (11)

Meta Abo Brewery (12)

Windsor business (13)

Step acquisition - Mr Black (14)

Other non-operating exceptional items (15)

(100)   

(44)   

20 

— 

—   

—   

(50)   

(2)   

(622)   

(388)   

310 

20 

4 

1 

(3)   

— 

— 

— 

(8)   

4 

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

91   

(95)   

(19)   

—   

6   

328   

(17)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

(15) 

(15) 

— 

— 

— 

3 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

11 

14 

Exceptional items before taxation

Tax on exceptional items (note 7 (b))

(294)   

(405)   

186 

31   

(1) 

(84) 

(4) In the year ended 30 June 2023, Diageo released unutilised 
provisions of £20 million from the £50 million exceptional charge taken 
in the year ended 30 June 2022, in respect of winding down its 
operations in Russia.

(5) Other exceptional operating items include subsequent gains and 
charges of items that were originally recognised as exceptional at 
inception. In the year ended 30 June 2022, other exceptional operating 
items resulted in a loss of £2 million driven by the reinvestment of 
'Raising the Bar' corporate tax benefits. In the year ended 30 June 2021, 
other exceptional operating items were a loss of £15 million mainly 
driven by the charge of the ongoing litigation in Turkey.

(6) On 26 May 2023, Diageo announced the completion of the sale of 
its wholly owned subsidiary in Cameroon, Guinness Cameroun S.A., to 
the Castel Group for an aggregate consideration of £384 million 
resulting in an exceptional gain of £310 million, including cumulative 
translation gain in the amount of £17 million recycled to the income 
statement. 

(7) On 26 October 2022, Diageo completed the sale of its Archers 
brand. The transaction resulted in an exceptional gain of £20 million.

(8) On 30 September 2022, Diageo announced the completion of the 
sale of the Popular brands of its United Spirits Limited (USL) business. 
The transaction resulted in an exceptional gain of £4 million.

(9) Certain subsidiaries of USL were sold in the year ended 30 June 
2023. The sale of these subsidiaries resulted in an exceptional gain of 
£1 million (2022 – nil; 2021 – £3 million).

(10) In the year ended 30 June 2023, Diageo sold its Tyku brand. The 
transaction resulted in an exceptional loss of £3 million.

(108)   

(374)   

(85) 

(11) In May 2022, Diageo sold its Picon brand. The sale resulted in an 
exceptional non-operating gain of £91 million, net of disposal costs.

Total exceptional items

Attributable to:

Equity shareholders of the parent company

Non-controlling interests

Total exceptional items

33 

(141)   

(271)   

(103)   

(86) 

1 

(108)   

(374)   

(85) 

(1) In the year ended 30 June 2023, an impairment charge of 
£498 million was recognised in exceptional operating items mainly 
driven by the McDowell's brand in India.
In the year ended 30 June 2022, an impairment charge of £336 million 
was recognised in exceptional operating items in respect of the 
McDowell's brand (£240 million), the Bell's brand (£77 million) and 
goodwill related to Smirnov (£19 million). 
For further information, see note 9 (d).

(2) In the year ended 30 June 2023, an exceptional charge of £100 
million was accounted for in respect of the supply chain agility 
programme announced in July 2022. With this five-year spanning 
programme, Diageo expects to strengthen its supply chain, improve its 
resilience and agility, drive efficiencies, deliver additional productivity 
savings and make its supply operations more sustainable. Total 
implementation cost of the programme is expected to be up to £500 
million over the five-year period, which will comprise non-cash items 
and one-off expenses, the majority of which are expected to be 
recognised as exceptional operating items. The exceptional charge for 
the year ended 30 June 2023 was primarily in respect of accelerated 
depreciation, being additional depreciation of assets in the period 
directly attributable to the programme, and impairment of property, 
plant and equipment in respect of North America and India. 
Restructuring cash expenditure was £12 million in the year ended 30 
June 2023.

(3) In the year ended 30 June 2023, Diageo agreed with one of its 
distributors in Africa to terminate the distribution license of one of its 
spirits brands, in respect of which a provision of £44 million was 
provided for and was recognised as an operating exceptional charge. 
No payment was made in the period.

180

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

(12) In the year ended 30 June 2022, a loss of £95 million was 
recognised as a non-operating item attributable to the sale of Meta Abo 
Brewery Share Company in Ethiopia.

(13) On 25 March 2022, Diageo agreed to the sale of its Windsor 
business in Korea. At 30 June 2022, assets and liabilities attributable to 
Windsor business were classified as held for sale and were measured at 
the lower of their cost and fair value less cost of disposal. In the year 
ended 30 June 2022, a loss of £19 million was recognised as a non-
operating item, mainly in relation to transaction and other costs directly 
attributable to the prospective sale of the business. The conditional 
agreement was terminated in the year ended 30 June 2023 as the 
buyer was unable to meet certain conditions to completion.

(14) On 29 September 2022, the group acquired the part of the entire 
issued share capital of Mr Black Spirits Pty Ltd, owner of Mr Black, the 
Australian premium cold brew coffee liqueur, that it did not already 
own. As a result of Mr Black becoming a subsidiary of the group in the 
year ended 30 June 2023, a loss of £8 million arose, being the 
difference between the book value of the associate prior to the 
transaction and its fair value plus transaction costs. 

(15) Other exceptional non-operating items include subsequent gains 
and charges of items that were originally recognised as exceptional at 
inception. In the year ended 30 June 2023, other exceptional non-
operating items resulted in a net gain of £4 million (2022 – £6 million; 
2021 – £11 million), mainly driven by the deferred consideration received 
in respect of the sale of United National Breweries.

For further information on acquisition and sale of businesses and 
brands, see notes 8 (a) and 8 (b).

Cash payments and receipts included in net cash inflow from operating 
activities in respect of exceptional items were as follows:

Thalidomide (note 15 (d) (i))

Winding down Russian operations

Supply chain agility programme

Donations

Indirect tax in Korea

Ongoing litigation in Turkey 

Substitution drawback

Total cash payments

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

(14)   

(13)   

(12)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

(16)   

(13)   

—   

(37)   

—   

—   

—   

(39)   

(66)   

(15) 

— 

— 

(50) 

(10) 

(1) 

60 

(16) 

5. Finance income and charges 

Accounting policies
Net interest includes interest income and charges in respect of 
financial instruments and the results of hedging transactions 
used to manage interest rate risk.  

Finance charges directly attributable to the acquisition, 
construction or production of a qualifying asset, being an asset 
that necessarily takes a substantial period of time to get ready 
for its intended use or sale, are added to the cost of that asset. 
Borrowing costs which are not capitalised are recognised in the 
income statement using the effective interest method. All other 
finance charges are recognised primarily in the income 
statement in the year in which they are incurred.  

Net other finance charges include items in respect of post 
employment plans, the discount unwind of long-term obligations 
and hyperinflation charges. The results of operations in 
hyperinflationary economies are adjusted to reflect the changes 
in the purchasing power of the local currency of the entity before 
being translated to sterling.  

The impact of derivatives, excluding cash flow hedges that 
are in respect of commodity price risk management or those that 
are used to hedge the currency risk of highly probable future 
currency cash flows, is included in interest income or interest 
charge.  

Interest income

Fair value gain on financial instruments
Total interest income(1)
Interest charge on bank loans, bonds and 

overdrafts

Interest charge on leases

Interest charge on other borrowings

Fair value loss on financial instruments
Total interest charges(1)

Net interest charges
Net finance income in respect of post 

employment plans in surplus (note 14)

Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of 

Turkey (note 1 (f))

Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of 

Venezuela (note 1 (f))

Interest income in respect of direct and 

indirect tax

Unwinding of discounts

Total other finance income
Net finance charge in respect of post 
employment plans in deficit (note 14)

Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of 

Turkey (note 1 (f))

Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of 

Venezuela (note 1 (f))

Hyperinflation adjustment and foreign 

exchange revaluation of monetary items 
in respect of Lebanon (note 1 (f))

Unwinding of discounts

Interest charge in respect of direct and 

indirect tax

Change in financial liability (Level 3)

Guarantee fees

Other finance charges

Total other finance charges

Net other finance income/(charges)

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

160 

103 

263 

(470)   

(15)   

(271)   

(102)   

(858)   

(595)   

59 

10 

— 

8 

— 

77 

127   

341   

468   

(371)   

(12)   

(92)   

(346)   

(821)   

(353)   

22   

—   

1   

2   

4   

29   

119 

124 

243 

(365) 

(16) 

(84) 

(126) 

(591) 

(348) 

18 

— 

2 

15 

— 

35 

(15)   

(12)   

(13) 

— 

(34)   

(2)   

—   

— 

(13)   

(25)   

(8)   

(1)   

(12)   

(76)   

1 

(3)   

(11)   

(16)   

(20)   

(1)   

(1)   

(98)   

(69)   

— 

— 

(8) 

(20) 

(11) 

(7) 

(1) 

— 

(60) 

(25) 

(1)

Includes £81 million interest income and £(522) million interest charge in respect of 
financial assets and liabilities that are not measured at fair value through income 
statement (2022 – £27 million income and £(417) million charge; 2021 – £28 million 
income and £(429) million charge).

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6. Investments in associates and joint ventures 

Accounting policies
An associate is an undertaking in which the group has a long-term 
equity interest and over which it has the power to exercise significant 
influence. A joint venture is a joint arrangement whereby the parties 
that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the net 
assets of the arrangement. The group’s interest in the net assets of 
associates and joint ventures is reported in investments in the 
consolidated balance sheet and its interest in their results (net of tax) 
is included in the consolidated income statement below the group’s 
operating profit. Associates and joint ventures are initially recorded at 
cost including transaction costs. Investments in associates and joint 
ventures are reviewed for impairment whenever events or 
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be 
recoverable. The impairment review compares the net carrying value 
with the recoverable amount, where the recoverable amount is the 
higher of the value in use calculated as the present value of the 
group’s share of the associate’s future cash flows and its fair value 
less costs of disposal. 

Diageo’s principal associate is Moët Hennessy of which Diageo owns 
34%. Moët Hennessy is the wines and spirits division of LVMH Moët 
Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA (LVMH). LVMH is based in France and is 
listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. Moët Hennessy is also based in 
France and is a producer and exporter of champagne and cognac 
brands. 

A number of joint distribution arrangements have been established 
with LVMH in Asia Pacific and France, principally covering distribution of 
Diageo’s Scotch whisky and gin premium brands and Moët Hennessy’s 
champagne and cognac premium brands. Diageo and LVMH have 
each undertaken not to engage in any champagne or cognac activities 
competing with those of Moët Hennessy. The arrangements also contain 
certain provisions for the protection of Diageo as a non-controlling 
shareholder in Moët Hennessy. 

(a) An analysis of the movement in the group’s investments in 
associates and joint ventures is as follows: 

Cost less provisions

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Additions

Share of profit/(loss) after tax

Dividends

Share of movements in other 

comprehensive income and equity

Impairment charged during the year

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Additions

Share of profit/(loss) after tax

Step acquisition

Dividends

Share of movements in other 

comprehensive income and equity

Transfer

Impairment charged during the year

At 30 June 2023

Moët
Hennessy
£ million

Others
£ million

Total
£ million

3,128   

180   

3,308 

48   

—   

425   

(186)   

(6)   

—   

12   

65   

(8)   

(4)   

—   

(2)   

60 

65 

417 

(190) 

(6) 

(2) 

3,409 

243 

3,652 

(51)   

— 

379 

— 

(214)   

36 

— 

— 

3,559 

(8)   

93 

(9)   

(17)   

(5)   

— 

1 

(28)   

270 

(59) 

93 

370 

(17) 

(219) 

36 

1 

(28) 

3,829 

(i)  

(ii) 

Investment in associates includes loans given to and preference shares invested in 
associates of £168 million (2022 – £163 million). 
If certain performance targets are met by associates in the Distill Ventures programme, 
an additional £27 million (2022 – £22 million) will be invested in those associates. 

(b) Moët Hennessy prepares its financial statements under IFRS as 
endorsed by the EU in euros to 31 December each year. The results were 
adjusted for alignment with Diageo accounting policies and were 
translated at £1 = €1.15 (2022 – £1 = €1.18; 2021 – £1 = €1.13). 

Income statement information for the three years ended 30 June 
2023 and balance sheet information as at 30 June 2023 and 30 June 
2022 of Moët Hennessy are as follows: 

Sales

Profit for the year

Total comprehensive income

2023
£ million

6,003 

1,117 

1,161 

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

5,553   

4,819 

1,250   

1,269   

985 

999 

Non-current assets

Current assets

Total assets

Non-current liabilities

Current liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

2023
£ million

6,774 

9,155 

2022
£ million

5,957 

8,447 

15,929 

14,404 

(2,108)   

(1,791) 

(3,160)   

(2,415) 

(5,268)   

(4,206) 

10,661 

10,198 

(i) 

Including acquisition fair value adjustments principally in respect of Moët Hennessy’s 
brands and translated at £1 = €1.17 (2022 – £1 = €1.16).  

(c) Information on transactions between the group and its associates 
and joint ventures is disclosed in note 21. 

(d) Investments in associates and joint ventures comprise the cost of 
shares less goodwill written off on acquisitions prior to 1 July 1998 of 
£1,384 million (2022 – £1,340 million), plus the group’s share of post 
acquisition reserves of £2,445 million (2022 – £2,312 million). 

(e) The associates and joint ventures have not reported any material 
contingent liabilities in their latest financial statements. 

7. Taxation 

Accounting policies
Current tax is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit is different from accounting profit due to temporary differences between 
accounting and tax treatments, and due to items that are never taxable or tax deductible. Tax treatments are not recognised unless it is 
probable that a tax authority will accept the treatment. Once considered to be probable, tax treatments are reviewed each year to assess 
whether a provision should be taken against full recognition of the treatment on the basis of potential settlement through negotiation and/or 
litigation with the relevant tax authorities. Tax provisions are included in current liabilities. Penalties and interest on tax liabilities are included 
in operating profit and finance charges, respectively.

Full provision for deferred tax is made for temporary differences between the carrying value of assets and liabilities for financial reporting 
purposes and their value for tax purposes, except for deferred tax provision arising on goodwill from business combinations. The amount of 
deferred tax reflects the expected recoverable amount and is based on the expected manner of recovery or settlement of the carrying 
amount of assets and liabilities, using the basis of taxation enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. Deferred tax assets 
are not recognised where it is more likely than not that the assets will not be realised in the future. No deferred tax liability is provided in 
respect of any future remittance of earnings of foreign subsidiaries where the group is able to control the remittance of earnings and it is 
probable that such earnings will not be remitted in the foreseeable future, or where no liability would arise on the remittance.
Critical accounting estimates and judgements 
The group is required to estimate the corporate tax in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates. Management is required to estimate the 
amount that should be recognised as a tax liability or tax asset in many countries which are subject to tax audits which by their nature are 
often complex and can take several years to resolve; current tax balances are based on such estimations. Tax provisions are based on 
management’s judgement and interpretation of country specific tax law and the likelihood of settlement. However, the actual tax liabilities 
could differ from the provision and in such event the group would be required to make an adjustment in a subsequent period which could 
have a material impact on the group’s profit for the year.

The evaluation of deferred tax asset recoverability requires estimates to be made regarding the availability of future taxable income. For 

brands with an indefinite life, management’s intention is to recover the book value through a potential sale in the future, and therefore the 
deferred tax on the brand value is generally recognised using the appropriate country capital gains tax rate. To the extent brands with an 
indefinite life have been impaired, management considers this to be an indication of recovery through use and in such a case deferred tax 
on the brand value is recognised using the appropriate country corporate income tax rate.

(a) Analysis of taxation charge for the year 

United Kingdom

Rest of world

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

2023
£ million

Total

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

Current tax

Current year

Adjustments in respect of prior years

Deferred tax

Origination and reversal of temporary differences

Changes in tax rates

Adjustments in respect of prior years

160 

33 

193 

25 

— 

6 

31 

174   

10   

184   

—   

2   

—   

2   

100   

1   

101   

13   

46   

8   

67   

879 

(39)   

840 

(70)   

11 

(35)   

(94)   

Taxation on profit

224 

186   

168   

746 

867   

16   

883   

21   

1   

(42)   

(20)   

863   

684   

1,039 

28   

712   

(6)   

1,033 

1,041   

26   

1,067   

18   

32   

(23)   

27   

739   

(45)   

11 

(29)   

(63)   

21   

3   

(42)   

(18)   

970 

1,049   

907 

784 

29 

813 

31 

78 

(15) 

94 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(b) Exceptional tax (credits)/charges  
The taxation charge includes the following exceptional items:  

Brand impairment(1)
US guarantee fee claim(2)

Supply chain agility programme

Distribution termination fee
Disposal of businesses and brands(3)

Winding down Russian operations
Tax rate change in the United Kingdom(4)
Tax rate change in the Netherlands(5)

Other items

2023
£ million

(124)   

(57)   

(23)   

(11)   

29 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(186)   

2022
£ million

(55)   

—   

—   

—   

23   

3   

—   

—   

(2)   

(31)   

2021
£ million

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

46 

42 

(4) 

84 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

In the year ended 30 June 2023, an exceptional tax credit of £124 million was recognised mainly in respect of the impairment of the McDowell's brand. In the year ended 30 June 2022, 
the exceptional tax credit of £55 million consists of tax impact on the impairment of the McDowell's and Bell's brands for £35 million and £20 million, respectively. 
In the year ended 30 June 2023, an exceptional tax credit of £57 million was recognised in respect of the deductibility of fees paid to Diageo plc for guaranteeing externally issued debt 
of US group entities. Following engagement with the tax authorities, guarantee fees for the periods ended 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2022 are fully deductible.
In the year ended 30 June 2023, the exceptional net tax charge of £29 million mainly comprised of a tax charge of £42 million in respect of the sale of Guinness Cameroun S.A., partly 
offset by a tax credit of £10 million in respect of the sale of certain USL businesses. In the year ended 30 June 2022, a £23 million exceptional tax charge was recognised in respect of the 
gain on the sale of the Picon brand.

(4)   On 24 May 2021, legislation was substantively enacted in the UK to increase the corporate tax rate to 25% with effect from 1 April 2023. As a result of the change, an exceptional tax 

charge of £46 million was recognised for the year ended 30 June 2021 in relation to the remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities. In addition, there was a one-off charge of 
£48 million to other comprehensive income and equity, mainly in respect of the remeasurement of the deferred tax liabilities on the post employment assets.

(5)  On 15 December 2020, legislation was substantively enacted in the Netherlands to maintain the headline corporate tax rate at 25%, reversing a previously enacted reduction in the 

corporate tax rate to 21.7% from 2021. As a result of the change, an exceptional tax charge of £42 million was recognised for the year ended 30 June 2021 in relation to the 
remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities. In the year ended 30 June 2022, the Dutch Senate enacted an increased tax rate of 25.8%. The remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities was 
recognised as an underlying tax charge.

(c) Taxation rate reconciliation and factors that may affect future tax charges 

Profit before taxation

Notional charge at UK corporation tax rate

Elimination of notional tax on share of after tax results of associates and joint 

ventures

Differences in overseas tax rates

Disposal of businesses and brands

Other items not chargeable

Impairment

Other items not deductible

Irrecoverable withholding taxes
Movement in provision in respect of uncertain tax positions(1)
Changes in tax rates(2)
Adjustments in respect of prior years(3)

Taxation on profit

Tax rate before exceptional items

2023
£ million

4,736 

971 

(76) 

95 

(42) 

(63) 

(2) 

71 

38 

27 

11 

(60) 

970 

— 

2023
%

 20.5 

 (1.6)   

 2.0 

 (0.9)   

 (1.3)   

 — 

 1.5 

 0.8 

 0.6 

 0.2 

 (1.3)   

 20.5 

 23.0 

2022
£ million

4,387 

833 

(79) 

161 

21 

(49) 

36 

58 

39 

42 

3 

(16) 

1,049 

— 

2022
%

 19.0   

 (1.8)   

 3.7   

 0.5   

 (1.1)   

 0.8   

 1.3   

 0.9   

 0.9   

 0.1   

 (0.4)   

 23.9   

 22.5   

2021
£ million

3,706 

704 

(63) 

128 

(2) 

(52) 

— 

67 

25 

1 

78 

21 

907 

— 

2021
%

 19.0 

 (1.7) 

 3.5 

 (0.1) 

 (1.4) 

 — 

 1.8 

 0.7 

 — 

 2.1 

 0.6 

 24.5 

 22.2 

(1)  Movement in provision in respect of uncertain tax positions includes both current and prior year uncertain tax position movements.
(2)  Changes in tax rates for the year ended 30 June 2021 are mainly due to the tax rate change in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. 
(3)  Excludes prior year movement in provisions. Also included an exceptional tax credit of £57 million in respect of the deductibility of fees paid to Diageo plc for guaranteeing externally 

issued debt of its US group entities.

The table above reconciles the notional taxation charge calculated at the UK tax rate, to the actual total tax charge. As a group operating in 
multiple countries, the actual tax rates applicable to profits in those countries are different from the UK tax rate. The impact is shown in the table 
above as differences in overseas tax rates. The group’s worldwide business leads to the consideration of a number of important factors which may 
affect future tax charges, such as the levels and mix of profitability in different jurisdictions, transfer pricing regulations, tax rates imposed and tax 
regime reforms, acquisitions, disposals, restructuring activities, and settlements or agreements with tax authorities.

Significant ongoing changes in the international tax environment and an increase in global tax audit activity means that tax uncertainties and 
associated risks have been gradually increasing. In the medium term, these risks could result in an increase in tax liabilities or adjustments to the 
carrying value of deferred tax assets and liabilities. See note 19 (f).

The group has a number of ongoing tax audits worldwide for which provisions are recognised in line with the relevant accounting standard, 
taking into account best estimates and management’s judgements concerning the ultimate outcome of the tax audits. For the year ended 30 June 
2023, ongoing audits that are provided for individually are not expected to result in a material tax liability. The current tax asset of £232 million (30 
June 2022 – £149 million) and tax liability of £135 million (30 June 2022 – £252 million) include £173 million (30 June 2022 – £156 million) of 
provisions for tax uncertainties.

The cash tax paid in the year ended 30 June 2023 amounts to £1,201 million (30 June 2022 – £949 million) and is £231 million higher than the 
current tax charge (30 June 2022 – £100 million lower). This arises as a result of timing differences between the accrual of income taxes, the 
movement in the provision for uncertain tax positions and the actual payment of cash.  

In December 2021, the OECD released a framework for Pillar Two Model Rules which will introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% 

applicable to multinational enterprise groups with global revenue over €750 million. The legislation implementing the rules in the UK was 
substantively enacted on 20 June 2023 and will apply to Diageo from the financial year ending 30 June 2025 onwards. Diageo is reviewing this 
legislation and also monitoring the status of implementation of the model rules outside of the UK to understand the potential impact on the group. 
Diageo has applied the temporary exception under IAS 12 in relation to the accounting for deferred taxes arising from the implementation of the 
Pillar Two rules. 

(d) Deferred tax assets and liabilities
Deferred tax recognised in the consolidated balance sheet comprise the following net deferred tax (liabilities)/assets:

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Recognised in income statement

Reclassification

Recognised in other comprehensive loss and equity

Tax rate change – recognised in income statement

Tax rate change – recognised in other comprehensive loss and equity

Acquisition of subsidiaries

Sale of businesses

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Recognised in income statement

Recognised in other comprehensive income and equity

Tax rate change – recognised in income statement

Acquisition of subsidiaries

Transfer from asset held for sale

Sale of businesses

At 30 June 2023

Property,
plant and
equipment
£ million

(381)   

(21)   

(42)   

2   

(20)   

(1)   

—   

—   

(5)   

Intangible
assets
£ million

(1,636)   

(155)   

(3)   

40   

(104)   

(3)   

—   

(31)   

—   

(468)   

(1,892)   

33 

(30)   

(6)   

(1)   

— 

(2)   

10 

113 

93 

(30)   

(12)   

(71)   

(37)   

— 

(464)   

(1,836)   

Post
employment
plans
£ million

Tax losses
£ million

Other
temporary
differences(1)
£ million

(129)   

3   

(10)   

—   

(103)   

—   

(22)   

—   

—   

(261)   

(3)   

2 

152 

(1)   

— 

— 

(1)   

(112)   

57   

244   

3   

2   

—   

—   

1   

—   

—   

—   

63 

1 

(15)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

49 

17   

74   

(7)   

20   

—   

2   

—   

3   

353 

(10)   

24 

(50)   

3 

— 

5 

(4)   

321 

Total
£ million

(1,845) 

(153) 

21 

35 

(207) 

(3) 

(20) 

(31) 

(2) 

(2,205) 

134 

74 

66 

(11) 

(71) 

(34) 

5 

(2,042) 

(1)  Deferred tax on other temporary differences includes hyperinflation, fair value movement on cross-currency swaps, interest and finance costs, share-based payments and intra-group 

sales of products. 

After offsetting deferred tax assets and liabilities that relate to taxes 
levied by the same taxation authority on the same taxable fiscal unit, 
the net deferred tax liability comprises:

Deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities

2023
£ million

141 

2022
£ million

114 

(2,183)   

(2,319) 

(2,042)   

(2,205) 

Deferred tax assets of £141 million include £65 million (2022 – £47 
million) arising in jurisdictions with prior year taxable losses, primarily in 
Germany and Brazil. It is considered more likely than not that there will 
be sufficient future taxable profits to realise these deferred tax assets, 
which for the most part arose on losses from a historic one-off 
transaction, and on existing provisions. The majority of deferred tax 
assets can be carried forward indefinitely. From the total recognised tax 
losses of £49 million, it is expected that £10 million will be utilised in the 
year ending 30 June 2024.

(e) Unrecognised deferred tax assets 
The following table shows the tax value of tax losses which has not been 
recognised due to uncertainty over their utilisation in future periods. The 
gross value of those losses is £632 million (2022 – £674 million).

Capital losses – indefinite

Trading losses – indefinite

Trading and capital losses – expiry dates up to 2032

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

98 

24 

39 

161 

98 

25 

46 

169 

Additionally, no deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect of 
certain temporary differences arising from brand valuations, as the 
group is not planning to sell those brands thus the benefit from the 
temporary differences is unlikely to be realised.

(f) Unrecognised deferred tax liabilities 
Relevant legislation largely exempts overseas dividends remitted from 
tax. A tax liability is more likely to arise in respect of withholding taxes 
levied by the overseas jurisdiction. Deferred tax is provided where there 
is an intention to distribute earnings, and a tax liability arises. It is 
impractical to estimate the amount of unrecognised deferred tax 
liabilities in respect of these unremitted earnings. 

The aggregate amount of temporary differences in respect of 
investments in subsidiaries, branches, interests in associates and joint 
ventures for which deferred tax liabilities have not been recognised is 
approximately £19.8 billion (2022 – £21.0 billion). 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Operating assets and liabilities

Introduction 
This section describes the assets used in the group’s operations and the liabilities incurred. Liabilities relating to the group’s financing activities are 
included in section ‘Risk management and capital structure’ and balance sheet information in respect of associates, joint ventures and taxation are 
covered in section ‘Results for the year’. This section also provides detailed disclosures on the group’s recent acquisitions and disposals, performance 
and financial position of its defined benefit post employment plans. 

8. Acquisition and sale of businesses and brands and purchase of non-controlling interests 

Accounting policies
The consolidated financial statements include the results of the company and its subsidiaries together with the group’s attributable share of 
the results of associates and joint ventures. The results of subsidiaries acquired or sold are included in the income statement from, or up to, 
the date that control passes. 

Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method. Identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired are 
measured at fair value at acquisition date. The consideration payable is measured at fair value and includes the fair value of any contingent 
consideration. Among other factors, the group considers the nature of, and compensation for the selling shareholders' continuing 
employment to determine if any contingent payments are for post-combination employee services, which are excluded from consideration. 

On the acquisition of a business, or of an interest in an associate or joint venture, fair values, reflecting conditions at the date of 

acquisition, are attributed to the net assets, including identifiable intangible assets and contingent liabilities acquired. Directly attributable 
acquisition costs in respect of subsidiary companies acquired are recognised in other external charges as incurred. 

The non-controlling interests on the date of acquisition can be measured either at the fair value or at the non-controlling shareholder’s 

proportion of the net fair value of the identifiable assets assumed. This choice is made separately for each acquisition. 

Where the group has issued a put option over shares held by a non-controlling interest, the group derecognises the non-controlling 

interests and instead recognises a contingent deferred consideration liability for the estimated amount likely to be paid to the non-controlling 
interest on the exercise of those options. Movements in the estimated liability in respect of put options are recognised in retained earnings. 

Transactions with non-controlling interests are recorded directly in retained earnings. 
For all entities in which the company directly or indirectly owns equity, a judgement is made to determine whether it controls and therefore 

should fully consolidate the investee. An assessment is carried out to determine whether the group has the exposure or rights to the variable 
returns of the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the investee. To establish control, an analysis is carried 
out of the substantive and protective rights that the group and the other investors hold. This assessment is dependent on the activities and 
purpose of the investee and the rights of the other shareholders, such as which party controls the board, executive committee and material 
policies of the investee. Determining whether the rights that the group holds are substantive, requires management judgement. 

Where less than 50% of the equity of an investee is held, and the group holds significantly more voting rights than any other vote holder 

or organised group of vote holders, this may be an indicator of de facto control. An assessment is needed to determine all the factors 
relevant to the relationship with the investee to ascertain whether control has been established and whether the investee should be 
consolidated as a subsidiary. Where voting power and returns from an investment are split equally between two entities then the 
arrangement is accounted for as a joint venture. 

On an acquisition, fair values are attributed to the assets and liabilities acquired. This may involve material judgement to determine these 

values. 

(a) Acquisition of businesses 
Fair value of net assets acquired and cash consideration paid in respect of the acquisition of subsidiaries in the three years ended 30 June 2023 
were as follows: 

Brands and other intangibles

Property, plant and equipment

Inventories

Other working capital

Deferred tax

Borrowings

(Overdraft)/Cash

Fair value of assets and liabilities

Goodwill arising on acquisition

Settlement of pre-existing relationship

Step acquisitions

Consideration payable

Satisfied by:

Cash consideration paid

Contingent consideration payable

Deferred consideration payable

Don Papa
£ million

293 

1 

6 

(2)   

(67)   

— 

(1)   

230 

64 

— 

— 

294 

(218)   

(72)   

(4)   

(294)   

Net assets acquired and consideration

Other
£ million

2023
£ million

45 

24 

21 

(1)   

(4)   

— 

1 

86 

28 

— 

(11)   

103 

(98)   

(4)   

(1)   

(103)   

338 

25 

27 

(3)   

(71)   

— 

— 

316 

92 

— 

(11)   

397 

(316)   

(76)   

(5)   

(397)   

2022
£ million

120   

2021
£ million

334 

—   

6   

3   

(31)   

—   

1   

99   

70   

(1)   

(6)   

162   

(88)   

(70)   

(4)   

(162)   

15 

12 

(3) 

(15) 

(8) 

4 

339 

274 

— 

— 

613 

(358) 

(253) 

(2) 

(613) 

Cash consideration paid in respect of the acquisition of businesses and 
purchase of shares of non-controlling interests in the three years ended 
30 June 2023 were as follows:

Acquisitions in the year - subsidiaries

Cash consideration paid

Cash acquired

Prior year acquisitions - subsidiaries

Contingent consideration paid for 
Casamigos

Other consideration

Investments in associates

Cash consideration paid

Capital injection

Net cash outflow on acquisition of 

businesses

Purchase of shares of non-controlling 

interests

Total net cash outflow

Consideration

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

(316)   

(88)   

(358) 

— 

— 

(26)   

(14)   

(79)   

1   

4 

(83)   

(36)   

(4)   

(61)   

(89) 

(7) 

— 

(38) 

(435)   

(271)   

(488) 

(146)   

(581)   

—   

(42) 

(271)   

(530) 

Acquisitions in the year
On 10 March 2023, Diageo completed the acquisition of Kanlaon 
Limited and Chat Noir Co. Inc., (the owner of Don Papa Rum) to 
support Diageo’s participation in the super-premium dark rum segment 
for upfront cash consideration of €246 million (£218 million), deferred 
consideration of €4 million (£4 million) and contingent consideration of 
up to €178 million (£158 million) through to 2028 subject to certain 
financial performance targets, reflecting the brand’s expected growth 
potential. The fair value of the contingent consideration of €82 million 
(£72 million) was estimated by calculating the present value of the 
future expected cash flows which is dependent on management’s 
estimates in respect of the forecasting of future cash flows and the 
discount rates applicable to the future cash flows. The goodwill arising 
on the acquisition of Don Papa Rum represents expected revenue 
synergies and the acquired workforce. Don Papa Rum contributed 
£10 million to net sales and £15 million operating loss to the period, out 

of which £15 million is related to acquisition transaction and integration 
costs in the year ended 30 June 2023. The fair value measurement of 
assets and liabilities acquired is in progress. The fair values of assets 
and liabilities acquired are provisional and will be finalised in the year 
ending 30 June 2024. 

Diageo completed further acquisitions in the year ended 30 June 
2023: (i) on 29 September 2022, the acquisition of the remaining issued 
share capital of Mr Black Spirits Pty Ltd, owner of Mr Black, the 
Australian premium cold brew coffee liqueur, that it did not already 
own; and (ii) on 2 November 2022, the acquisition of the entire issued 
share capital of Balcones Distilling, a Texas craft distiller and one of the 
leading producers of American single malt whiskey in the United States. 
The aggregate up-front cash consideration paid on completion of these 
transactions in the year ended 30 June 2023 was £98 million.   

Prior year acquisitions
On 31 March 2022, Diageo acquired 100% equity interest in 21Seeds, to 
support Diageo's participation in the super premium flavoured tequila 
segment, for a total consideration of £62 million upfront in cash and a 
contingent consideration of up to £61 million linked to performance 
targets. 

Diageo completed further acquisitions in the year ended 30 June 
2022, including (i) on 27 January 2022, the acquisition of Casa UM, to 
expand Reserve portfolio with premium artisanal mezcal brand, Mezcal 
Unión and (ii) on 29 June 2022, the acquisition of Vivanda, owner of the 
technology behind 'What's your Whisky' platform and the Journey of 
Flavour experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, to support 
Diageo's ambition to provide customised brand experiences across all 
channels. The aggregate upfront cash consideration paid on 
completion of these transactions in the year ended 30 June 2022 was 
£26 million. In addition, these transactions included provision for further 
contingent consideration of up to £18 million in aggregate, linked to 
performance targets and a further deferred consideration of £4 million.

On 30 September 2020, Diageo completed the acquisition of 

Aviation Gin LLC (Aviation Gin) and Davos Brands LLC (Davos Brands) 
to support Diageo's participation in the super-premium gin segment for 
a total consideration of $337 million (£263 million) upfront in cash and 
contingent consideration of up to $275 million (£214 million) linked to 
performance targets.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Diageo also completed a number of additional acquisitions in the year 
ended 30 June 2021, comprising: (i) in February 2021, the acquisition of 
Chase Distillery Limited, to further support Diageo's participation in the 
premium-plus gin segment in the United Kingdom; (ii) in March 2021, 
the acquisition of Far West Spirits LLC, owner of the Lone River Ranch 
Water brand, to improve Diageo's participation in the ready to drink 
category in the United States; and (iii) in April 2021, the acquisition of 
Sons of Liberty Spirits Company, to expand Diageo's spirits-based ready 
to drink portfolio with Loyal 9 Cocktails. The aggregate upfront cash 
consideration paid on completion of these three transactions in the year 
ended 30 June 2021 was £95 million. In addition, two of these 
transactions included provision for further contingent consideration of 
up to £86 million in aggregate, in each case linked to performance 
targets, and one of the transactions provided for a further £2 million of 
deferred consideration, of which £1 million was paid by 30 June 2021. 

Purchase of shares of non-controlling interests 
On 24 March 2023, Diageo completed the purchase of 14.97% of the 
share capital of EABL for an aggregate consideration of KES 22,732 
million (£142 million) in cash and transaction costs of £4 million. This 
took Diageo’s shareholding in EABL from 50.03% to 65%. EABL was 
already controlled and therefore consolidated prior to this transaction.

In the year ended 30 June 2021, EABL, a Diageo subsidiary 
completed the acquisition of 30% of shares in Serengeti Breweries 
Limited for a consideration of $55 million (£42 million) in cash and 
£16 million in the form of shareholder loan from two Diageo subsidiaries 
in 2021, increasing Diageo's effective economic interest from 40.2% to 
47.0%. 

All transactions were recognised in retained earnings. 

(b) Sale of businesses and brands
Cash consideration received and net assets disposed of in respect of sale of businesses and brands in the three years ended 30 June 2023 were as 
follows: 

Sale consideration

Cash received

(Cash)/overdraft disposed of

Transaction and other directly attributable costs paid

Net cash received

Transaction costs payable

Net assets disposed of

Goodwill

Property, plant and equipment

Assets and liabilities held for sale

Inventories

Other working capital

Other borrowings

Corporate tax

Deferred tax

Post employment benefit liabilities

Impairment charge recognised up until the date of sale

Exchange recycled from other comprehensive income

Gain/(loss) on disposal before taxation

Taxation

Gain/(loss) on disposal after taxation

Guinness 
Cameroun S.A.
£ million

Other
£ million

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

384 

(13)   

(17)   

354 

(8)   

346 

— 

(103)   

— 

(24)   

69 

2 

(3)   

5 

4 

(50)   

(3)   

17 

310 

(42)   

268 

115 

— 

(7)   

108 

3 

111 

— 

(3)   

(79)   

(4)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(86)   

— 

1 

26 

13 

39 

499 

(13)   

(24)   

462 

(5)   

457 

— 

(106)   

(79)   

(28)   

69 

2 

(3)   

5 

4 

(136)   

(3)   

18 

336 

(29)   

307 

106   

2   

(26)   

82   

(16)   

66   

(14)   

(11)   

—   

(4)   

15   

1   

(5)   

(2)   

—   

(20)   

—   

(63)   

(17)   

(23)   

(40)   

14 

— 

— 

14 

1 

15 

— 

(2) 

— 

— 

1 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(1) 

— 

— 

14 

— 

14 

On 26 May 2023, Diageo completed the sale of Guinness Cameroun S.A., its brewery in Cameroon. The aggregate consideration for the disposal 
was £384 million, the disposed net asset of £63 million mainly included property, plant and equipment and trade and other payables. The 
transaction resulted in a non-operating exceptional gain of £310 million. The disposed Cameroon operations contributed net sales of £101 million 
(2022 – £124 million; 2021 – £113 million), operating profit of £26 million (2022– £27 million; 2021– £22 million) in the year ended 30 June 2023. 

On 30 September 2022, Diageo completed the sale of the Popular brands of its USL business. The aggregate consideration for the disposal was 

£87 million, the disposed net assets included net working capital of £31 million and brands of £22 million, and £16 million goodwill was 
derecognised. The transaction resulted in a non-operating exceptional gain of £4 million. Popular brands contributed net sales of £34 million (2022– 
£139 million; 2021 – £148 million), operating profit of £5 million (2022– £26 million; 2021– £30 million) in the year ended 30 June 2023. 

On 25 April 2022, Diageo sold its Ethiopian subsidiary, Meta Abo Brewery Share Company. A loss of £95 million was recognised as a non-
operating item attributable to the sale, including cumulative translation losses in the amount of £63 million recycled to the income statement.
On 10 May 2022, Diageo completed the sale of the Picon brand for an upfront consideration of €117 million (£100 million). The gain of 

£91 million, net of disposal cost, was recognised as a non-operating item in the income statement.

In the year ended 30 June 2022, ZAR 133 million (£6 million) (2021 – £10 million) of deferred consideration was paid to Diageo in respect of the 
sale of United National Breweries. The disposal was completed on 1 April 2020 for an aggregate consideration of ZAR 600 million (£27 million) from 
which ZAR 378 million (£17 million) was deferred.
Prior year disposals further included the sale of certain USL subsidiaries in the year ended 30 June 2021 for an aggregate consideration of £3 million, 
which resulted in an exceptional gain of £3 million. 

(c) Assets and liabilities held for sale
Assets and liabilities held for sale at 30 June 2022 included Diageo’s Windsor business in Korea and the portfolio of Popular brands of USL. 

In March 2022, Diageo agreed to sell its Windsor business in Korea to Bayside/Metis Private Equity Consortium. On 27 September 2022, Diageo 

announced the termination of the conditional agreement. Consequently, the recoverable assets and liabilities attributable to the business were 
reclassified out of held for sale.

On 27 May 2022, USL reached agreement with Inbrew Beverages Pvt Limited for the sale of Popular brands. On 30 September 2022, Diageo 

announced the completion of the sale of the selected Popular brands, accordingly the assets and liabilities attributable to the business were 
disposed from held for sale.

9. Intangible assets 

Accounting policies
Acquired intangible assets are held on the consolidated balance sheet at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. 
Acquired brands and other intangible assets are initially recognised at fair value if they are controlled through contractual or other legal 
rights, or are separable from the rest of the business, and the fair value can be reliably measured. Where these assets are regarded as 
having indefinite useful economic lives, they are not amortised.

Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred, the value of any non-controlling interests and the fair 
value of any previously held equity interest in the subsidiary acquired over the fair value of the identifiable net assets. Goodwill arising on 
acquisitions prior to 1 July 1998 was eliminated against reserves, and this goodwill has not been reinstated. Goodwill arising subsequent to 1 
July 1998 has been capitalised.

Amortisation and impairment of intangible assets is based on their useful economic lives and they are amortised on a straight-line basis 

and reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Goodwill and 
intangible assets that are regarded as having indefinite useful economic lives are not amortised and are reviewed for impairment at least 
annually or when there is an indication that the assets may be impaired. Impairment reviews compare the net carrying value with the 
recoverable amount (where recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs of disposal and value in use) and in case the net 
carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount an impairment charge is recognised. Amortisation and any impairment write downs are 
charged to other operating expenses in the income statement.

Computer software is amortised on a straight-line basis to estimated residual value over its expected useful life. Residual values and 

useful lives are reviewed each year. Subject to these reviews, the estimated useful lives are up to eight years.   

Critical accounting estimates and judgements
Assessment of the recoverable amount of an intangible asset and the useful economic life of an asset are based on management's estimates.
Impairment reviews are carried out to ensure that intangible assets, including brands, are not carried at above their recoverable amounts. 

Value in use and fair value less costs of disposal are both considered for these reviews and any impairment charge is based on these. The 
tests are dependent on management’s estimates in respect of the forecasting of future cash flows, the discount rates applicable to the future 
cash flows and what expected growth rates are reasonable. Judgement is required in determining the cash-generating units. Such estimates 
and judgements are subject to change as a result of changing economic conditions and actual cash flows may differ from forecasts.
The below additional considerations have been applied by management regarding the potential financial impacts of increasing 

inflationary pressures, recently observable worldwide:
• changes in the interest rate environment are taken into consideration when determining the discount rates;
• terminal growth rates do not exceed the long-term annual inflation rate of the country or region, thus excluding any increased inflation 

growth experienced in the short-term;

• additional sensitivity scenarios are applied for those markets or regions where the inflation and/or the exchange devaluation is 

considered significant based on management’s judgement.

Consideration of climate risk impact
The impact of climate risk on the future cash flows has also been considered for scenarios analysed in line with the climate change risk 
assessment. The climate change scenario analyses performed in 2023 – conducted in line with TCFD recommendations (‘Transition 
Scenario’ (RCP 2.6), a ‘Moderate Warming’ Scenario (RCP 4.5) and a ‘Severe Warming Scenario (RCP 8.5)) – identified no material financial 
impact to the current year impairment assessments.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Brands
£ million

Goodwill
£ million

Other
intangibles
£ million

Computer
software
£ million

8,458   

2,627   

1,421   

Cost
At 30 June 2021

Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of Turkey

Exchange differences

Additions

Disposals

Reclassification to asset held for sale

At 30 June 2022
Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of Turkey

Exchange differences

Additions

Disposals

Reclassification from/(to) asset held for sale

At 30 June 2023

Amortisation and impairment
At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Amortisation for the year

Impairment

Disposals

Reclassification to asset held for sale

At 30 June 2022
Exchange differences

Amortisation for the year

Impairment

Disposals

Reclassification from/(to) asset held for sale

At 30 June 2023

Carrying amount

At 30 June 2023
At 30 June 2022

At 30 June 2021

Total
£ million

13,179 

524 

1,006 

301 

(88) 

(568) 

14,354 

141 

(868) 

598 

(26) 

424 

14,623 

673   

1   

28   

67   

(23)   

(8)   

738 

— 

(16)   

155 

(26)   

— 

851 

—   

194   

55   

—   

—   

1,670 

— 

(64)   

13 

— 

— 

1,619 

80   

568   

2,415 

(1)   

7   

—   

—   

—   

86 

(1)   

16 

— 

— 

— 

101 

1,518 
1,584   

1,341   

25   

38   

—   

(20)   

(8)   

603 

(15)   

40 

— 

(24)   

— 

604 

247 
135   

105   

135 

45 

336 

(71) 

(408) 

2,452 

(173) 

56 

498 

(24) 

302 

3,111 

11,512 
11,902 

10,764 

315   

639   

109   

(23)   

(560)   

8,938 

81 

208   

145   

70   

(42)   

—   

3,008 

60 

(531)   

(257)   

338 

— 

453 

9,279 

1,097   

51   

—   

317   

(23)   

(400)   

1,042 

(96)   

— 

498 

— 

315 

1,759 

7,520 
7,896   

7,361   

92 

— 

(29)   

2,874 

670   

60   

—   

19   

(28)   

—   

721 

(61)   

— 

— 

— 

(13)   

647 

2,227 
2,287   

1,957   

(a) Brands 
The principal acquired brands, all of which are regarded as having indefinite useful economic lives, are as follows: 

Crown Royal whisky

Captain Morgan rum

Smirnoff vodka

Johnnie Walker whisky

Casamigos tequila

McDowell's No.1 whisky, rum and brandy

Don Papa rum

Yenì raki

Shui Jing Fang Chinese white spirit

Don Julio tequila

Aviation American gin

Seagram's 7 Crown whiskey

Signature whisky

Zacapa rum

Black Dog whisky

Antiquity whisky

Windsor Premier whisky

Gordon's gin

Bell's whisky

Other brands

Principal markets

United States

Global

Global

Global

United States

India

Europe

Turkey

Greater China

United States

United States

United States

India

Global

India

India

Korea

Europe

Europe

The brands are protected by trademarks which are renewable indefinitely 
in all of the major markets where they are sold. There are not believed 
to be any legal, regulatory or contractual provisions that limit the useful 
lives of these brands. The nature of the premium drinks industry is that 
obsolescence is not a common issue, with indefinite brand lives being 
commonplace, and Diageo has a number of brands that were originally 
created more than 100 years ago. Accordingly, the Directors believe 
that it is appropriate that the brands are treated as having indefinite 
lives for accounting purposes and are therefore not amortised. 

(b) Goodwill 
For the purposes of impairment testing, goodwill has been attributed to 
the following cash-generating units: 

North America

Europe

Turkey

Asia Pacific

Greater China

India

Latin America and Caribbean – Mexico

Other cash-generating units

2023
£ million

767 

2022
£ million

773 

216 

255 

124 

673 

161 

286 

141 

747 

142 

229 

2,227 

2,287 

Goodwill has arisen on the acquisition of businesses and includes synergies 
arising from cost savings, the opportunity to utilise Diageo’s distribution 
network to leverage marketing of the acquired products and the extension 
of the group’s portfolio of brands in new markets around the world. 

(c) Other intangibles 
Other intangibles principally comprise distribution rights. Diageo owns 
the global distribution rights for Ketel One vodka products in perpetuity, 
and the Directors believe that it is appropriate to treat these rights as 
having an indefinite life for accounting purposes. The carrying value at 
30 June 2023 was £1,428 million (2022 – £1,488 million). 

2023
 £ million

1,162 

2022
 £ million

1,210 

954 

654 

625 

479 

308 

282 

249 

246 

235 

209 

177 

176 

152 

149 

145 

137 

119 

102 

993 

681 

625 

499 

778 

— 

294 

279 

207 

218 

184 

191 

158 

162 

158 

— 

119 

102 

960 

7,520 

1,038 

7,896 

(d) Impairment testing 
Impairment tests are performed annually, or more frequently if events or 
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be 
recoverable. Recoverable amounts are calculated based on the value 
in use approach, also considering fair value less costs of disposal. The 
value in use calculations are based on discounted forecast cash flows 
using the assumption that cash flows continue in perpetuity at the 
terminal growth rate of each country or region. The individual brands, 
other intangibles with indefinite useful lives and the associated property, 
plant and equipment are aggregated as separate cash-generating 
units. Separate tests are carried out for each cash-generating unit and 
for each of the markets. Goodwill is attributed to each of the markets. 
The key assumptions used for the value in use calculations are as 

follows: 

Cash flows  
Cash flows are forecasted for each cash-generating unit for the financial 
years based on management's approved plans and reflect the 
following assumptions:

• Cash flows are projected based on the actual operating results and 
a three-year strategic plan approved by management. Cash flows 
are extrapolated up to five years using expected growth rates in line 
with management’s best estimates. Growth rates reflect expectations 
of sales growth, operating costs and margin, based on past 
experience and external sources of information. A simple average of 
these projections serves as the estimation of the recoverable amount 
of the cash-generating units. Management has no information which 
would indicate that any of the scenarios are more likely than others;    

• The five-year forecast period is extended by up to an additional ten 
years at acquisition date for some intangible assets and goodwill 
when management believes that this period is justified by the 
maturity of the market and expects to achieve growth in excess of 
the terminal growth rate driven by Diageo’s sales, marketing and 
distribution expertise. These cash flows beyond the five-year period 
are projected using steady or progressively declining growth rates. 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

The main exception is India and the USL brands, where the forecast 
period is extended by an additional one year of detailed forecasts;    

• Cash flows for the subsequent years after the forecast period are 
extrapolated based on a terminal growth rate which does not 
exceed the long-term annual inflation rate of the country or region. 

Discount rates 
The discount rates used are the weighted average cost of capital which 
reflect the returns on government bonds and an equity risk premium 
adjusted for the drinks industry specific to the cash-generating units. The 

group applies post-tax discount rates to post-tax cash flows as the 
valuation calculated using this method closely approximates to 
applying pre-tax discount rates to pre-tax cash flows. 

For goodwill, these assumptions are based on the cash-generating 

unit or group of units to which the goodwill is attributed. For brands, 
they are based on a weighted average taking into account the country 
or countries where sales are made. 

The pre-tax discount rates, terminal and long-term growth rates used 

for impairment testing are as follows: 

North America – United States

Europe 

United Kingdom

Turkey

Asia Pacific

Australia

Korea

India

Greater China

Latin America and Caribbean

Brazil

Mexico

Africa

Africa Emerging Markets

South Africa

Nigeria

2023

2022

Pre-tax discount 
rate
%

Terminal growth 
rate
%

Long-term growth 
rate
%

Pre-tax discount 
rate
%

Terminal growth 
rate
%

Long-term growth 
rate
%

 9 

 9 

 28 

 10 

 11 

 14 

 11 

 16 

 13 

 35 

 20 

 35 

 2 

 2 

 16 

 3 

 (2) 

 4 

 2 

 3 

 3 

 8 

 5 

 5 

 4 

 5 

 28 

 5 

 4 

 15 

 6 

 6 

 6 

 18 

 6 

 18 

 8 

 8 

 31 

 7 

 7 

 14 

 7 

 12 

 14 

 12 

 16 

 24 

 2 

 2 

 15 

 2 

 2 

 4 

 2 

 3 

 3 

 5 

 — 

 12 

 4 

 4 

 25 

 5 

 5 

 11 

 7 

 6 

 6 

 11 

 6 

 15 

As a result of the impairment review, in the year ended 30 June 2023, an impairment charge of £420 million in respect of the McDowell's brand and 
£24 million in respect of the Director’s Special brand were recognised in exceptional operating items. Value in use and fair value less costs of 
disposal methodologies were both considered to assess the recoverable amount. The value in use that was calculated exceeded the fair value less 
costs of disposal. The charge is mainly driven by the adverse inflationary environment and the reduction in forecast cash flow assumptions in Lower 
Prestige and Popular segments in India. The brand impairment reduced the deferred tax liability by £111 million. The recoverable amount is 
£379 million in respect of the McDowell's brand and £11 million in respect of the Director’s Special brand cash-generating units. 

As a result of the impairment review, in the year ended 30 June 2023, an additional impairment charge of £54 million was recognised in 
exceptional operating items in respect of some brands where book value was not recoverable. The charge is mainly driven by strategic change in 
some categories as a result of the challenging operating environment and premiumisation. Value in use and fair value less costs of disposal 
methodologies were both considered to assess the recoverable amount. The value in use that was calculated exceeded the fair value less costs of 
disposal. The brand impairment reduced the deferred tax liability by £13 million.

In the year ended 30 June 2022, an impairment charge of £240 million in respect of the McDowell's brand was recognised in exceptional 

operating items, based on its value in use. The brand impairment reduced the deferred tax liability by £35 million.

Further, in the year ended 30 June 2022, an impairment charge of £77 million in respect of the Bell’s brand was recognised in exceptional 

operating items, based on its value in use. The impairment reduced the deferred tax liability attributable to the brand by £20 million.

In  the  year  ended  30  June  2022,  Diageo  decided  to  wind  down  its  operations  in  Russia.  As  a  result,  an  impairment  charge  of £19  million  in 

respect of the Smirnov goodwill was recognised in exceptional operating items.

The Turkish economy became hyperinflationary for the year ended 30 June 2022, and an impairment charge of TRY 3,760 million (£312 million) 

on the opening carrying amount of the Turkey cash-generating unit was recognised in retained earnings. From this impairment charge, TRY 1,627 
million (£135 million) was directly attributable to the Yenì Raki brand and the remaining TRY 2,133 million (£177 million) impairment charge was 
recognised on the Turkey goodwill. 
(e) Sensitivity to change in key assumptions 
Impairment testing for the year ended 30 June 2023 has identified the following cash-generating units as being sensitive to reasonably possible 
changes in assumptions.  

The table below shows the headroom at 30 June 2023 and the impairment charge that would be required if the assumptions in the calculation 

of their value in use were changed: 

Increase in discount rate

Decrease in terminal growth rate

Decrease in annual growth rate in 
forecast period 2024-2029

Decrease in cash flows(1)

Carrying value 
of CGU
£ million

Headroom
£ million

Reasonably 
possible change

Potential 
impairment 
charge
£ million

Reasonably 
possible change

Potential 
impairment 
charge
£ million

Reasonably 
possible change

Potential 
impairment 
charge
£ million

Reasonably 
possible change

Potential 
impairment 
charge
£ million

McDowell's

379   

— 

1ppt

(38) 

1ppt

(26) 

2ppt

(67) 

 10 %  

(76) 

(1) 

Including reasonably possible changes in productivity saving assumptions.

192

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

10. Property, plant and equipment

Accounting policies
Land and buildings are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Freehold land is not depreciated. Leaseholds are generally depreciated 
over the unexpired period of the lease. Other property, plant and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis to estimated residual 
values over their expected useful lives, and these values and lives are reviewed each year. Subject to these reviews, the estimated useful lives 
fall within the following ranges: buildings – 10 to 50 years; within plant and equipment casks and containers – 15 to 50 years; other plant and 
equipment – 5 to 40 years; fixtures and fittings – 5 to 10 years; and returnable bottles and crates – 5 to 10 years.

Reviews are carried out if there is an indication that assets may be impaired, to ensure that property, plant and equipment are not carried 

at above their recoverable amounts.

Government grants
Government grants are not recognised until there is reasonable assurance that the group will comply with the conditions pursuant to which 
they have been granted and that the grants will be received. Government grants in respect of property, plant and equipment are deducted 
from the asset that they relate to, reducing the depreciation expense charged to the income statement.

Cost

At 30 June 2021
Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of Turkey and Venezuela

Exchange differences

Sale of businesses

Additions

Disposals

Transfers

Reclassification to assets held for sale

At 30 June 2022
Hyperinflation adjustment in respect of Turkey and Venezuela

Exchange differences

Acquisitions

Sale of businesses

Additions

Disposals

Transfers

Reclassification from assets held for sale

At 30 June 2023

Depreciation

At 30 June 2021
Exchange differences

Depreciation charge for the year

Exceptional impairment

Sale of businesses

Disposals

Transfers

Reclassification to assets held for sale

At 30 June 2022
Exchange differences

Depreciation charge for the year

Exceptional accelerated depreciation and impairment

Sale of businesses

Disposals

Reclassification from assets held for sale

At 30 June 2023

Carrying amount

At 30 June 2023
At 30 June 2022

At 30 June 2021

Land and
buildings
£ million

Plant and
equipment
£ million

Fixtures
and
fittings
£ million

Returnable
bottles and
crates
£ million

Under
construction
£ million

Total
£ million

2,160 

56 

107 

(4)   

230 

(65)   

177 

(8)   

2,653 

5 

(166)   

8 

(35)   

111 

(64)   

146 

2 

2,660 

658 

31 

125 

2 

(4)   

(62)   

5 

(5)   

750 

(38)   

125 

31 

(21)   

(63)   

— 

784 

1,876 
1,903 

1,502 

4,714 

32 

226 

(58)   

245 

(122)   

249 

(25)   

5,261 

10 

(331)   

14 

(147)   

214 

(141)   

238 

— 

5,118 

2,218 

94 

276 

1 

(50)   

(113)   

4 

(16)   

2,414 

(176)   

269 

41 

(80)   

(130)   

— 

2,338 

2,780 
2,847 

2,496 

121 

2 

1 

(3)   

8 

(15)   

10 

— 

124 

1 

(6)   

— 

(3)   

13 

(12)   

12 

1 

130 

86 

1 

14 

— 

(2)   

(13)   

(9)   

— 

77 

(3)   

13 

— 

(2)   

(11)   

1 

75 

55 
47 

35 

528 

— 

11 

(19)   

41 

(32)   

13 

— 

542 

— 

(49)   

3 

(55)   

50 

(105)   

28 

— 

414 

371 

9 

29 

— 

(18)   

(30)   

— 

— 

361 

(27)   

33 

— 

(34)   

(103)   

— 

230 

184 
181 

157 

659 

7 

45 

(1)   

612 

(3)   

(449)   

— 

870 

4 

(30)   

— 

(3)   

832 

(2)   

(424)   

— 

1,247 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,247 
870 

659 

8,182 

97 

390 

(85) 

1,136 

(237) 

— 

(33) 

9,450 

20 

(582) 

25 

(243) 

1,220

(324) 

— 

3

9,569

3,333 

135 

444 

3 

(74) 

(218) 

— 

(21) 

3,602 

(244) 

440 

72 

(137) 

(307) 

1

3,427

6,142
5,848 

4,849 

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
S

The net book value of land and buildings comprises freeholds of £1,481 million (2022 – £1,444 million), long leaseholds of £3 million (2022 – £3 million) and 
short leaseholds of £389 million (2022 – £410 million). Depreciation was not charged on £141 million (2022 – £114 million) of land.  

Property, plant and equipment is net of a government grant of £147 million (2022 – £153 million) received in prior years in respect of the 

construction of a rum distillery in the US Virgin Islands. 

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

193

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(a) Movement in right-of-use assets 
The company principally leases warehouses, office buildings, plant and 
machinery, cars and distribution vehicles in the ordinary course of 
business.

Land and 
buildings
 £ million

Plant and 
equipment
 £ million

Under 
construction
£ million

Total
£ million

230   

26 

129   

29   

(1)   

(6) 

(54)   

353 

(3)   

45 

1 

(1) 

(56)   

339 

184   

14

56   

—   

(1)   

—

(41) 

212 

(23)   

37 

1

(1)

(39)   

187 

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Additions

Transfers

Reclassification to 

assets held for sale

Disposals

Depreciation

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Additions

Reclassification from 
assets held for sale

Derecognition due to 
disposal of business

Depreciation

At 30 June 2023

(b) Lease liabilities 

Current lease liabilities

Non-current lease liabilities

29   

—  

— 

(29)   

—   

—  

—  

— 

— 

— 

—  

—  

— 

— 

443 

40 

185

— 

(2) 

(6) 

(95) 

565 

(26) 

82 

2 

(2) 

(95) 

526 

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

(75)   

(373)   

(448)   

(85) 

(390) 

(475) 

The future cash outflows, which are not included in lease liabilities on 
the balance sheet, in respect of extension and termination options 
which are not reasonably expected to be exercised are estimated at 
£261 million (2022 – £282 million).

(c) Amounts recognised in the consolidated income 
statement 
In the year ended 30 June 2023, other external charges (within other 
operating items) included £57 million (2022 – £39 million) in respect 
of leases of low value assets and short term leases and £4 million (2022 
– £9 million) in respect of variable lease payments. Refer to note 5 for 
further information relating to the interest expenses on lease liabilities.  

The total cash outflow for leases in the year ended 30 June 2023 was 

£172 million (2022 – £154 million).

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

11. Biological assets

Accounting policies
Biological assets held by the group consist of agave (Agave Azul 
Tequilana Weber) plants. The harvested plants are used during 
the production of tequila. 

Biological assets are measured at fair value less costs to sell 

on initial recognition and at the end of each reporting period 
based on the present value of future cash flows discounted at an 
appropriate rate for Mexico. 

Agricultural produce is measured at fair value less costs to 
sell at the point of harvest which is used as the cost of inventory 
when the harvested agave is transferred.

Changes in biological assets were as follows:

Fair value

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Transferred to inventories

Fair value change

Farming cost capitalised

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Transferred to inventories

Fair value change

Farming cost capitalised

At 30 June 2023

Biological
assets
£ million

66 

10 

(11) 

(5) 

34 

94 

15 

(8) 

— 

55

156 

At 30 June 2023, the number of agave plants was approximately 
37 million (2022 – 33 million), ranging from new plantations up to seven 
year-old plants.

12. Leases 

Accounting policies
Where the group is the lessee, all leases are recognised on the 
balance sheet as right-of-use assets and depreciated on a 
straight-line basis with the charge recognised in cost of sales or 
in other operating items depending on the nature of the costs. 
The liability, recognised as part of net borrowings, is measured at 
a discounted value and any interest is charged to finance 
charges.

The group recognises services associated with a lease as 
other operating expenses. Payments associated with leases 
where the value of the asset when it is new is lower than $5,000 
(leases of low value assets) and leases with a lease term of 12 
months or less (short term leases) are recognised as other 
operating expenses. A judgement in calculating the lease 
liability at initial recognition includes determining the lease term 
where extension or termination options exist. In such instances, 
any economic incentive to retain or end a lease are considered 
and extension periods are only included when it is considered 
reasonably certain that an option to extend a lease will be 
exercised.

13. Other investments 

14. Post employment benefits    

Accounting policies
Other investments are equity investments that are not classified 
as investments in associates or joint arrangements nor 
investments in subsidiaries. They are included in non-current 
assets. Subsequent to initial measurement, other investments are 
stated at fair value. Gains and losses arising from the changes in 
fair value are recognised in the income statement or in other 
comprehensive income on a case by case basis. Accumulated 
gains and losses included in other comprehensive income are 
not recycled to the income statement. Dividends from other 
investments are recognised in the consolidated income 
statement.

Loans receivable are non-derivative financial assets that are not 
classified as equity investments. They are subsequently 
measured either at amortised cost using the effective interest 
method less allowance for impairment or at fair value with gains 
and losses arising from changes in fair value recognised in the 
income statement or in other comprehensive income that are 
recycled to the income statement on the de-recognition of the 
asset. Allowances for expected credit losses are made based on 
the risk of non-payment taking into account ageing, previous 
experience, economic conditions and forward-looking data. 
Such allowances are measured as either 12-months expected 
credit losses or lifetime expected credit losses depending on 
changes in the credit quality of the counterparty.

Cost less allowances or fair value

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Additions

Repayments and disposals

Fair value adjustment

Step acquisitions

Capitalised interest

Transfer

At 30 June 2022
Exchange differences

Additions

Repayments and disposals

Fair value adjustment

Capitalised interest

Impairment charged during the year

At 30 June 2023

Loans
£ million

Other 
investments
£ million

Total
£ million

10   

2   

6   

(1)   

—   

—   

1   

—   

18 

(1)   

20 

(3)   

— 

1 

— 

35 

30   

1   

9   

(1)   

(13)   

(6)   

—   

(1)   

19 

— 

9 

— 

(4)   

— 

(2)   

22 

40 

3 

15 

(2) 

(13) 

(6) 

1 

(1) 

37 

(1) 

29 

(3) 

(4) 

1 

(2) 

57 

At 30 June 2023, loans comprise £6 million (2022 – £6 million; 2021 – 
£3 million) of loans to customers and other third parties, after 
allowances of £121 million (2022 – £129 million; 2021 – £113 million), and 
£29 million (2022 – £12 million; 2021 – £7 million) of loans to associates. 

Accounting policies
The group’s principal post employment funds are defined benefit 
plans. In addition, the group has defined contribution plans, 
unfunded post employment medical benefit liabilities and other 
unfunded defined benefit post employment liabilities. For post 
employment plans other than defined contribution plans, the 
amount charged to operating profit is the cost of accruing 
pension benefits promised to employees over the year, plus any 
changes arising on benefits granted to members by the group 
during the year. Net finance charges comprise the net deficit/
surplus on the plans at the beginning of the year, adjusted for 
cash flows in the year, multiplied by the discount rate for plan 
liabilities. The differences between the fair value of the plans’ 
assets and the present value of the plans’ liabilities are disclosed 
as an asset or liability on the consolidated balance sheet. Any 
differences due to changes in assumptions or experience are 
recognised in other comprehensive income. The amount of any 
pension fund asset recognised on the balance sheet is limited to 
any future refunds from the plan or the present value of 
reductions in future contributions to the plan.

Contributions payable by the group in respect of defined 
contribution plans are charged to operating profit as incurred.
Critical accounting estimates and judgements 
Application of IAS 19 requires the exercise of estimate and 
judgement in relation to various assumptions.

Diageo determines the assumptions on a country by country 
basis in conjunction with its actuaries. Estimates are required in 
respect of uncertain future events, including the life expectancy 
of members of the funds, salary and pension increases, future 
inflation rates, discount rates and employee and pensioner 
demographics. The application of different assumptions could 
have a significant effect on the amounts reflected in the income 
statement, other comprehensive income and the balance sheet. 
There may be interdependencies between the assumptions.

Where there is an accounting surplus on a defined benefit 

plan, management judgement is necessary to determine 
whether the group can obtain economic benefits through a 
refund of the surplus or by reducing future contributions to the 
plan.

(a) Post employment benefit plans 
The group operates a number of pension plans throughout the world, 
devised in accordance with local conditions and practices. Diageo's 
most significant plans are defined benefit plans and are funded by 
payments to separately administered trusts or insurance companies. The 
group also operates a number of plans that are generally unfunded, 
primarily in the United States, which provide to employees post 
employment medical benefits.

The principal plans are in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the 
United States where benefits are based on employees’ length of service 
and salary at retirement. All valuations were performed by independent 
actuaries using the projected unit credit method to determine pension 
costs. 

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
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194

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

195

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

The most recent funding valuations of the significant defined benefit 
plans were carried out as follows: 

Principal plans
United Kingdom(1)
Ireland(2)

United States

Date of valuation

1 April 2021

31 December 2021

1 January 2022

(1)

The Diageo Pension Scheme (DPS, the UK Scheme) closed to new members in 
November 2005. Employees who joined Diageo in the United Kingdom between 
November 2005 and January 2018, had been eligible to become members of the 
Diageo Lifestyle Plan (a cash balance defined benefit plan). Since then, new employees 
have been eligible to become members of a master trust defined contribution plans. 

(2)  The Guinness Ireland Group Pension Scheme (GIGPS, the Irish scheme) closed to new 

members in May 2013. Employees who have joined Diageo in Ireland since the defined 
benefit scheme closed have been eligible to become members of a master trust 
defined contribution plans.   

The assets of the UK and Irish pension plans are held in separate trusts 
administered by trustees who are required to act in the best interests of 
the plans’ beneficiaries. For DPS, the trustee is Diageo Pension Trust 
Limited. As required by legislation, one-third of the directors of the Trust 
are nominated by the members of the DPS, member nominated 
directors are appointed from both the pensioner member community 
and the active member community. For the Irish Scheme, Diageo 
Ireland makes four nominations and appoints three further candidates 
nominated by representative groupings. 

The amounts charged to the consolidated income statement and 
statement of comprehensive income for the group’s defined benefit 
plans for the three years ended 30 June 2023 are as follows:  

Current service cost and administrative 

expenses

Past service (losses)/gains – ordinary 

activities

Past service losses – exceptional

Gains on curtailments and settlements

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

(76)   

(107)   

(105) 

(1)   

— 

2 

34   

—   

34   

— 

(5) 

18 

Charge to operating profit

(75)   

(39)   

(92) 

Net finance income in respect of post 

employment plans
Charge before taxation(1)
Actual returns less amounts included in 

finance income

Experience (losses)/gains

Changes in financial assumptions

Changes in demographic assumptions

Other comprehensive (loss)/income

Changes in the surplus restriction

Total other comprehensive (loss)/income

44 

(31)   

10   

(29)   

(1,435)   

(1,432)   

(226)   

958 

53 

(650)   

7 

(643)   

(35)   

2,133   

(40)   

626   

(11)   

615   

5 

(87) 

(6) 

80 

125 

(183) 

16 

— 

16 

In addition to the charge in respect of defined benefit post employment 
plans, contributions to the group’s defined contribution plans were £44 
million (2022 – £33 million; 2021 – £25 million). 

The movements in the net surplus for the two years ended 30 June 

2023 is set out below: 

At 30 June 2021

Exchange differences

Income/(charge) before taxation
Other comprehensive (loss)/income(1)

Contributions by the group
Settlements paid(2)

Employee contributions

Benefits paid

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Disposals

Income/(charge) before taxation
Other comprehensive (loss)/income(1)

Contributions by the group

Employee contributions

Benefits paid

At 30 June 2023

Plan 
assets
£ million

Plan 
liabilities
£ million

Net 
surplus
£ million

9,892   

(9,445)   

93   

176   

(100)   

(205)   

(1,432)   

2,058   

128   

(52)   

5   

(411)   

—   

52   

(5)   

411   

447 

(7) 

(29) 

626 

128 

— 

— 

— 

8,399 

(7,234)   

1,165 

(49)   

— 

298 

(1,435)   

100 

5 

55 

4 

(329)   

785 

— 

(5)   

(472)   

472 

6 

4 

(31) 

(650) 

100 

— 

— 

6,846 

(6,252)   

594 

(1)  Excludes surplus restriction.
(2) 

Includes settlement payment of £52 million on ETV exercise in Ireland.

The plan assets and liabilities by type of post employment benefit and 
country are as follows:

Pensions

United Kingdom

Ireland

United States

Other

Post employment medical

Other post employment

2023

2022

Plan 
assets
£ million

Plan 
liabilities
£ million

Plan 
assets
£ million

Plan 
liabilities
£ million

4,578 

1,588 

441 

180 

2 

57 

(4,041)   

6,041   

(4,897) 

(1,310)   

1,645   

(1,409) 

(411)   

(194)   

(227)   

(69)   

453   

191   

2   

67   

(408) 

(212) 

(225) 

(83) 

6,846 

(6,252)   

8,399   

(7,234) 

The balance sheet analysis of the post employment plans is as follows: 

(i)   The year ended 30 June 2022 includes settlement gains of £27 million in respect of the 
Enhanced Transfer Values (ETV) exercise carried out in the Irish Schemes and past 
service gains of £28 million as a result of the changes of the benefits in the Irish 
Scheme. In the year ended 30 June 2021, the exceptional past service loss of £5 million 
is in respect of the equalisation of Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) benefits for 
men and women. 

(1)   The (charge)/income before taxation is in respect of the following countries:

Funded plans

Unfunded plans

United Kingdom

Ireland

United States

Other

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

15 

1 

(32)   

(15)   

(31)   

(27)   

45   

(31)   

(16)   

(29)   

(46) 

4 

(28) 

(17) 

(87) 

(1) 

Includes surplus restriction of £7 million (2022 – £14 million). 

2023

Non-
current
 assets(1) 
£ million

960 

— 

960 

Non-
current 
liabilities
£ million

(132)   

(241)   

(373)   

2022

Non-
current 
assets(1)
£ million

1,553   

—   

1,553   

Non-
current 
liabilities 
£ million

(144) 

(258) 

(402) 

The disclosures have been prepared in accordance with IFRIC 14. In 
particular, where the calculation for a plan results in a surplus, the 
recognised asset is limited to the present value of any available future 
refunds from the plan or reductions in future contributions to the plan, 
and any additional liabilities are recognised as required. At 30 June 
2023, the DPS had a net surplus of £589 million (2022 – £1,174 million; 
2021 – £840 million) and the GIGPS had a net surplus of £260 million 
(2022 a surplus of £221 million; 2021 a deficit of £79 million) and other 
schemes in a surplus totalled of £111 million (2022 – £158 million; 2021 – 
£178 million). Both of these surpluses have been recognised, with no 
provision made against them, as they are expected to be recoverable 
through a combination of a reduction in future cash contributions or 
ultimately via a cash refund when the last member’s obligations have 
been met.  

(b) Principal risks and assumptions 
The material post employment plans are not exposed to any unusual, 
entity-specific or scheme-specific risks but there are general risks: 

Inflation – The majority of the plans’ obligations are linked to inflation. 
Higher inflation will lead to increased liabilities which is partially offset 
by the plans holding inflation linked gilts, swaps and caps against the 
level of inflationary increases. 

Interest rate – The plan liabilities are determined using discount rates 
derived from yields on AA-rated corporate bonds. A decrease in 
corporate bond yields will increase plan liabilities though this will be 
partially offset by an increase in the value of the bonds held by the post 
employment plans. 

Mortality – The majority of the obligations are to provide benefits for the 
life of the members and their partners, so any increase in life 
expectancy will result in an increase in the plans’ liabilities. 

Asset returns – Assets held by the pension plans are invested in a 
diversified portfolio of equities, bonds and other assets. Volatility in asset 
values will lead to movements in the net deficit/surplus reported in the 
consolidated balance sheet for post employment plans which in 
addition will also impact the post employment expense in the 
consolidated income statement. 

The following weighted average assumptions were used to 
determine the group’s deficit/surplus in the main post employment 
plans at 30 June in the relevant year. The assumptions used to calculate 
the charge/credit in the consolidated income statement for the year 
ending 30 June are based on the assumptions disclosed as at the 
previous 30 June. 

Rate of general increase in salaries(2)

Rate of increase to pensions in payment

Rate of increase to deferred pensions

Discount rate for plan liabilities

Inflation – CPI

Inflation - RPI

United Kingdom

Ireland

United States(1)

2023
%

 3.7 

 2.9 

 2.7 

 5.2 

 2.7 

 3.2 

2022
%

 3.6 

 2.9 

 2.6 

 3.8 

 2.6 

 3.1 

2021
%

 3.4 

 3.1 

 2.5 

 1.9 

 2.5 

 3.0 

2023
%

 3.9 

 2.3 

 2.4 

 3.6 

 2.5 

 — 

2022
%

 3.8 

 2.2 

 2.3 

 3.2 

 2.4 

 — 

2021
%

 3.0 

 1.7 

 1.6 

 1.0 

 1.6 

 — 

2023
%

 — 

 — 

 — 

 4.9 

 2.2 

 — 

2022
%

 — 

 — 

 — 

 4.4 

 2.3 

 — 

2021
%

 — 

 — 

 — 

 2.7 

 2.3 

 — 

(1) 

The salary increase assumption in the United States is not a significant assumption as only a minimal amount of members’ pension entitlement is dependent on a member’s projected 
final salary. 

(2)  The salary increase assumptions include an allowance for age-related promotional salary increases. 

For the principal UK and Irish pension funds, the table below illustrates the expected age at death of an average worker who retires currently at the 
age of 65, and one who is currently aged 45 and subsequently retires at the age of 65:  

Retiring currently at age 65

Male

Female

Currently aged 45, retiring at age 65

Male

Female

United Kingdom(1)

Ireland(2)

2023
Age

86.8 

88.4 

88.1 

90.4 

2022
Age

2021
Age

87.1   

88.7   

87.2   

88.7   

88.5   

90.7   

88.6   

90.8   

2023
Age

87.2 

89.6 

88.8 

91.3 

2022
Age

2021
Age

87.7   

90.0   

86.9   

89.3   

89.3   

91.7   

88.6   

91.1   

2023
Age

85.6 

87.2 

87.1 

88.7 

United States

2022
Age

85.5   

87.2   

87.0   

88.6   

2021
Age

85.4 

87.1 

86.9 

88.5 

F
I

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A
N
C

I

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L

S
T
A
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M
E
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S

(1)  Based on the CMI’s S3 mortality tables with scaling factors based on the experience of the plan and where people live, with suitable future improvements. 
(2)  Based on the CMI's S3 mortality tables with scaling factors based on the experience of the plan, with suitable future improvements. 

For the significant assumptions, the following sensitivity analyses estimate the potential impacts on the consolidated income statement for the year 
ending 30 June 2024 and on the plan liabilities at 30 June 2023: 

Benefit/(cost)

Effect of 0.5% increase in discount rate

Effect of 0.5% decrease in discount rate

Effect of 0.5% increase in inflation

Effect of 0.5% decrease in inflation

Effect of one year increase in life expectancy

United Kingdom

Operating
profit
£ million

Profit after
taxation
£ million

Plan 
liabilities(1)
£ million

Operating
profit
£ million

Ireland

Profit after
taxation
£ million

United States

Plan 
liabilities(1)
£ million

Operating
profit
£ million

Profit after
taxation
£ million

Plan 
liabilities(1)
£ million

2   

(2)   

(1)   

2   

—   

15   

(14)   

(8)   

8   

(6)   

259 

(267)   

(156)   

173 

(131)   

1   

(1)   

—   

—   

—   

5   

(4)   

(2)   

2   

(2)   

85 

(95)   

(49)   

50 

(55)   

2   

(2)   

—   

—   

—   

2   

(2)   

(1)   

1   

(1)   

22 

(24) 

(9) 

8 

(15) 

(1) 
(i) 

The estimated effect on the liabilities excludes the impact of any interest rate and inflation swaps held by the pension plans.  
The sensitivity analyses above have been determined based on reasonably possible changes of the respective assumptions and may not be representative of the actual change. Each 
sensitivity is calculated on a change in the key assumption while holding all other assumptions constant. The sensitivity to inflation includes the impact on all inflation linked assumptions 
(e.g. pension increases and salary increases where appropriate). 

196

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197

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(c) Investment and hedging strategy 
The investment strategy for the group’s funded post employment plans is determined locally by the trustees of the plan and/or Diageo, as 
appropriate, and takes account of the relevant statutory requirements. The objective of the investment strategy is to achieve a target rate of return in 
excess of the movement on the liabilities, whilst taking an acceptable level of investment risk relative to the liabilities. This objective is implemented 
by using the funds of the plans to invest in a variety of asset classes that are expected over the long-term to deliver a target rate of return. The 
majority of the investment strategies have significant amounts allocated to bonds, in order to provide a natural hedge against movements in the 
liabilities of the plans. At 30 June 2023, approximately 97% and 98% (2022 – 100% and 103%) of the UK plans’ liabilities measured on the Trustee's 
funding basis (gilts+50bp) were hedged against future movements in interest rates and inflation, respectively, through the combined effect of bonds 
and swaps. At 30 June 2023, approximately 92% and 112% (2022 – 70% and 76%) of the Irish plans’ liabilities measured on the Trustee's funding 
basis (euro-swaps+50bp) were hedged against future movements in interest rates and inflation, respectively, through the combined effect of bonds 
and swaps.  

The discount rates used are based on the yields of high-quality fixed income investments. For the UK plans, which represent approximately 65% 
of total plan liabilities, the discount rate is determined by reference to the yield curves of AA-rated corporate bonds for which the timing and amount 
of cash outflows are similar to those of the plans. A similar process is used to determine the discount rates used for the non-UK plans. 

An analysis of the fair value of the plan assets is as follows:

United Kingdom
£ million

Ireland
£ million

2023

United States and other
£ million

Total
£ million

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

Equities

Bonds

    Fixed-interest government

    Inflation-linked government

    Investment grade corporate

    Non-investment grade

    Loan securities

12 

18 

— 

— 

22 

13 

    Repurchase agreements

2,351 

    Liability Driven Investment (LDI)

Property

Hedge funds

Interest rate and inflation swaps

Cash and other

Total bid value of assets

Equities

Bonds

    Fixed-interest government

    Inflation-linked government

    Investment grade corporate

    Non-investment grade

    Loan securities

— 

29 

— 

— 

46 

2   

—   

—   

44   

11   

    Repurchase agreements

2,400   

    Liability Driven Investment (LDI)

Property

Hedge funds

Interest rate and inflation swaps

Cash and other

—   

28   

—   

—   

24   

Total bid value of assets

2,532   

3,508   

916 

24 

— 

29 

289 

526 

826 

— 

462 

— 

(971)   

(14)   

86   

—   

68   

557   

1,271   

(215)   

119   

716   

107   

(900)   

481   

— 

— 

— 

— 

6 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

291 

6 

96 

328 

186 

84 

— 

81 

62 

12 

102 

5 

113 

(18)   

347 

1,475 

64 

48 

2 

21 

2 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

137 

98 

8 

2 

227 

133 

— 

— 

— 

1 

5 

— 

69 

543 

76 

66 

2 

21 

30 

13 

2,351 

— 

29 

— 

102 

51 

2,741 

1,305 

38 

98 

584 

608 

610 

826 

81 

525 

17 

(989)   

402 

4,105 

(887) 

453 

6,846 

2,491 

2,087 

United Kingdom
£ million

Ireland
£ million

2022

United States and other
£ million

Total
£ million

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

Quoted

Unquoted

23   

1,218   

—   

—   

—   

—   

2   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

7   

9   

319   

70   

105   

93   

1,642   

30   

199   

388   

200   

98   

—   

46   

74   

92   

37   

154   

1,637   

49   

1   

25   

1   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

146   

152   

1   

222   

1   

—   

—   

—   

1   

5   

—   

80   

567   

51   

1   

25   

47   

11   

2,400   

—   

28   

—   

—   

31   

2,687   

268   

200   

678   

758   

1,369   

(215)   

165   

791   

204   

(863)   

715   

5,712   

Total

1,381 

104 

100 

605 

638 

623 

3,177 

81 

554 

17 

Total

1,735 

319 

201 

703 

805 

1,380 

2,185 

165 

819 

204 

(863) 

746 

8,399 

(d) Deficit funding arrangements 
UK plans 
In the year ended 30 June 2011, the group established a Pension Funding Partnership (PFP) in respect of the UK Scheme. Whisky inventory was 
transferred into the partnership but the group retains control over the partnership which at 30 June 2023 held inventory with a book value of £732 
million (2022 – £561 million). The partnership is fully consolidated in the group financial statements. The UK Scheme has a limited interest in the 
partnership and, as a partner, is entitled to a distribution from the profits of the partnership. The arrangement is expected to cease in 2030, and 
contributions to the UK scheme in any year will be dependent on the funding position of the UK scheme at the previous 31 March. Given the surplus 
funding position in the DPS, there were no contributions to the DPS in the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022.

In 2030, the group will be required, dependent upon the funding position of the UK Scheme at that time, to pay an amount not greater than the 
actuarial deficit at that time, up to a maximum of £430 million in cash, to purchase the UK Scheme’s interest in the partnership. If the UK Scheme is 
in surplus at an actuarial triennial valuation excluding the value of the PFP, then the group can exit the PFP with the agreement of the trustees.
During the year ended 30 June 2023, following a remeasurement of the Diageo Lifestyle Plan, Diageo made a £16 million one-off deficit contribution 
to satisfy minimum funding requirement.

Irish plans
The 31 December 2021 triennial actuarial valuation of the Guinness Ireland Group Pension Scheme was completed during the year ended 30 June 
2023 showing the Scheme is fully funded on the Trustee’s ongoing funding basis and the statutory minimum funding standard basis. Given the fully 
funded position, no deficit contributions were payable in the year ended 30 June 2023 and the Trustee agreed to the company's request to 
terminate the contingent arrangements comprising mortgages over certain land and buildings and fixed and floating charges over certain 
receivables of the group up to a value of €200 million (£171 million). The company has agreed with the Trustee conditional contributions of up to 
€35 million (£30 million) by 31 December 2024, €39 million (£33 million) by 31 December 2027 and €39 million (£33 million) by 31 December 2030 
if a deficit is identified at those valuations.

(e) Timing of benefit payments 
The following table provides information on the timing of the benefit payments and the average duration of the defined benefit obligations and the 
distribution of the timing of benefit payments: 

Maturity analysis of benefits expected to be paid

Within one year

Between 1 to 5 years

Between 6 to 15 years

Between 16 to 25 years

Beyond 25 years

Total

Average duration of the defined benefit obligation

United Kingdom

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

Ireland

2023
£ million

United States

2022
£ million

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

303 

1,090 

2,439 

2,244 

2,664 

8,740 

years

14

295   

1,082   

2,556   

2,252   

2,787   

8,972   

years

15

73 

367 

727 

645 

747 

2,559 

years

14

70   

353   

704   

634   

768   

2,529   

years

15

57 

174 

331 

206 

187 

955 

years

9

58 

187 

310 

183 

174 

912 

years

9

The projected benefit payments are based on the assumptions underlying the assessment of the obligations, including inflation. They are disclosed 
undiscounted and therefore appear large relative to the discounted value of the plan liabilities recognised on the consolidated balance sheet. They 
are in respect of benefits that have accrued at the balance sheet date and make no allowance for any benefits to be accrued subsequently.

(f) Related party disclosures 
Information on transactions between the group and its pension plans is given in note 21. 

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
S

(i) 

The asset classes include some cash holdings that are temporary. This cash is likely to be invested imminently and so has been included in the asset class where it is anticipated to be 
invested in the long-term.

Total cash contributions by the group to all post employment plans in the year ending 30 June 2024 are estimated to be approximately £75 million 
($95 million). 

198

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199

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inventories are disclosed net of provisions for obsolescence, an analysis 
of which is as follows: 

(c) Trade and other payables  

Balance at beginning of the year

Exchange differences

Income statement charge

Utilised

Sale of businesses

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

94 

(27)   

55 

(19)   

(1)   

102 

96   

6   

6   

(13)   

(1)   

94   

98 

(8) 

20 

(14) 

— 

96 

Trade payables

Interest payable

Tax and social security excluding income tax

Other payables

Accruals

Deferred income

(b) Trade and other receivables  

Dividend payable to non-controlling interests

2023

Current
liabilities
£ million

2,659 

237 

632 

432 

1,229 

73 

38 

5,300 

Non-current
liabilities
£ million

— 

— 

— 

368 

— 

— 

— 

2022

Current
liabilities
£ million

2,705   

143   

696   

600   

1,635   

90   

18   

Non-current
liabilities
£ million

— 

— 

— 

380 

— 

— 

— 

368 

5,887   

380 

Interest payable at 30 June 2023 includes interest on non-derivative financial instruments of £217 million (2022 – £141 million). Accruals at 30 June 
2023 include £561 million (2022 – £613 million) accrued discounts attributed to sales recognised. Deferred income represents amounts paid by 
customers in respect of performance obligations not yet satisfied. The amount of contract liabilities recognised as revenue in the current year is 
£90 million (2022 – £72 million). Non-current liabilities include the net present value of contingent consideration in respect of prior acquisitions of 
£293 million (2022 – £353 million). For further information on contingent consideration, please refer to note 16 (g). 

Together with the group’s partner banks, supply chain financing (SCF) facilities are provided to suppliers in certain countries. These arrangements 

enable suppliers to receive funding earlier than the invoice due date at their discretion and at their own cost. Payment terms continue to be agreed 
directly between the group and suppliers, independently from the availability of SCF facilities. Liabilities are settled in accordance with the original 
due date of invoices. The group does not incur any fees or receive any rebates where the suppliers choose to utilise these facilities. The group has 
determined that it is appropriate to present amounts outstanding subject to SCF arrangements as trade payables. Consistent with this classification, 
cash flows are presented either as operating cash flows or cash flows from investing activities, when related to the acquisition of non-current assets. 
At 30 June 2023, the amount that has been subject to SCF and accounted for as trade payables was £727 million (2022 – £789 million).

(d) Provisions  

At 30 June 2022

Exchange differences

Disposal of businesses

Provisions charged during the year

Provisions utilised during the year

Transfers from other payables

Unwinding of discounts

At 30 June 2023

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Thalidomide
£ million

178 

(1)   

— 

— 

(14)   

— 

5 

168 

13 

155 

168 

Other
£ million

239 

(26)   

(2)   

31 

(61)   

12 

1 

194 

106 

88 

194 

Total
£ million

417 

(27) 

(2) 

31 

(75) 

12 

6 

362 

119 

243 

362 

Provisions have been established in respect of the discounted value of the group’s commitment to the UK and Australian Thalidomide Trusts. These 
provisions will be utilised over the period of the commitments up to 2037.  

The largest item in other provisions at 30 June 2023 is £51 million (2022 – £49 million) in respect of employee deferred compensation plans which 

will be utilised when employees leave the group.

F
I

N
A
N
C

I

A
L

S
T
A
T
E
M
E
N
T
S

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

15. Working capital 

Accounting policies
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable 
value. Cost includes raw materials, direct labour and expenses, 
an appropriate proportion of production and other overheads, 
but not borrowing costs. Cost is calculated at the weighted 
average cost incurred in acquiring inventories. Maturing 
inventories and raw materials which are retained for more than 
one year are classified as current assets, as they are expected to 
be realised in the normal operating cycle.
Trade and other receivables are initially recognised at fair value 
less transaction costs and subsequently carried at amortised cost 
less any allowance for discounts and doubtful debts. Trade 
receivables arise from contracts with customers, and are 
recognised when performance obligations are satisfied, and the 
consideration due is unconditional as only the passage of time is 
required before the payment is received. Allowance losses are 
calculated by reviewing lifetime expected credit losses using 
historic and forward-looking data on credit risk.
Trade and other payables are initially recognised at fair value 
including transaction costs and subsequently carried at 
amortised costs. Contingent considerations recognised in 
business combinations are subsequently measured at fair value 
through income statement. The group evaluates supplier 
arrangements against a number of indicators to assess if the 
liability has the characteristics of a trade payable or should be 
classified as borrowings. This assessment considers the 
commercial purpose of the facility, whether payment terms are 
similar to customary payment terms, whether the group is legally 
discharged from its obligation towards suppliers before the end 
of the original payment term, and the group’s involvement in 
agreeing terms between banks and suppliers.

Provisions are liabilities of uncertain timing or amount. A 
provision is recognised if, as a result of a past event, the group 
has a present legal or constructive obligation that can be 
estimated reliably, and it is probable that an outflow of 
economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. 
Provisions are calculated on a discounted basis. The carrying 
amounts of provisions are reviewed at each balance sheet date 
and adjusted to reflect the current best estimate.

(a) Inventories  

Raw materials and consumables

Work in progress

Maturing inventories

Finished goods and goods for resale

2023
£ million

543 

132 

5,794 

1,192 

7,661 

2022
£ million

489 

86 

5,229 

1,290 

7,094 

Maturing inventories include whisk(e)y, rum, tequila and Chinese white 
spirits. The following amounts of inventories are expected to be utilised 
after more than one year:  

Raw materials and consumables

Maturing inventories

2023
£ million

23 

4,063 

4,086 

2022
£ million

15 

3,713 

3,728 

Trade receivables

Interest receivable

VAT recoverable and other 

prepaid taxes

Other receivables

Prepayments

Accrued income

2023

2022

Current
assets
£ million

Non-current
assets
£ million

Current
assets
£ million

Non-current
assets
£ million

2,011 

12 

271 

163 

229 

34 

2,720 

— 

— 

15 

13 

3 

— 

31 

2,155   

18   

290   

158   

290   

22   

2,933   

— 

— 

15 

13 

9 

— 

37 

At 30 June 2023, approximately 26%, 14% and 11% of the group’s 
trade receivables of £2,011 million are due from counterparties based in 
the United States, United Kingdom and India, respectively. Accrued 
income primarily represents amounts receivable from customers in 
respect of performance obligations satisfied but not yet invoiced.  

The aged analysis of trade receivables, net of expected credit loss 

allowance, is as follows:  

Not overdue

Overdue 1 – 30 days

Overdue 31 – 60 days

Overdue 61 – 90 days

Overdue 91 – 180 days

Overdue more than 180 days

2023
£ million

1,967 

25 

2022
£ million

2,114 

19 

7 

3 

6 

3 

8 

5 

5 

4 

2,011 

2,155 

Trade and other receivables are disclosed net of expected credit loss 
allowance for doubtful debts, an analysis of which is as follows:   

Balance at beginning of the year

Exchange differences

Income statement (release)/charge

Written off

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

118 

(12)   

(3)   

(14)   

89 

112   

6   

21   

(21)   

118   

160 

(13) 

(15) 

(20) 

112 

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201

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Risk management and capital structure 

Introduction 
This section sets out the policies and procedures applied to manage the group’s capital structure and the financial risks the group is exposed to. 
Diageo considers the following components of its balance sheet to be capital: borrowings and equity. Diageo manages its capital structure to 
achieve capital efficiency, provide flexibility to invest through the economic cycle and give efficient access to debt markets at attractive cost levels. 

16. Financial instruments and risk management 

Accounting policies 

Financial assets and liabilities are initially recorded at fair value including, where permitted by IFRS 9, any directly attributable transaction 
costs. For those financial assets that are not subsequently held at fair value, the group assesses whether there is evidence of impairment at 
each balance sheet date.

The group classifies its financial assets and liabilities into the following categories: financial assets and liabilities at amortised cost, financial 

assets and liabilities at fair value through income statement and financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income.

The accounting policies for other investments and loans are described in note 13, for trade and other receivables and payables in note 15 

and for cash and cash equivalents in note 17.

Financial assets and liabilities at fair value through income statement include derivative assets and liabilities. Where financial assets or 
liabilities are eligible to be carried at either amortised cost or fair value through other comprehensive income, the group does not apply the 
fair value option.

Derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value using a discounted cash flow model based on market data applied consistently 
for similar types of instruments. Gains and losses on derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment are taken to the income 
statement as they arise. 

Other financial liabilities are carried at amortised cost unless they are part of a fair value hedge relationship. The difference between the 
initial carrying amount of the financial liabilities and their redemption value is recognised in the income statement over the contractual terms 
using the effective interest rate method. Financial liabilities in respect of the Zacapa acquisition are recognised at fair value.

Hedge accounting 

The group designates and documents certain derivatives as hedging instruments against changes in fair value of recognised assets and 
liabilities (fair value hedges), commodity price risk of highly probable forecast transactions, as well as the cash flow risk from a change in 
exchange or interest rates (cash flow hedges) and hedges of net investments in foreign operations (net investment hedges). The designated 
portion of the hedging instruments is included in other financial assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The effectiveness of 
such hedges is assessed at inception and at least on a quarterly basis, using prospective testing. Methods used for testing effectiveness 
include dollar offset, critical terms, regression analysis and hypothetical models. 

Fair value hedges are used to manage the currency and/or interest rate risks to which the fair value of certain assets and liabilities are 
exposed. Changes in the fair value of the derivatives are recognised in the income statement, along with any changes in the relevant fair 
value of the underlying hedged asset or liability. If such a hedge relationship no longer meets hedge accounting criteria, fair value 
movements on the derivative continue to be taken to the income statement while any fair value adjustments made to the underlying hedged 
item to that date are amortised through the income statement over its remaining life using the effective interest rate method.

Cash flow hedges are used to hedge the foreign currency risk of highly probable future foreign currency cash flows, the commodity price risk 
of highly probable future transactions, as well as the cash flow risk from changes in exchange or interest rates. The effective portion of the 
gain or loss on the hedges is recognised in other comprehensive income, while any ineffective part is recognised in the income statement. 
Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income are recycled to the income statement in the same period in which the underlying foreign 
currency, commodity or interest exposure affects the income statement. 

Net investment hedges take the form of either foreign currency borrowings or derivatives. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation 
of net investments are recorded in other comprehensive income and included in the exchange reserve. Liabilities used as hedging 
instruments are revalued at closing exchange rates and the resulting gains or losses are also recognised in other comprehensive income to 
the extent that they are effective, with any ineffectiveness taken to the income statement. Foreign currency contracts hedging net investments 
are carried at fair value. Effective fair value movements are recognised in other comprehensive income, with any ineffectiveness taken to the 
income statement.

The group’s funding, liquidity and exposure to foreign currency and 
interest rate risks are managed by the group’s treasury department. The 
treasury department uses a range of financial instruments to manage 
these underlying risks. 

Treasury operations are conducted within a framework of Board-

approved policies and guidelines, which are recommended and 
monitored by the Finance Committee, chaired by the Chief Financial 
Officer. The policies and guidelines include benchmark exposure and/
or hedge cover levels for key areas of treasury risk which are 

periodically reviewed by the Board following, for example, significant 
business, strategic or accounting changes. The framework provides for 
limited defined levels of flexibility in execution to allow for the optimal 
application of the Board-approved strategies. Transactions arising from 
the application of this flexibility are carried at fair value, gains or losses 
are taken to the income statement as they arise and are separately 
monitored on a daily basis using Value at Risk analysis. In the years 
ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022, gains and losses on these 
transactions were not material. The group does not use derivatives for 

speculative purposes. All transactions in derivative financial instruments 
are initially undertaken to manage the risks arising from underlying 
business activities. 

The group purchases insurance for commercial or, where required, 
for legal or contractual reasons. In addition, the group retains insurable 
risk where external insurance is not considered an economic means of 
mitigating these risks.

The Finance Committee receives a quarterly report on the key 
activities of the treasury department, however any exposures which 
differ from the defined benchmarks are reported as they arise.  

(a) Currency risk  
The group presents its consolidated financial statements in sterling and 
conducts business in many currencies. As a result, it is subject to foreign 
currency risk due to exchange rate movements, which will affect the 
group’s transactions and the translation of the results and underlying 
net assets of its operations. To manage the currency risk, the group uses 
certain financial instruments. Where hedge accounting is applied, 
hedges are documented and tested for effectiveness on an ongoing 
basis.

Hedge of net investment in foreign operations  
The group hedges a certain portion of its exposure to fluctuations in the 
sterling value of its foreign operations by designating borrowings held in 
foreign currencies and using foreign currency spots, forwards, swaps 
and other financial derivatives. For the year ended 30 June 2023, the 
group’s intention was to maintain total net investment Value at Risk to 
total net asset value below 20%, where Value at Risk is defined as the 
maximum amount of loss over a one-year period with a 95% 
probability confidence level.  

At 30 June 2023, foreign currency borrowings designated in net 
investment hedge relationships amounted to £10,627 million (2022 –
£8,742 million), including financial derivatives.  

Hedge of foreign currency debt  
The group uses cross currency interest rate swaps to hedge the foreign 
currency risk associated with certain foreign currency denominated 
borrowings.  

Transaction exposure hedging  
The group’s policy is to hedge forecast transactional foreign currency 
risk on major currency pair exposures up to 24 months, targeting 75% 
coverage for the current financial year, and on other currency 
exposures up to 18 months. The group’s exposure to foreign currency 
risk arising principally on forecasted sales transactions is managed 
using forward agreements and options.    

(b) Interest rate risk  
The group has an exposure to interest rate risk, arising principally on 
changes in US dollar, euro and sterling interest rates. To manage 
interest rate risk, the group manages its proportion of fixed to floating 
rate borrowings within limits approved by the Board, primarily through 
issuing fixed and floating rate borrowings, and by utilising interest rate 
swaps. These practices aim to minimise the group’s net finance charges 
with acceptable year-on-year volatility. To facilitate operational 
efficiency and effective hedge accounting, for the year ended 30 June 
2023 the group’s policy was to maintain fixed rate borrowings within a 
band of 40% to 90% of forecast net borrowings. For these calculations, 
net borrowings exclude interest rate related fair value adjustments. The 
majority of the group’s existing interest rate derivatives are designated 
as hedges and are expected to be effective. Fair value of these 
derivatives is recognised in the income statement, along with any 
changes in the relevant fair value of the underlying hedged asset or 
liability. The interest rate profile of the group's net borrowings is as 
follows:  

Fixed rate
Floating rate(1)
Impact of financial derivatives 
and fair value adjustments

Lease liabilities

Net borrowings

2023

2022

£ million

11,961 

3,225 

%

 77 

 21 

£ million

11,070 

2,612 

(93) 

448 

 (1)   

 3 

(20) 

475 

%

 78 

 19 

 — 

 3 

15,541 

 100 

14,137 

 100 

(1) 

The floating rate portion of net borrowings includes cash and cash equivalents, 
collaterals, floating rate loans and bonds and bank overdrafts. 

The table below sets out the average monthly net borrowings and 
effective interest rate:  

Average monthly net borrowings

Effective interest rate

2023
£ million

15,244 

2022
£ million

12,692   

2021
£ million

12,702 

2023
%

 3.9 

2022
%

2.7

2021
%

2.7

(i)   For this calculation, net interest charge excludes fair value adjustments to derivative 

financial instruments and average monthly net borrowings include the impact of interest 
rate swaps that are no longer in a hedge relationship but exclude the market value 
adjustment for cross currency interest rate swaps.  

IBOR reform
In accordance with the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s 
announcement on 5 March 2021, LIBOR benchmark rates were 
discontinued after 31 December 2021, except for the majority of the US 
dollar settings which are discontinued from 30 June 2023. There have 
been amendments to the contractual terms of IBOR-referenced interest 
rates and the corresponding update of the hedge designations. By 30 
June 2022, changes required to systems and processes in relation to the 
fair valuation of financial instruments were implemented and the 
transition had no material tax or accounting implications. The group 
also evaluated the implications of the reference rate changes in relation 
to other valuation models and credit risk, and concluded that they were 
not material.

In line with the relief provided by the amendment, the group 

assumes that the interest rate benchmark on which the cash flows of the 
hedged item, the hedging instrument or the hedged risk are based are 
not altered by the IBOR reform. The derivative hedging instruments 
provide a close approximation to the extent and nature of the risk 
exposure the group manages through hedging relationships.

Included in floating rate net borrowings are interest rate swaps 

designated in fair value hedges, with a notional amount of 
£2,063 million (2022 – £2,893 million) whose interest rates are based on 
USD LIBOR. In preparation for the discontinuation of USD LIBOR, the 
group have amended these agreements to reference the Secured 
Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) resulting in economically equivalent 
trades upon transition. The floating legs of the transitioned trades will 
become SOFR based subsequent to the last USD LIBOR based interest 
payments.

(c) Commodity price risk  
Commodity price risk is managed in line with the principles approved 
by the Board either through long-term purchase contracts with suppliers 
or, where appropriate, derivative contracts. The group policy is to 
maintain the Value at Risk of commodity price risk arising from 
commodity exposures below 75 bps of forecast gross profit in any given 
financial year. Where derivative contracts are used, the commodity 
price risk exposure is hedged up to 24 months of forecast volume 
through exchange-traded and over-the-counter contracts (futures, 
forwards and swaps) and cash flow hedge accounting is applied.  

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(d) Market risk sensitivity analysis 
The group uses a sensitivity analysis that estimates the impacts on the 
consolidated income statement and other comprehensive income of 
either an instantaneous increase or decrease of 0.5% in market interest 
rates or a 10% strengthening or weakening in sterling against all other 
currencies, from the rates applicable for each class of financial 
instruments on the consolidated balance sheet at these dates with all 
other variables remaining constant. The sensitivity analysis excludes the 
impact of market risk on the net post employment benefit liabilities and 
assets, and corporate tax payable. This analysis is for illustrative 
purposes only, as in practice interest and foreign exchange rates rarely 
change in isolation.  

The sensitivity analysis estimates the impact of changes in interest 

and foreign exchange rates. All hedges are expected to be highly 
effective for this analysis and it considers the impact of all financial 
instruments including financial derivatives, cash and cash equivalents, 
borrowings and other financial assets and liabilities. The results of the 
sensitivity analysis should not be considered as projections of likely 
future events, gains or losses as actual results in the future may differ 
materially due to developments in the global financial markets which 
may cause fluctuations in interest and exchange rates to vary from the 
hypothetical amounts disclosed in the table below.  

Impact on income
 statement 
gain/(loss)

Impact on consolidated 
comprehensive income 
gain/(loss)(1) (2)

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

16 

(16)   

(45)   

36 

13   

(13)   

(33)   

28   

36 

(35)   

31 

(30) 

(1,336)   

(1,125) 

1,093 

922 

0.5% decrease in interest rates

0.5% increase in interest rates

10% weakening of sterling

10% strengthening of sterling

(1) 

The impact on foreign currency borrowings and derivatives in net investment hedges is 
largely offset by the foreign exchange difference arising on the translation of net 
investments.    

(2)  The impact on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income includes the 

impact on the income statement.  

(e) Credit risk   
Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its 
contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the group. Credit risk 
arises on cash balances (including bank deposits and cash and cash 
equivalents), derivative financial instruments and credit exposures to 
customers, including outstanding loans, trade and other receivables, 
financial guarantees and committed transactions.  

The carrying amount of financial assets of £4,637 million (2022 – 
£5,445 million) represents the group’s exposure to credit risk at the 
balance sheet date as disclosed in section (i), excluding the impact of 
any collateral held or other credit enhancements. A financial asset is in 
default when the counterparty fails to pay its contractual obligations. 
Financial assets are written off when there is no reasonable expectation 
of recovery.  

Credit risk is managed separately for financial and business related 

credit exposures.  

Financial credit risk   
Diageo aims to minimise its financial credit risk through the application 
of risk management policies approved and monitored by the Board. 
Counterparties are predominantly limited to investment grade banks 
and financial institutions, and policy restricts the exposure to any one 
counterparty by setting credit limits taking into account the credit quality 
of the counterparty. The group’s policy is designed to ensure that 
individual counterparty limits are adhered to and that there are no 
significant concentrations of credit risk. The Board also defines the types 
of financial instruments which may be transacted. The credit risk arising 
through the use of financial instruments for currency, interest rate and 
commodity price risk management is estimated with reference to the 
fair value of contracts with a positive value, rather than the notional 
amount of the instruments themselves. Diageo annually reviews the 
credit limits applied and regularly monitors the counterparties’ credit 
quality reflecting market credit conditions.  

When derivative transactions are undertaken with bank 

counterparties, the group may, where appropriate, enter into certain 
agreements with such bank counterparties whereby the parties agree to 
post cash collateral for the benefit of the other if the net valuations of 
the derivatives are above a predetermined threshold. At 30 June 2023, 
the collateral held under these agreements amounted to $(19) million 
(£(15) million) (2022 – $23 million (£19 million)).  

Business related credit risk   
Exposures from loan, trade and other receivables are managed locally 
in the operating units where they arise and active risk management is 
applied, focusing on country risk, credit limits, ongoing credit evaluation 
and monitoring procedures. There is no significant concentration of 
credit risk with respect to loans, trade and other receivables as the 
group has a large number of customers which are internationally 
dispersed.  

(f) Liquidity risk   
Liquidity risk is the risk of Diageo encountering difficulties in meeting its 
obligations associated with financial liabilities that are settled by 
delivering cash or other financial assets. The group uses short-term 
commercial paper to finance its day-to-day operations. The group’s 
policy with regard to the expected maturity profile of borrowings is to 
limit the amount of such borrowings maturing within 12 months to 50% 
of gross borrowings less money market demand deposits, and the level 
of commercial paper to 30% of gross borrowings less money market 
demand deposits. In addition, the group’s policy is to maintain 
backstop facilities with relationship banks to support commercial paper 
obligations.

The following tables provide an analysis of the anticipated 
contractual cash flows including interest payable for the group’s 
financial liabilities and derivative instruments on an undiscounted basis. 
Where interest payments are calculated at a floating rate, rates of each 
cash flow until maturity of the instruments are calculated based on the 
forward yield curve prevailing at the respective year ends. The gross 
cash flows of cross currency swaps are presented for the purposes of 
this table. All other derivative contracts are presented on a net basis. 
Financial assets and liabilities are presented gross in the consolidated 
balance sheet although, in practice, the group uses netting 
arrangements to reduce its liquidity requirements on these instruments.  

Contractual cash flows   

2023
Borrowings(1)
Interest on borrowings(1)(2)

Lease capital repayments

Lease future interest payments
Trade and other financial liabilities(3)

Non-derivative financial liabilities

Cross currency swaps (gross)

Receivable

Payable

Other derivative instruments (net)
Derivative instruments(2)

2022
Borrowings(1)
Interest on borrowings(1)(2)

Lease capital repayments

Lease future interest payments
Trade and other financial liabilities(3)

Non-derivative financial liabilities

Cross currency swaps (gross)

Receivable

Payable

Other derivative instruments (net)
Derivative instruments(2)

Due within 
1 year
£ million

Due between
1 and 3 years 
£ million

Due between
3 and 5 years 
£ million

Due after
5 years
£ million

Total
£ million

Carrying
amount at
balance
sheet date
£ million

(1,707)   

(3,615)   

(2,980)   

(8,652)   

(16,954)   

(16,502) 

(541)   

(75)   

(18)   

(4,417)   

(6,758)   

43 

(28)   

19 

34 

(1,524)   

(427)   

(85)   

(13)   

(4,765)   

(6,814)   

851   

(783)   

(86)   

(18)   

(750)   

(104)   

(28)   

(231)   

(623)   

(69)   

(19)   

(122)   

(1,503)   

(200)   

(37)   

(96)   

(3,417)   

(448)   

(102)   

(217) 

(448) 

— 

(4,866)   

(4,782) 

(4,728)   

(3,813)   

(10,488)   

(25,787)   

(21,949) 

87 

(56)   

(88)   

(57)   

(2,842)   

(626)   

(107)   

(20)   

(123)   

87 

(56)   

(79)   

(48)   

(2,738)   

(560)   

(61)   

(16)   

(142)   

1,341 

(930)   

(54)   

357 

(9,276)   

(1,622)   

(222)   

(44)   

(126)   

1,558 

(1,070) 

(202) 

286 

134 

(16,380)   

(16,020) 

(3,235)   

(475)   

(93)   

(5,156)   

(141) 

(475) 

— 

(5,145) 

(21,781) 

(3,718)   

(3,517)   

(11,290)   

(25,339)   

90   

(56)   

(123)   

(89)   

90   

(56)   

(78)   

(44)   

1,442   

(958)   

(65)   

419   

2,473 

(1,853) 

(352) 

268   

22 

For the purpose of these tables, borrowings are defined as gross borrowings excluding lease liabilities and fair value of derivative instruments as disclosed in note 17.   

(1) 
(2)  Carrying amount of interest on borrowings, interest on derivatives and interest on other payable is included within interest payable in note 15.   
(3)  Primarily consists of trade and other payables that meet the definition of financial liabilities under IAS 32.  

The group had available undrawn committed bank facilities as follows: 

Expiring within one year

Expiring between one and two years

Expiring after two years

2023
£ million

99 

496 

2,083 

2,678 

2022
£ million

793 

103 

1,893 

2,789 

The facilities can be used for general corporate purposes and, together 
with cash and cash equivalents, support the group’s commercial paper 
programmes.

There are no financial covenants on the group’s material short- and 
long-term borrowings. Certain of these borrowings contain cross default 
provisions and negative pledges.

The committed bank facilities are subject to a single financial 
covenant, being minimum interest cover ratio of two times (defined as 
the ratio of operating profit before exceptional items, aggregated with 
share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures, to net interest 
charges). They are also subject to pari passu ranking and negative 
pledge covenants.

Any non-compliance with covenants underlying Diageo’s financing 

arrangements could, if not waived, constitute an event of default with 
respect to any such arrangements, and any non-compliance with 
covenants may, in particular circumstances, lead to an acceleration of 
maturity on certain borrowings and the inability to access committed 
facilities. Diageo was in full compliance with its financial, pari passu 
ranking and negative pledge covenants in respect of its material short- 
and long-term borrowings throughout each of the years presented. 

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(g) Fair value measurements  
Fair value measurements of financial instruments are presented through 
the use of a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritises the valuation 
techniques used in fair value calculations.  

The group maintains policies and procedures to value instruments 
using the most relevant data available. If multiple inputs that fall into 
different levels of the hierarchy are used in the valuation of an 
instrument, the instrument is categorised on the basis of the most 
subjective input.   

Foreign currency forwards and swaps, cross currency swaps and 
interest rate swaps are valued using discounted cash flow techniques. 
These techniques incorporate inputs at levels 1 and 2, such as foreign 
exchange rates and interest rates. These market inputs are used in the 
discounted cash flow calculation incorporating the instrument’s term, 
notional amount and discount rate, and taking credit risk into account. 
As significant inputs to the valuation are observable in active markets, 
these instruments are categorised as level 2 in the hierarchy.   

Other financial liabilities include a put option, which does not have 
an expiry date, held by Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala (ILG) to sell 
the remaining 50% equity stake in Rum Creation & Products Inc., the 
owner of the Zacapa rum brand, to Diageo. The liability is fair valued 
using the discounted cash flow method and as at 30 June 2023, an 
amount of £218 million (30 June 2022 – £216 million) is recognised as a 
liability with changes in the fair value of the put option included in 
retained earnings. As the valuation of this option uses assumptions not 
observable in the market, it is categorised as level 3 in the hierarchy. As 
at 30 June 2023, because it is unknown when or if ILG will exercise the 
option, the liability is measured as if the exercise date is on the last day 
of the next financial year considering forecast future performance. The 

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205

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

option is sensitive to reasonably possible changes in assumptions; if the 
option were to be exercised as at 30 June 2025, the fair value of the 
liability would increase by approximately £30 million.

Included in other financial liabilities, the contingent consideration on 
acquisition of businesses represents the present value of payments up to 
£422 million, which are expected to be paid over the next eight years. 
Contingent considerations linked to certain volume targets at 30 June 
2023 included £113 million in respect of the acquisition of Aviation Gin 
and Davos Brands (2022 – £157 million), £59 million in respect of the 
acquisition of 21Seeds (2022 – £59 million) and £18 million in respect of 
the acquisition of Lone River Ranch Water (2022 – £57 million). 
Contingent consideration of £70 million in respect of the acquisition of 
Don Papa Rum (2022 – £nil) is linked to certain financial performance 
targets. Contingent considerations are fair valued based on discounted 

Derivative assets

Derivative liabilities

Valuation techniques based on observable market input (Level 2)

Financial assets - other

Financial liabilities - other

Valuation techniques based on unobservable market input (Level 3)

cash flow method using assumptions not observable in the market. 
Contingent considerations are sensitive to possible changes in 
assumptions; a 10% increase or decrease in volume would increase or 
decrease the fair value of contingent considerations linked to certain 
volume targets by approximately £30 million and £50 million, 
respectively, and a 10% increase or decrease in cash flows would 
increase or decrease the fair value of contingent considerations linked 
to certain financial performance targets by approximately £25 million.

There were no significant changes in the measurement and 
valuation techniques, or significant transfers between the levels of the 
financial assets and liabilities in the year ended 30 June 2023.  

The group’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value are 

categorised as follows: 

In the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022, the increase in financial assets - other of £8 million (2022 – £46 million) is principally in respect 
of acquisitions.

The movements in level 3 instruments, measured on a recurring basis, are as follows: 

At the beginning of the year

Net (losses)/gains included in the income statement

Net gains/(losses) included in exchange in other comprehensive income

Net losses included in retained earnings

Acquisitions

Settlement of liabilities

At the end of the year

Contingent 
consideration 
recognised on 
acquisition of 
businesses

2023
£ million

(371)   

117 

11 

— 

(76)   

8 

(311)   

Zacapa
financial 
liability

2023
£ million

(216)   

(8)   

9 

(16)   

— 

13 

(218)   

Contingent 
consideration 
recognised on 
acquisition of 
businesses

2022
£ million

(429) 

62 

(39) 

— 

(70) 

105 

(371) 

Zacapa 
financial 
liability

2022
£ million

(149)   

(20)   

(26)   

(34)   

—   

13   

(216)   

(h) Results of hedge relationships  
The group targets a one-to-one hedge ratio. The strength of the economic relationship between the hedged items and the hedging instruments is 
analysed on an ongoing basis. Ineffectiveness can arise from subsequent change in the forecast transactions as a result of differences in timing, 
cash flows or value except when the critical terms of the hedging instrument and hedged item are closely aligned. The change in the credit risk of 
the hedging instruments or the hedged items is not expected to be the primary factor in the economic relationship.  

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

Fair value hedges

594 

(440)   

154 

192 

(529)   

(337)   

480 

(456) 

24 

184 

(587) 

(403) 

The notional amounts, contractual maturities and rates of the hedging instruments designated in hedging relationships by the main risk 

categories are as follows: 

2023

Net investment hedges

Notional 
amounts 
£ million

Maturity

Range of hedged rates(1)

Derivatives in net investment hedges of foreign operations

637 

July 2023

US dollar 1.27

Cash flow hedges

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

873 

September 2036 - April 2043

US dollar 1.60 - 1.88

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

1,734 

September 2023 - December 2024

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

217 

July 2023 - September 2024

US dollar 1.05 - 1.33, 
Mexican peso 14.76 - 18.38

Feed Wheat: 183.75 - 240.00 USD/Bu
LME Aluminium: 2,248 - 3,399 USD/Mt

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

3,999 

September 2023 - April 2030

(0.01) - 3.09%

2022

Net investment hedges

Derivatives in net investment hedges of foreign operations

Cash flow hedges

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Fair value hedges

11 

1,694 

1,874 

234 

July 2022

Turkish lira 22.27 

April 2023 - April 2043

US dollar 1.22 - 1.88

September 2022 - June 2024

US dollar 1.22 - 1.42, euro 1.13 - 1.17

July 2022 - March 2024 Natural Gas: 1.67 - 3.57 GBP/therm(ec)
LME Aluminium: 2,009 - 3,399 USD/Mt

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

4,444 

September 2022 - April 2030

(0.01) - 3.09%

(1) 

In case of derivatives in cash flow hedges (commodity price risk and foreign currency risk), the range of the most significant contract’s hedged rates are presented. 

For hedges of the cash flow risk from a change in forward exchange rates using cross currency interest rate swaps, the retranslation of the related 
bond principal to closing exchange rates and recognition of interest on the related bonds will affect the income statement in each year until the 
related bonds mature in 2036 and 2043. Exchange retranslation and the interest on the hedged bonds in the income statement are expected to 
offset those on the cross currency swaps in each of the years.   

In respect of cash flow hedging instruments, a gain of £247 million (2022 – £124 million gain; 2021 – £157 million loss) was recognised in other 
comprehensive income due to changes in fair value. A gain of £13 million was transferred out of other comprehensive income to other operating 
expenses and a loss of £54 million to other finance charges, respectively, (2022 – a loss of £42 million and a gain of £239 million; 2021 – a loss of 
£10 million and a loss of £175 million) to offset the foreign exchange impact on the underlying transactions. A gain of £33 million (2022 – £46 million 
gain, 2021 – £2 million gain) was transferred out of other comprehensive income to operating profit in relation to commodity hedges. The carrying 
amount of hedged items recognised in the consolidated balance sheet in relation to hedges of cash flow risk arising from foreign currency debts 
equals the notional value of the hedging instruments at 30 June 2023 and are included within borrowings. The notional amount for cash flow 
hedges of foreign currency debt at 30 June 2023 was £873 million (2022 – £1,694 million). 

For cash flow hedges of forecast transactions at 30 June 2023, based on year end interest and exchange rates, a gain to the income statement 

of £143 million in the year ending 30 June 2024 and a gain of £20 million in the year ending 30 June 2025 is expected to be recognised.  

In respect of hedges of foreign currency borrowings that are no longer applicable at 30 June 2023, a loss of £18 million (2022 – a loss of £19 
million) was reported in reserves. There was no significant ineffectiveness on net investment and cash flow hedges during the year ended 30 June 
2023.  

The £3,999 million (2022 – £4,444 million) notional value of hedged items in fair value hedges equals to the notional value of hedging 
instruments designated in these relationships at 30 June 2023 and the carrying amount of hedged items are included within borrowings in the 
consolidated balance sheet.   

For fair value hedges that are no longer applicable, the accumulated fair value changes shown on the consolidated balance sheet at 30 June 

2023 was £nil (2022 – £1 million).  

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

The following table sets out information regarding the effectiveness of hedging relationships designated by the group, as well as the impacts on the 
income statement and other comprehensive income: 

(i) Reconciliation of financial instruments   
The table below sets out the group’s accounting classification of each class of financial assets and liabilities:  

At the beginning
 of the year
£ million

Consolidated Income
 statement
£ million

Consolidated 
statement of 
comprehensive 
income
£ million

Other
£ million

At the end
of the year
£ million

2023

Net investment hedges

Derivatives in net investment hedges of foreign operations

(1)   

— 

— 

Cash flow hedges

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Fair value hedges

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

Fair value hedge hedged item

Instruments in fair value hedge relationship

2022

Net investment hedges

367 

(77)   

50 

(283)   

276 

(7)   

(54)   

(17)   

33 

(94)   

96 

2 

60 

260 

(89)   

— 

— 

— 

Derivatives in net investment hedges of foreign operations

—   

—   

5   

Cash flow hedges

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Fair value hedges

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

Fair value hedge hedged item

Instruments in fair value hedge relationship

154   

53   

16   

63   

(65)   

(2)   

239   

(11)   

46   

(346)   

341   

(5)   

(6)   

(130)   

32   

—   

—   

—   

1 

(25)   

17 

(19)   

— 

— 

— 

(6)   

(20)   

11   

(44)   

—   

—   

—   

— 

348 

183 

(25) 

(377) 

372 

(5) 

(1) 

367 

(77) 

50 

(283) 

276 

(7) 

Fair value
through income
statement
£ million

Fair value 
through other 
comprehensive 
income
£ million

Assets and 
liabilities at 
amortised cost
£ million

Not categorised
as a financial
instrument
£ million

Total
£ million

Current
£ million

Non-current
£ million

2023
Other investments and loans(1)

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Other instruments

Leases

Total other financial assets

Total financial assets
Borrowings(2)

Trade and other payables

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Other instruments

Leases

Total other financial liabilities

Total financial liabilities

Total net financial (liabilities)/assets

2022
Other investments and loans(1)

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency debt)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Other instruments

Leases

Total other financial assets

Total financial assets
Borrowings(2)

Trade and other payables

Derivatives in fair value hedge (interest rate risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (foreign currency risk)

Derivatives in cash flow hedge (commodity price risk)

Derivatives in net investment hedge

Other instruments

Leases

Total other financial liabilities

Total financial liabilities

Total net financial (liabilities)/assets

192 

— 

— 

348 

192 

2 

198 

— 

740 

932 

— 

(311)   

(377)   

(9)   

(27)   

(245)   

— 

(658)   

(969)   

(37)   

180   

—   

—   

1   

367   

32   

57   

136   

—   

593   

773   

—   

(371)   

(284)   

(109)   

(7)   

(1)   

(271)   

—   

(672)   

(1,043)   

(270)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

4   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

4   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

4   

31 

2,234 

1,439 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1 

1 

2 

517 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

3,705 

(16,502)   

519 

— 

225 

2,751 

1,439 

348 

192 

2 

198 

1 

741 

— 

2,720 

1,439 

— 

147 

2 

198 

— 

347 

5,156 

4,506 

225 

31 

— 

348 

45 

— 

— 

1 

394 

650 

(16,502)   

(1,701)   

(14,801) 

(4,472)   

(885)   

(5,668)   

(5,300)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

(448)   

(448)   

(21,422)   

(17,717)   

15   

2,365   

2,285   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

3   

3   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(377)   

(9)   

(27)   

(245)   

(448)   

(1,106)   

(6)   

(7)   

(26)   

(245)   

(75)   

(359)   

(885)   

(23,276)   

(7,360)   

(15,916) 

(366)   

(18,120)   

(2,854)   

(15,266) 

—   

200 

1   

605   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

200   

2,970   

2,285   

1   

367   

32   

57   

136   

3   

596   

2,933   

2,285   

—   

43   

15   

57   

136   

—   

251   

(368) 

(371) 

(2) 

(1) 

— 

(373) 

(747) 

37 

— 

1 

324 

17 

— 

— 

3 

345 

582 

4,668   

606   

6,051   

5,469   

(16,020)   

—   

(16,020)   

(1,522)   

(14,498) 

(4,774)   

(1,122)   

(6,267)   

(5,887)   

—   

—   

—   

—   

(117)   

(475)   

(592)   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

(284)   

(109)   

(7)   

(1)   

(388)   

(475)   

(1,264)   

(1)   

(81)   

(5)   

(1)   

(388)   

(85)   

(561)   

(380) 

(283) 

(28) 

(2) 

— 

— 

(390) 

(703) 

(21,386)   

(1,122)   

(23,551)   

(7,970)   

(15,581) 

(16,718)   

(516)   

(17,500)   

(2,501)   

(14,999) 

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(1)  Other investments and loans are including those in respect of associates.   
(2)  Borrowings are defined as gross borrowings excluding lease liabilities and the fair value of derivative instruments.  

At 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022, the carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, other financial assets and liabilities approximate fair values. 
At 30 June 2023, the fair value of borrowings, based on unadjusted quoted market data, was £15,641 million (2022 – £15,628 million).  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(j) Capital management  
The group’s management is committed to enhancing shareholder value 
in the long-term, both by investing in the business and brands so as to 
deliver continued improvement in the return from those investments and 
by managing the capital structure. Diageo manages its capital structure 
to achieve capital efficiency, provide flexibility to invest through the 
economic cycle and give efficient access to debt markets at attractive 
cost levels. This is achieved by targeting an adjusted net borrowings 
(net borrowings aggregated with post employment benefit liabilities) to 
adjusted EBITDA leverage of 2.5 - 3.0 times, this range for Diageo being 
currently broadly consistent with an A band credit rating. Diageo would 
consider operating outside of this range in order to effect strategic 
initiatives within its stated goals, which could have an impact on its 
rating. If Diageo’s leverage was to be negatively impacted by the 
financing of an acquisition, it would seek over time to return to the 
range of 2.5 – 3.0 times. The group regularly assesses its debt and 
equity capital levels against its stated policy for capital structure. As at 
30 June 2023, the adjusted net borrowings (£15,914 million) to adjusted 
EBITDA ratio was 2.6 times. For this calculation, net borrowings are 
adjusted by post employment benefit liabilities before tax (£373 million) 
whilst adjusted EBITDA (£6,120 million) comprises operating profit 
excluding exceptional operating items and depreciation, amortisation 
and impairment and includes share of after tax results of associates and 
joint ventures. 

17. Net borrowings 

Accounting policies 
Borrowings are initially recognised at fair value net of transaction 
costs and are subsequently reported at amortised cost. Certain 
bonds are designated in fair value hedge relationship. In these 
cases, the amortised cost is adjusted for the fair value of the risk 
being hedged, with changes in value recognised in the income 
statement. The fair value adjustment is calculated using a 
discounted cash flow technique based on unadjusted market 
data.  

Bank overdrafts form an integral part of the group’s cash 
management and are included as a component of net cash and 
cash equivalents in the consolidated statement of cash flows. 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash in hand and deposits 
which are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and 
which are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value and 
have an original maturity of three months or less, including 
money market deposits, commercial paper and investments. 

Net borrowings are defined as gross borrowings (short-term 
borrowings and long-term borrowings plus lease liabilities plus 
interest rate hedging instruments, cross currency interest rate 
swaps and foreign currency forwards and swaps used to 
manage borrowings) less cash and cash equivalents. 

Bank overdrafts

Commercial paper

Bank and other loans

Credit support obligations
$300 million 8% bonds due 2022(1)
$1,350 million 2.625% bonds due 2023(2)
€600 million 0.125% bonds due 2023
$500 million 3.5% bonds due 2023(2)
€500 million 0.5% bonds due 2024

Fair value adjustment to borrowings

Borrowings due within one year
€600 million 0.125% bonds due 2023
$500 million 3.5% bonds due 2023(2)

€500 million 0.5% bonds due 2024
$600 million 2.125% bonds due 2024(2)
€500 million 1.75% bonds due 2024
$500 million 5.2% bonds due 2025(2)
$750 million 1.375% bonds due 2025(2)
€600 million 1% bonds due 2025

€ 500 million 3.5% bonds due 2025

€850 million 2.375% bonds due 2026
£500 million 1.75% bonds due 2026
$750 million 5.3% bonds due 2027(2)
€750 million 1.875% bonds due 2027

€500 million 1.5% bonds due 2027

€700 million 0.125% bonds due 2028
$500 million 3.875% bonds due 2028(2)
£300 million 2.375% bonds due 2028
$1,000 million 2.375% bonds due 2029(2)
£300 million 2.875% bonds due 2029

€750 million 1.15% bonds due 2029
$1,000 million 2% bonds due 2030(2)
€1,000 million 2.5% bonds due 2032
$750 million 2.125% bonds due 2032(2)
£400 million 1.25% bonds due 2033
$750 million 5.5% bonds due 2033(2)
€900 million 1.15% bonds due 2034
$400 million 7.45% bonds due 2035(1)
$600 million 5.875% bonds due 2036(2)
£600 million 2.75% bonds due 2038
$500 million 4.25% bonds due 2042(1)
$500 million 3.875% bonds due 2043(2)
Bank and other loans
Fair value adjustment to borrowings

Borrowings due after one year
Total borrowings before derivative financial instruments

Fair value of cross currency interest rate swaps

Fair value of foreign currency swaps and forwards

Fair value of interest rate hedging instruments

Lease liabilities

Gross borrowings
Less: Cash and cash equivalents

Net borrowings

2023
£ million

36 

198 

121 

15 

— 

— 

513 

397 

427 

(6)   

2022
£ million
74 

— 

105 

(19) 

248 

1,115 

— 

— 

— 

(1) 

1,701 

1,522 

— 

— 

— 
476 

427 

396 

594 

511 

427 

725 

497 
593 

638 

426 

595 

395 

298 

787 

299 

640 

789 

850 

590 

396 

590 

764 

317 

472 

595 

393 

391 

516 

413 

430 
495 

430 

— 

618 

515 

— 

731 
498 
— 

643 

430 

600 

411 

298 

819 

298 

645 

821 

856 

614 

395 

— 

770 

331 

491 

595 

409 

407 

296 
(366)   

14,801 

16,502 

(348)   
1 

377 

448 

293 
(274) 

14,498 

16,020 

(367) 

11 

283 

475 

16,980 
(1,439)   
15,541 

16,422 

(2,285) 

14,137 

(1)  SEC-registered debt issued on an unsecured basis by Diageo Investment Corporation, a 

100% owned finance subsidiary of Diageo plc and fully and unconditionally 
guaranteed by Diageo plc. No other subsidiary of Diageo plc guarantees the security.

(2)  SEC-registered debt issued on an unsecured basis by Diageo Capital plc, a 100% 

owned finance subsidiary of Diageo plc and fully and unconditionally guaranteed by 
Diageo plc. No other subsidiary of Diageo plc guarantees the security.

(i)   The interest rates shown are those contracted on the underlying borrowings before 

taking into account any interest rate hedges (see note 16). 

(ii)   Bonds are stated net of unamortised finance costs of £81 million (2022 – £85 million). 
(iii)   All bonds, medium-term notes and commercial paper issued on an unsecured basis by 

the group’s 100% owned subsidiaries are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on an 
unsecured basis by Diageo plc and no other subsidiary of Diageo plc guarantees such 
securities. 

Gross borrowings before derivative financial instruments are expected 
to mature as follows: 

Within one year

Between one and three years

Between three and five years

Beyond five years

2023
£ million

1,701 

3,522 

2,874 

8,405 

16,502 

2022
£ million

1,522 

2,817 

2,625 

9,056 

16,020 

During the year, the following bonds were issued and repaid: 

(b) Analysis of net borrowings by currency 

2023

2022

Cash and 
cash 
equivalents
£ million

Gross 
borrowings(1)
£ million

Cash and 
cash
equivalents
£ million

Gross
borrowings(1)
£ million

542 

48 

46 

123 

25 

3 

28 

199 

83 

342 

(5,751)   

(3,864)   

(6,227)   

(31)   

(286)   

(261)   

(253)   

(63)   

— 

(244)   

1,315   

(3,260) 

61   

(2,943) 

67   

26   

14   

2   

53   

290   

133   

324   

(9,214) 

(74) 

(264) 

(214) 

(254) 

(75) 

— 

(124) 

1,439 

(16,980)   

2,285   

(16,422) 

US dollar
Euro(2)

Sterling

Indian rupee

Mexican peso

Hungarian forint

Kenyan shilling

Chinese yuan

Nigerian naira
Other(2)

Total

Issued

€ denominated

£ denominated

$ denominated

Repaid

€ denominated

$ denominated

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

441 

— 

1,788 

— 

(1,340)   

889 

1,371   

892   

—   

(769)   

(752)   

742   

636 

395 

— 

(696) 

(551) 

(216) 

(a) Reconciliation of movement in net borrowings 

At beginning of the year

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents before 

exchange

Net increase in bonds and other borrowings(1)

Increase in net borrowings from cash flows

Exchange differences on net borrowings
Other non-cash items(2)

2023
£ million

14,137 

2022
£ million

12,109 

581 

950 

1,531 

(159)   

32 

665 

825 

1,490 

334 

204 

Net borrowings at end of the year

15,541 

14,137 

(1) 

(2) 

In the year ended 30 June 2023, net increase in bonds and other borrowings excludes 
£2 million cash outflow in respect of derivatives designated in forward point hedges 
(2022 – £4 million). 
In the year ended 30 June 2023, other non-cash items are principally in respect of fair 
value changes of cross currency interest rate swaps and interest rate swaps of 
£(34) million and lease liabilities of £(82) million, partially offset by the £84 million fair 
value change of borrowings. In the year ended 30 June 2022, other non-cash items are 
principally in respect of fair value changes of cross currency interest rate swaps and 
interest rate swaps of £(346) million and lease liabilities of £(183) million, partially offset 
by the £331 million fair value change of borrowings. 

(1) 
(2) 

Includes foreign currency forwards and swaps and leases. 
Includes £21 million (Euro) cash and cash equivalents in cash-pooling arrangements 
(2022 – £23 million (Turkish lira and Euro)). 

18. Equity 

Accounting policies
Own shares represent shares and share options of Diageo plc 
that are held in treasury or by employee share trusts for the 
purpose of fulfilling obligations in respect of various employee 
share plans or were acquired as part of a share buyback 
programme. Own shares are treated as a deduction from equity 
until the shares are cancelled, reissued or disposed of and when 
vest are transferred from own shares to retained earnings at their 
weighted average cost.

Share-based payments include share awards and options 
granted to directors and employees. The fair value of equity 
settled share options and share grants is initially measured at 
grant date based on Monte Carlo and Black Scholes models 
and is charged to the income statement over the vesting period. 
For equity settled shares, the credit is included in retained 
earnings. Cancellations of share options are treated as an 
acceleration of the vesting period and any outstanding charge is 
recognised in operating profit immediately. Any surplus or deficit 
arising on the sale of the Diageo plc shares held by the group is 
included as a movement in equity.

Dividends are recognised in the financial statements in the year 
in which they are approved. 

(a) Allotted and fully paid share capital – ordinary shares 
of 28101⁄108 pence each  

At 30 June 2023

At 30 June 2022

At 30 June 2021

Number
of shares
million

2,460 

2,498   

2,559   

Nominal
value
£ million

712 

723 

741 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

(b) Hedging and exchange reserve 

Hedging
reserve
£ million

Exchange
reserve
£ million

At 30 June 2020

Other comprehensive income/(loss)

At 30 June 2021

Other comprehensive (loss)/income

At 30 June 2022

Other comprehensive income/(loss)

At 30 June 2023

93   

20   

113   

(87)   

26 

216 

242 

Total
£ million

(929) 

(652) 

(1,022)   

(672)   

(1,694)   

(1,581) 

622   

535 

(1,072)   

(1,046) 

(540)   

(324) 

(1,612)   

(1,370) 

Currency basis spreads included in the hedging reserve represent the 
cost of hedging arising as a result of imperfections of foreign exchange 
markets. Exclusion of currency basis spreads would result in a £20 
million credit (2022 – £22 million credit, 2021 – £22 million credit) to the 
hedging reserve. 

(c) Own shares  
Movements in own shares  

At 30 June 2020

Share trust arrangements

Shares used to satisfy options

Shares purchased - share buyback programme

Shares cancelled

At 30 June 2021

Share trust arrangements

Shares used to satisfy options

Shares purchased - share buyback programme

Shares cancelled

At 30 June 2022

Share trust arrangements

Shares used to satisfy options

Shares purchased - share buyback programme

Shares cancelled

At 30 June 2023

Number
of shares
million

Purchase
consideration
£ million

227   

1,936 

(1)   

(3)   

3   

(3)   

223   

(2)   

(2)   

61   

(11) 

(48) 

109 

(109) 

1,877 

(23) 

(16) 

2,284 

(61)   

(2,284) 

219 

(1)   

(2)   

38 

(38)   

216 

1,838 

(12) 

(12) 

1,381 

(1,381) 

1,814 

February 2023, and returned an additional £0.5 billion of capital to 
shareholders which was announced as a new share buyback 
programme on 16 February 2023 and completed on 2 June 2023.
During the year ended 30 June 2023, the group purchased 
38 million ordinary shares (2022 – 61 million; 2021 – 3 million), 
representing approximately 1.5% of the issued ordinary share capital 
(2022 – 2.4%; 2021 – 0.1%) at an average price of 3616 pence per 
share, and an aggregate cost of £1,381 million (including £13 million of 
transaction costs) (2022 – 3709 pence per share, and an aggregate 
cost of £2,284 million, including £16 million of transaction costs; 2021 – 
3407 pence per share, and an aggregate cost of £109 million, including 
£1 million of transaction costs) under the share buyback programme. 
The shares purchased under the share buyback programmes were 
cancelled. 

The monthly breakdown of all shares purchased and the average 
price paid per share (excluding expenses) for the year ended 30 June 
2023 were as follows:

Number
of shares
purchased under 
share buyback 
programme

Total number of 
shares purchased 

Average
price paid 
pence

1,660,507

1,660,507

Authorised
purchases
unutilised at
month end

177,756,956

176,110,073

173,836,847

173,704,983

3567

3820

3744

3702

August 2022

1,646,883

1,646,883

September 2022

2,273,226

2,273,226

131,864

131,864

—

—

—

227,870,414

4,497,414

4,497,414

3679

223,373,000

4,571,923

4,571,923

7,989,915

7,989,915

3710

3558

218,801,077

210,811,162

1,718,877

1,718,877

3577

209,092,285

4,353,777

4,353,777

3541

204,738,508

2,883,950

2,883,950

3672

201,854,558

5,196,558

5,196,558

3534

196,658,000

410,562

410,562

3348

196,247,438

37,335,456

37,335,456  

3617 

196,247,438

Period

July 2022

1-6 October 2022
7-31 October 2022 (1)

November 2022

December 2022

January 2023

February 2023

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

June 2023

Total

(1)     New maximum number of purchasable shares was authorised by shareholders at the 

AGM held on 6 October 2022.

(d) Dividends  

Share trust arrangements  
At 30 June 2023, the employee share trusts owned 3 million of ordinary 
shares in Diageo plc (the company) at a cost of £52 million and market 
value of £101 million (2022 – 2 million shares at a cost of £25 million, 
market value £63 million; 2021 – 2 million shares at a cost of £47 million, 
market value £74 million). Dividends receivable by the employee share 
trusts on the shares are waived and the trustee abstains from voting. 

Amounts recognised as distributions to 
equity shareholders in the year
Final dividend for the year ended 30 June 
2022 46.82 pence per share (2021 – 44.59 
pence; 2020 – 42.47 pence)

Interim dividend for the year ended 30 June 
2023 30.83 pence per share (2022 – 29.36 
pence; 2021 – 27.96 pence)

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

1,066 

1,040   

992 

696 

1,762 

680   

654 

1,720   

1,646 

Purchase of own shares  
Authorisation was given by shareholders on 6 October 2022 to 
purchase a maximum of 227,870,414 ordinary shares at a minimum 
price of 28101/108 pence and a maximum price of the higher of (a) 
105% of the average market value of the company's ordinary shares for 
the five business days prior to the day the purchase is made and (b) the 
higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current 
independent bid on the trading venue where the purchase is carried 
out. The programme expires at the conclusion of the next Annual 
General Meeting or on 5 January 2024, if earlier.   

Diageo completed a total of £1.4 billion return of capital for the year 

ended 30 June 2023, which included £0.9 billion related to the 
successful completion of Diageo’s previous share buyback programme 
in which £4.5 billion of capital was returned to shareholders finalised in 

The proposed final dividend of £1,113 million (49.17 pence per share) for 
the year ended 30 June 2023 was approved by a duly authorised 
committee of the Board of Directors on 31 July 2023. As this was after 
the balance sheet date and the dividend is subject to approval by 
shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, this dividend has not been 
included as a liability in these consolidated financial statements. There 
are no corporate tax consequences arising from this treatment. 

Dividends are waived on all treasury shares owned by the company 

and all shares owned by the employee share trusts.  

(e) Non-controlling interests  
Diageo consolidates USL, a company incorporated in India, with a 42.79% non-controlling interest, Sichuan Shuijingfang Company Limited, a 
company incorporated in China, with a 36.83% non-controlling interest and has a 50% controlling interest in Ketel One Worldwide B.V. (Ketel One), 
a company incorporated in the Netherlands. 

Summarised financial information for USL and other subsidiaries, after fair value adjustments on acquisition, and the amounts attributable to 

non-controlling interests are as follows:  

Income statement

Sales

Net sales
(Loss)/profit for the year(1)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income(2)

Total comprehensive (loss)/income

Attributable to non-controlling interests

Balance sheet
Non-current assets(3)

Current assets

Non-current liabilities

Current liabilities

Net assets

Attributable to non-controlling interests

Cash flow

Net cash inflow from operating activities

Net cash inflow/(outflow) from investing activities

Net cash outflow from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Exchange differences

Dividends payable to non-controlling interests

USL
£ million

2023

Others
£ million

2,713 

1,087 

(215)   

(133)   

(348)   

(149)   

1,074 

790 

(151)   

(384)   

1,329 

568 

120 

34 

(48)   

106 

(7)   

— 

2,628 

2,051 

289 

(154)   

135 

33 

3,175 

1,049 

(1,164)   

(1,035)   

2,025 

902 

383 

(231)   

(93)   

59 

(77)   

(97)   

Total
£ million

5,341 

3,138 

74 

(287)   

(213)   

(116)   

4,249 

1,839 

(1,315)   

(1,419)   

3,354 

1,470 

503 

(197)   

(141)   

165 

(84)   

(97)   

2022

Total
£ million

2021

Total
£ million

5,797   

3,055   

227   

333   

560   

259   

5,017   

2,002   

(1,499)   

(1,646)   

3,874   

1,716   

690   

(289)   

(322)   

79   

52   

(72)   

5,140 

2,553 

298 

(434) 

(136) 

(35) 

4,669 

1,492 

(1,356) 

(1,335) 

3,470 

1,534 

661 

(137) 

(371) 

153 

(19) 

(72) 

(Loss)/profit for the year includes exceptional operating expenses attributable to non-controlling interests.

(1) 
(2)  Other comprehensive (loss)/income is principally in respect of exchange on translating the subsidiaries to sterling.  
(3)  Non-current assets include the global distribution rights to distribute Ketel One vodka products throughout the world. The carrying value of the distribution rights at 30 June 2023 was 

£1,428 million (2022 – £1,488 million; 2021 – £1,295 million).

(i)   On 31 December 2022, USL completed the merger with its subsidiary, Pioneer Distilleries Limited (PDL) 75% owned by USL. Under the terms, PDL's minority shareholders received 

additional shares in USL in exchange for their 25% interest in PDL and non-controlling interest increased from 42.73% to 42.79%.

(ii)   On 24 March 2023, Diageo completed the purchase of an additional 14.97% of the share capital of EABL. This increased Diageo’s controlling shareholding position in EABL from 50.03% 

to 65.00%.

(f) Employee share compensation  
The group uses a number of share award and option plans to grant to 
its directors and employees.  

The annual fair value charge in respect of the equity settled plans 

for the three years ended 30 June 2023 is as follows:  

Executive share award plans

Executive share option plans

Savings plans

2023
£ million

2022
£ million

2021
£ million

41 

4 

4 

49 

51   

4   

4   

59   

41 

4 

4 

49 

Executive share awards have been made primarily under the Diageo 
2014 Long Term Incentive Plan (DLTIP) from September 2014 onwards 
and delivered in conditional awards in the form of performance shares, 
performance share options, time-vesting restricted stock units (RSUs) 
and/or time-vesting share options (or cash-based equivalents in certain 
locations for regulatory reasons). Share options are granted at the 
market value at the time of grant. Prior to the introduction of the DLTIP, 
employees in associated companies were granted awards under the 
Diageo plc 2011 Associated Companies Share Incentive Plan (DACSIP). 
In the case of Executive Directors, conditional awards of time-vesting 
RSUs or forfeitable shares may be awarded under the 2020 Deferred 

Bonus Share Plan (DBSP), with vesting not subject to any performance 
conditions and not subject to a post-vesting retention period. The DLTIP 
plan rules will be presented for renewal at the AGM in September 2023 
and any future awards made post approval will be made under the 
new plan rules.

Share awards normally vest and are released on the third 

anniversary of the grant date. Participants do not make a payment to 
receive the award at grant. Executive Directors are required to hold any 
vested shares awarded under DLTIP for a further two-year post-vesting 
holding period. Share options may normally be exercised between 
three and ten years after the grant date. Executives in North America 
and Latin America and Caribbean are granted awards over the 
company’s ADRs (one ADR is equivalent to four ordinary shares). 
Performance shares under the DLTIP (for awards in 2020 and 
thereafter) are subject to the achievement of three performance 
measures: 1) compound annual growth in profit before exceptional 
items over three years; 2) compound annual growth in organic net sales 
over three years; 3) environmental, social and governance (ESG) 
priorities, weighted 40%, 40% and 20% of the maximum respectively, 
as set out in the Directors’ remuneration report. Performance share 
options under the DLTIP are subject to the achievement of two equally 
weighted performance measures: 1) a comparison of Diageo’s three-
year TSR with a peer group; 2) cumulative free cash flow over a three-
year period, measured at constant exchange rates. Performance 
measures and targets are set annually by the Remuneration Committee. 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

The vesting range is 20% for Executive Directors and 25% for other 
participants for achieving minimum performance targets, up to 100% 
for achieving the maximum target level. Retesting of the performance 
measures is not permitted.  

For performance shares under the DLTIP, dividends are accrued on 

awards and are given to participants to the extent that the awards 
actually vest at the end of the performance period. Dividends are 
normally paid out in the form of shares. 

Savings plans are provided in the form of a savings-related share 
option plan. For UK employees, awards were made under the Diageo 
2010 Sharesave plan (for options granted up until 2020) and the 
Diageo 2020 Sharesave plan (for options granted from 2021).

For Republic of Ireland (ROI) based employees, awards were made 
under the Diageo 2009 Irish Sharesave Scheme (for options granted up 
until 2019) and the Diageo 2019 Irish Sharesave Scheme (for options 
granted in 2020). These are HMRC and Irish Revenue approved all-
employee savings plans.

For ROI employees, grants from 2021 and 2022 were made under 
the Diageo 2020 Sharesave plan which is not an approved plan in the 
Republic of Ireland. These plans are made available to UK and ROI 
employees who are employed on the annual results announcement 
date. Participants can save monthly, with deductions taken directly from 
net pay, for a period of 3 or 5 years. In return, employees are granted 
the option to buy Diageo shares using the savings accrued at the end of 
the relevant savings period and at a 20% discounted option price, 
which is set at the time of grant. Provided participants fulfil the terms set 
out within the relevant UK or ROI tax approved scheme rules, any gains 
from the option exercise are free from UK or ROI income tax. For the 
ROI Sharesave awards granted in 2021 and 2022, as these are not 
made under a Revenue tax approved plan, the gains from the option 
exercise are subject to ROI income tax.

For US employees, the awards are made under the Diageo plc 2017 
United States Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Employees agree to make 
regular monthly savings for a period of one year and acquire American 
Depositary Receipts (ADRs) at 15% discounted price (which is set at the 
time of grant) using their contributions at the end of the plan cycle. They 
receive the benefit of tax relief if certain conditions are satisfied. 

For the three years ended 30 June 2023, the calculation of the fair value 
of each share award used the Monte Carlo and Black Scholes pricing 
model and the following assumptions:

Risk free interest rate

2023

 3.1% 

2022

 0.4% 

2021

 (0.1%) 

Expected life of the awards

35 months

40 months

36 months

Dividend yield

Weighted average share price

Weighted average fair value of 
awards granted in the year

Number of awards granted in 

the year

Fair value of all awards granted 

in the year

 2.0% 

3758 p

 2.1% 

3545 p

 2.7% 

2557 p

1992 p

2729 p

2107 p

1.7 million

2.1 million

2.1 million

£34 million

£57 million

£45 million

Transactions on schemes   
Transactions on the executive share award plans for the three years 
ended 30 June 2023 were as follows:  

Number of awards outstanding at 1 July

Granted

Awarded

Forfeited

Number of awards outstanding at 30 June

2023 
million

5.2 

1.7 

(1.1)   

(0.9)   

4.9 

2022
million

2021
million

5.3   

2.1   

(1.1)   

(1.1)   

5.2   

5.6 

2.1 

(1.2) 

(1.2) 

5.3 

The exercise price of share options outstanding at 30 June 2023 was in 
the range of 1709 pence - 3864 pence (2022 – 1704 pence - 4024 
pence; 2021 – 1232 pence - 3483 pence).

At 30 June 2023, 2.5 million share options were exercisable at a 
weighted average exercise price of 2443 pence. Weighted average 
remaining contractual life of share options was five years at 30 June 
2023.

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Other financial statements disclosures 

Introduction 
This section includes additional financial information that are either required by the relevant accounting standards or management considers these 
to be material information for shareholders. 

19. Contingent liabilities and legal proceedings

Accounting policies 
Provision is made for the anticipated settlement costs of legal or 
other disputes against the group where it is considered to be 
probable that a liability exists and a reliable estimate can be 
made of the likely outcome. Where it is possible that a settlement 
may be reached or it is not possible to make a reliable estimate 
of the estimated financial effect, appropriate disclosure is made 
but no provision created. 

Critical accounting judgements and estimates 
Judgement is necessary in assessing the likelihood that a claim 
will succeed, or a liability will arise, and an estimate to quantify 
the possible range of any settlement. Due to the inherent 
uncertainty in this evaluation process, actual losses may be 
different from the liability originally estimated. The group may be 
involved in legal proceedings in respect of which it is not 
possible to make a reliable estimate of any expected settlement. 
In such cases, appropriate disclosure is provided but no 
provision is made and no contingent liability is quantified. 

(a) Guarantees and related matters  
As of 30 June 2023, the group has no material unprovided guarantees 
or indemnities in respect of liabilities of third parties. 

(b) Acquisition of USL shares from UBHL and related 
proceedings in relation to the USL transaction 
On 4 July 2013, Diageo completed its acquisition, under a share 
purchase agreement with United Breweries (Holdings) Limited (UBHL) 
and various other sellers (the SPA), of shares representing 14.98% in 
USL, including shares representing 6.98% from UBHL. The SPA was 
signed on 9 November 2012 as part of the transaction announced by 
Diageo in relation to USL on that day (the Original USL Transaction). 
Following a series of further transactions, as of 30 June 2023, Diageo 
has a 55.88% investment in USL (excluding 2.38% owned by the USL 
Benefit Trust).  

Prior to the acquisition from UBHL on 4 July 2013, the High Court of 
Karnataka (High Court) had granted leave to UBHL under the Indian 
Companies Act 1956 (the Leave Order) to enable the sale by UBHL to 
Diageo to take place (the UBHL Share Sale) notwithstanding the 
continued existence of certain winding-up petitions that were pending 
against UBHL on the date of the SPA. At the time of the completion of 
the UBHL Share Sale, the Leave Order remained subject to review on 
appeal. However, as stated by Diageo at the time of closing, it was 
considered unlikely that any appeal process in respect of the Leave 
Order would definitively conclude on a timely basis and, accordingly, 
Diageo waived the conditionality under the SPA relating to the absence 
of insolvency proceedings in relation to UBHL and acquired the 6.98% 
stake in USL from UBHL at that time.

Following appeal and counter-appeal in respect of the Leave Order, 

this matter is now before the Supreme Court of India which has issued 
an order that the status quo be maintained with regard to the UBHL 
Share Sale pending a hearing on the matter before it. Following a 
number of adjournments, the next date for a substantive hearing is yet 
to be fixed.

In separate proceedings, the High Court passed a winding-up order 
against UBHL on 7 February 2017, and appeals filed by UBHL against 
that order have since been dismissed, initially by a division bench of the 
High Court and subsequently by the Supreme Court of India.

Diageo continues to believe that the acquisition price of INR 1,440 

per share paid to UBHL for the USL shares is fair and reasonable as 
regards UBHL, UBHL’s shareholders and UBHL’s secured and unsecured 
creditors. However, adverse results for Diageo in the proceedings 
referred to above could, absent leave or relief in other proceedings, 
ultimately result in Diageo losing title to the 6.98% stake in USL 
acquired from UBHL. Diageo believes, including by reason of its rights 
under USL’s articles of association to nominate USL’s CEO and CFO 
and the right to appoint, through USL, a majority of the directors on the 
boards of USL’s subsidiaries as well as its ability as promoter to 
nominate for appointment up to two-thirds of USL’s directors for so long 
as the chairperson of USL is an independent director, that it would 
remain in control of USL and would continue to be able to consolidate 
USL as a subsidiary for accounting purposes regardless of the outcome 
of this litigation.

There can be no certainty as to the outcome of the existing or any 
further related legal proceedings or the time frame within which they 
would be concluded. 

(c) Continuing matters relating to Dr Vijay Mallya and 
affiliates 
On 25 February 2016, Diageo and USL each announced that they had 
entered into arrangements with Dr Mallya under which he had agreed 
to resign from his position as a director and as chairman of USL and 
from his positions in USL’s subsidiaries.    

Diageo’s agreement with Dr Mallya (the February 2016 Agreement) 
provided for a payment of $75 million (£60 million) to Dr Mallya over a 
five-year period of which $40 million (£32 million) was paid on signing 
of the February 2016 Agreement with the balance being payable in 
equal instalments of $7 million (£6 million) a year over five years 
(2017-2021). All payments were subject to and conditional on Dr 
Mallya’s compliance with the agreement. The February 2016 Agreement 
also provided for the release of Dr Mallya’s personal obligations to 
indemnify Diageo Holdings Netherlands B.V. (DHN) in respect of its 
earlier liability ($141 million (£112 million)) under a backstop guarantee 
of certain borrowings of Watson Limited (Watson) (a company affiliated 
with Dr Mallya).

On account of various breaches and other provisions of agreements 

between Dr Mallya and persons connected with him and Diageo and/
or USL, Diageo did not make the five instalment payments due during 
the five-year period between 2017 and 2021. In addition, Diageo has 
also demanded that Dr Mallya repay the $40 million (£32 million) paid 
by Diageo in February 2016 and sought compensation for various losses 
incurred by the relevant members of the Diageo group.

On 16 November 2017, Diageo and other relevant members of the 

Diageo group commenced claims in the High Court of Justice in 
England and Wales (the English High Court) against Dr Mallya in 
relation to these matters. At the same time DHN also commenced 
claims in the English High Court against Dr Mallya, his son Sidhartha 
Mallya, Watson and Continental Administration Services Limited (CASL) 
(a company affiliated with Dr Mallya and understood to hold assets on 
trust for him and certain persons affiliated with him) for in excess of $142 
million (£113 million) (plus interest) in relation to Watson’s liability to DHN 
in respect of its borrowings referred to above and the breach of 
associated security documents. Dr Mallya, Sidhartha Mallya and the 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

relevant affiliated companies filed a defence to these claims, and Dr 
Mallya also filed a counterclaim for payment of the two instalment 
payments that had by that time been withheld as described above. 
Diageo continues to prosecute its claims and to defend the 
counterclaim. As part of these proceedings, Diageo and the other 
relevant members of its group filed an application for strike out and/or 
summary judgement in respect of certain aspects of the defence filed by 
Dr Mallya and the other defendants, including their defence in relation 
to Watson and CASL’s liability to repay DHN. The application was 
successful resulting in Watson being ordered to pay approximately $135 
million (£107 million) plus various amounts in respect of interest to DHN, 
with CASL being held liable as co-surety for 50% of any such amount 
unpaid by Watson. These amounts were, contrary to the relevant orders, 
not paid by the relevant deadlines and Watson and CASL’s remaining 
defences in the proceedings were struck out. Diageo and DHN have 
accordingly sought asset disclosure and are considering further 
enforcement steps against Watson and CASL, both in the United 
Kingdom and in other jurisdictions where they are present or hold 
assets.

A trial of the remaining elements of these claims was due to 

commence on 21 November 2022. However, on 26 July 2021 Dr Mallya 
was declared bankrupt by the English High Court pursuant to a 
bankruptcy petition presented by a consortium of Indian banks. Diageo 
and the relevant members of its group have informed the Trustee in 
Bankruptcy of their position as creditors in the bankruptcy and have 
engaged with the Trustee regarding their claims and the status of the 
current proceedings. An appeal by Dr Mallya against his bankruptcy 
(and an appeal by the bank consortium against orders made in the 
course of the bankruptcy proceedings) are pending. In light of the 
uncertainty posed by the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, the trial of 
Diageo’s claim was initially relisted to take place in February 2024. 
However, Dr Mallya’s appeal against his bankruptcy and the banks’ 
cross appeal will not now be heard until April 2024, and thus the trial of 
Diageo’s claim has been deferred from February 2024 until after those 
appeals have been determined.

At this stage, it is not possible to assess the extent to which the 
various ongoing proceedings related to the bankruptcy will affect the 
remaining elements of the claims by Diageo and the relevant members 
of its group. 

Upon completion of an initial inquiry in April 2015 into past improper 
transactions which identified references to certain additional parties and 
matters, USL carried out an additional inquiry into these transactions 
(Additional Inquiry) which was completed in July 2016. The Additional 
Inquiry, prima facie, identified transactions indicating actual and 
potential diversion of funds from USL and its Indian and overseas 
subsidiaries to, in most cases, entities that appeared to be affiliated or 
associated with Dr Mallya. All amounts identified in the Additional 
Inquiry have been provided for or expensed in the financial statements 
of USL or its subsidiaries in the respective prior periods. USL has filed 
recovery suits against relevant parities identified pursuant to the 
Additional Inquiry.

Further, at this stage, it is not possible for the management of USL to 
estimate the financial impact on USL, if any, arising out of potential non-
compliance with applicable laws in relation to such fund diversions.

(d) Other matters in relation to USL
In respect of the Watson backstop guarantee arrangements, the 
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a notice to Diageo 
on 16 June 2016 that if there is any net liability incurred by Diageo (after 
any recovery under relevant security or other arrangements, which 
matters remain pending) on account of the Watson backstop 
guarantee, such liability, if any, would be considered to be part of the 
price paid for the acquisition of USL shares under the SPA which formed 
part of the Original USL Transaction and that, in that case, additional 
equivalent payments would be required to be made to those 
shareholders (representing 0.04% of the shares in USL) who tendered in 
the open offer made as part of the Original USL Transaction. Diageo 

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

believes that the Watson backstop guarantee arrangements were not 
part of the price paid or agreed to be paid for any USL shares under the 
Original USL Transaction and that therefore SEBI's decision was not 
consistent with applicable law, and Diageo appealed against it before 
the Securities Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai (SAT). On 1 November 2017, 
SAT issued an order in respect of Diageo’s appeal in which, amongst 
other things, it observed that the relevant officer at SEBI had neither 
considered Diageo’s earlier reply nor provided Diageo with an 
opportunity to be heard, and accordingly directed SEBI to pass a fresh 
order after giving Diageo an opportunity to be heard. Following SAT’s 
order, Diageo made its further submissions in the matter, including at a 
personal hearing before a Deputy General Manager of SEBI. On 26 
June 2019, SEBI issued an order reiterating the directions contained in its 
previous notice dated 16 June 2016. As with the previous SEBI notice, 
Diageo believes that SEBI's latest order is not consistent with applicable 
law. Diageo appealed against this order before SAT and, after a 
hearing in March 2023, SAT allowed Diageo’s appeal on 26 July 2023. 
Accordingly, SEBI’s order dated 26 June 2019 stands quashed. Under 
applicable law, SEBI is entitled to file an appeal against SAT’s order 
before the Supreme Court of India. Therefore, pending any appeal 
which may be filed by SEBI, there can be no certainty as to its outcome 
or the timeframe within which any such appeal would be concluded.

 (e) USL’s dispute with IDBI Bank Limited  

Prior to the acquisition by Diageo of a controlling interest in USL, USL 
had prepaid a term loan of INR 6,280 million (£60 million) taken 
through IDBI Bank Limited (IDBI), an Indian bank, which was secured on 
certain fixed assets and brands of USL, as well as by a pledge of certain 
shares in USL held by the USL Benefit Trust (of which USL is the sole 
beneficiary). The maturity date of the loan was 31 March 2015. IDBI 
disputed the prepayment, following which USL filed a writ petition in 
November 2013 before the High Court of Karnataka (the High Court) 
challenging the bank’s actions. 

Following the original maturity date of the loan, USL received notices 

from IDBI seeking to recall the loan, demanding a further sum of INR 
459 million (£4 million) on account of the outstanding principal, 
accrued interest and other amounts, and also threatening to enforce the 
security in the event that USL did not make these further payments. 
Pursuant to an application filed by USL before the High Court in the writ 
proceedings, the High Court directed that, subject to USL depositing 
such further amount with the bank (which amount was duly deposited 
by USL), the bank should hold the amount in a suspense account and 
not deal with any of the secured assets including the shares until 
disposal of the original writ petition filed by USL before the High Court. 
On 27 June 2019, a single judge bench of the High Court issued an 
order dismissing the writ petition filed by USL, amongst other things, on 
the basis that the matter involved an issue of breach of contract by USL 
and was therefore not maintainable in exercise of the court’s writ 
jurisdiction. USL filed an appeal against this order before a division 
bench of the High Court, which on 30 July 2019 issued an interim order 
directing the bank to not deal with any of the secured assets until the 
next date of hearing. On 13 January 2020, the division bench of the 
High Court admitted the writ appeal and extended the interim stay. This 
appeal is currently pending. Based on the assessment of USL’s 
management supported by external legal opinions, USL continues to 
believe that it has a strong case on the merits and therefore continues to 
believe that the secured assets will be released to USL and the aforesaid 
amount of INR 459 million (£4 million) remains recoverable from IDBI.

(f) Tax
The international tax environment has seen increased scrutiny and rapid 
change over recent years bringing with it greater uncertainty for 
multinationals. Against this backdrop, Diageo has been monitoring 
developments and continues to engage transparently with the tax 
authorities in the countries where Diageo operates to ensure that the 
group manages its arrangements on a sustainable basis. 

The group operates in a large number of markets with complex tax 
and legislative regimes that are open to subjective interpretation, and 
for which tax audits can take several years to resolve. In the context of 
these operations, it is possible that tax exposures which have not yet 
materialised (including those which could arise as a result of tax 
assessments) may result in losses to the group. In the circumstances 
where tax authorities have raised assessments, challenging 
interpretations which may lead to a possible material outflow, these 
have been included as contingent liabilities. Where the potential tax 
exposures are known to us and have not been assessed, the group 
considers disclosure of such matters taking into account their size and 
nature, relevant regulatory requirements and potential prejudice of the 
future resolution or assessment thereof. 

Diageo has a large number of ongoing tax cases in Brazil and India. 

Since assessing an accurate value of contingent liabilities in these 
markets requires a high degree of judgement, contingent liabilities are 
disclosed on the basis of the current known possible exposure from tax 
assessment values. While not all of these cases are individually 
significant, the current aggregate known possible exposure from tax 
assessment values is up to approximately £616 million for Brazil and up 
to approximately £90 million for India. The group believes that the 
likelihood that the tax authorities will ultimately prevail is lower than 
probable but higher than remote. Due to the fiscal environment in Brazil 
and in India, the possibility of further tax assessments related to the 
same matters cannot be ruled out and the judicial processes may take 
extended periods to conclude. Based on its current assessment, Diageo 
believes that no provision is required in respect of these issues. 

Payments were made under protest in India in respect of the periods 

1 April 2006 to 31 March 2019 in relation to tax assessments where the 
risk is considered to be remote or possible. These payments have to be 
made in order to be able to challenge the assessments and as such 
have been recognised as a receivable in the group's balance sheet. The 
total amount of payments under protest recognised as a receivable as 
at 30 June 2023 is £116 million (corporate tax payments of £104 million 
and indirect tax payments of £12 million). 

(g) Other disputes
On 31 May 2023, a complaint against Diageo North America, Inc (DNA) 
was filed in the Supreme Court of New York by Combs Wine and Spirits 
LLC (an entity associated with Mr Sean Combs) alleging, inter alia, 
breach of contract in respect of a joint venture agreement related to 
DeLeón tequila. DNA has also served notice of material breaches and 
termination to Mr Combs and his relevant associated entities of certain 
agreements related to services provided by Mr Combs and these 
entities in respect of Cîroc, and notice of material breaches and an 
intent to arbitrate in respect of the DeLeón joint venture agreement. 
Diageo categorically denies the allegations that have been made by Mr 
Combs and his associated parties in the complaint and will defend itself 
vigorously. Diageo will refrain from making any further disclosures given 
the inherent uncertainties of these matters and the prejudicial nature 
any such disclosures may have on the potential outcomes related 
thereto or other associated matters.

(h) Other
The group has extensive international operations and routinely makes 
judgements on a range of legal, customs and tax matters which are 
incidental to the group's operations. Some of these judgements are or 
may become the subject of challenges and involve proceedings, the 
outcome of which cannot be foreseen. In particular, the group is 
currently a defendant in various customs proceedings that challenge 
the declared customs value of products imported by certain Diageo 
companies. Diageo continues to defend its position vigorously in these 
proceedings.  

Save as disclosed above, neither Diageo, nor any member of the 

Diageo group, is or has been engaged in, nor (so far as Diageo is 
aware) is there pending or threatened by or against it, any legal or 

arbitration proceedings which may have a significant effect on the 
financial position of the Diageo group.

20. Commitments 
(a) Capital commitments 
Commitments for expenditure on intangibles and property, plant and 
equipment not provided for in these consolidated financial statements 
are estimated at £599 million (2022 – £399 million; 2021 – £263 million). 

(b) Other commitments
The future minimum lease rentals payable in the year ended 30 June 
2023 for short-term leases and leases of low-value assets are estimated 
at £36 million (2022 – £13 million; 2021 – £11 million). The total future 
cash outflows for leases that had not yet commenced, and not 
recognised as lease liabilities at 30 June 2023, are estimated at £11 
million (2022 – £11 million; 2021 – £132 million).

21. Related party transactions 
Transactions between the group and its related parties are made on 
terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s length transactions.  
(a) Subsidiaries 
Transactions between the company and its subsidiaries are eliminated 
on consolidation and therefore are not disclosed. Details of the principal 
group companies are given in note 22. 
(b) Associates and joint ventures 
Sales and purchases to and from associates and joint ventures are 
principally in respect of premium drinks products but also include the 
provision of management services. 

Transactions and balances with associates and joint ventures are set 

out in the table below: 

Income statement items

Sales

Purchases

Balance sheet items

Group payables

Group receivables

Loans payable

Loans receivable

Cash flow items

2023

2022

2021

£ million

£ million

£ million

10 

13 

2 

1 

— 

11   

31   

2   

2   

— 

8 

23 

5 

1 

9 

197 

175   

108 

Loans and equity contributions, net

93 

66   

38 

Other disclosures in respect of associates and joint ventures are 
included in note 6. 

(c) Key management personnel 
The key management of the group comprises the Executive and Non-
Executive Directors, the members of the Executive Committee and the 
Company Secretary. They are listed under ‘Board of Directors and 
Company Secretary’ and ‘Executive Committee’. 

Salaries and short-term employee benefits

Annual incentive plan

Non-Executive Directors’ fees
Share-based payments(1)

Post employment benefits

Termination benefits

2023

2022

2021

£ million

£ million

£ million

11 

6 

1 

12 

2 

— 

32 

10   

13   

1   

19   

2   

—   

45   

9 

13 

1 

12 

1 

2 

38 

(1)

Time-apportioned fair value of unvested options and share awards.

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Non-Executive Directors do not receive share-based payments or post 
employment benefits. 

There were no transactions with these related parties during the year 

ended 30 June 2023 on terms other than those that prevail in arm’s 
length transactions. 

(d) Pension plans 
In October 2022, Diageo plc provided an interim credit facility to 
Diageo Pension Trust Limited, consisting of £850 million for the Diageo 
Pension Scheme, to support temporary liquidity challenges until 29 
December 2022. In December 2022, the maturity date was extended to 
29 June 2023. The facility amount was reduced on 22 May 2023 to 
£350 million and on 14 June 2023 the maturity date was extended to 11 
October 2023. The facility was subsequently cancelled on 25 July 2023.

The Diageo pension plans are recharged with the cost of 

administration services provided by the group to the pension plans and 
with professional fees paid by the group on behalf of the pension plans. 
The total amount recharged for the year was £0.1 million (2022 – £0.1 
million; 2021 – £0.1 million).

(e) Directors’ remuneration 

Salaries and short-term employee benefits

Annual incentive plan

Non-Executive Directors' fees
Share option exercises(1)
Shares vesting(1)
Post employment benefits

2023

2022

2021

£ million

£ million

3 

2 

1 

— 

4 

1 

11 

3   

4   

1   

4   

3   

—   

15   

£ million
2 

4 

1 

— 

1 

— 

8 

(1)  Gains on options realised in the year and the benefit from share awards, calculated by 
using the share price applicable on the date of exercise of the share options and 
release of the awards. 

22. Principal group companies
The companies listed below include those which principally affect the profits and assets of the group. The operating companies listed below may 
carry on the business described in the countries listed in conjunction with their subsidiaries and other group companies. 

Country of 
incorporation

Country of operation

Percentage of 
equity owned(1)

Business description

Subsidiaries
Diageo Ireland Unlimited Company

Diageo Great Britain Limited

Diageo Scotland Limited

Diageo Brands B.V.

Diageo North America, Inc.
United Spirits Limited(2)
Diageo Capital plc(3)
Diageo Capital B.V.(3)
Diageo Finance plc(3)
Diageo Investment Corporation

Ireland

England

Scotland

Netherlands

United States

India

Scotland

Worldwide

Great Britain

Worldwide

Worldwide

Worldwide

India

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Netherlands

England

United Kingdom

United States

United States

Mey İçki Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

Turkey

Turkey

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Production, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

Marketing and distribution of premium drinks

Production, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

Marketing and distribution of premium drinks

Production, importing, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

55.88%

Production, importing, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Financing company for the group

Financing company for the group

Financing company for the group

Financing company for the US group

Production, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

Associates
Moët Hennessy, SAS(4)

France

France

34%

Production, marketing and distribution of premium drinks

(1)  All percentages, unless otherwise stated, are in respect of holdings of ordinary share capital and are equivalent to the percentages of voting rights held by the group. 
(2)  Percentage ownership excludes 2.38% owned by the USL Benefit Trust. 
(3)  Directly owned by Diageo plc. 
(4)  French limited liability company. 

23. Post balance sheet events 
Starting 1 July 2023, in line with reporting requirements the functional currency of Diageo plc has changed from sterling to US dollar which is applied 
prospectively. This is because the group's share of net sales and expenses in the US and other countries whose currencies correlate closely with the 
US dollar has been increasing over the years, and that trend is expected to continue in line with the group's strategic focus. Diageo has also decided 
to change its presentation currency to US dollar with effect from 1 July 2023, applied retrospectively, as it believes that this change will provide better 
alignment of the reporting of performance with its business exposures.

Diageo will propose adopting new Articles of Association (New Articles) at the AGM to be held on 28 September 2023 which reflects the change 

in the functional currency of Diageo plc and presentation currency of the group from sterling to US dollar. The New Articles shall, among other 
things, empower the Board to declare and/or pay dividends in any currency or currencies and enable the Board to make provisions for 
shareholders to receive dividends in a different currency to the currency in which dividends were declared. Subject to the approval of the New 
Articles by shareholders at the AGM and commencing with the interim dividend that is expected to be declared in January 2024, Diageo’s future 
dividends will be declared in US dollar. Holders of ordinary shares will continue to receive their dividends in sterling but will have the option to elect 
to receive it in US dollar. Holders of ADRs will continue to receive dividends in US dollar.

On 31 July 2023, the Board approved plans for a further return of capital programme of $1.0 billion to shareholders.

Company balance sheet of Diageo plc

Non-current assets

Investments in subsidiary undertakings

Other financial assets

Post employment benefit assets

Current assets

Amounts owed by group undertakings

Trade and other receivables

Other financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities

Amounts owed to group undertakings

Other financial liabilities

Trade and other payables

Provisions

Non-current liabilities

Amounts owed to group undertakings

Other financial liabilities

Provisions

Deferred tax liabilities

Post employment benefit liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity
Share capital (2023 – 2,460 million shares (2022 – 2,498 million shares) of 28 101/108 pence 
each)

Share premium

Merger reserve

Capital redemption reserve

Retained earnings:

At beginning of year

Profit for the year

Other changes in retained earnings

Total equity

30 June 2023

30 June 2022

Notes

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

3  

4  

6  

4   

4   

4  

4   

4  

4   

7  

4   

4  

7  

5  

6  

9  

9  

61,564 

670 

591 

1,130 

28 

2 

1 

(3) 

(2) 

(59) 

(12) 

(8,234) 

(612) 

(149) 

(92) 

(54) 

712 

1,351 

9,161 

3,231 

41,202 

2,543 

(3,431) 

61,561 

536 

1,210 

62,825 

63,307 

1,161 

63,986 

2,879 

7 

96 

16 

(48) 

(164) 

(37) 

(11) 

2,998 

66,305 

(76) 

(260) 

(9,141) 

(9,217) 

54,769 

(9,385) 

(536) 

(158) 

(243) 

(66) 

723 

1,351 

9,161 

3,220 

(10,388) 

(10,648) 

55,657 

14,455 

14,455 

43,780 

1,026 

(3,604) 

40,314 

54,769 

41,202 

55,657 

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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these parent company financial statements.

These financial statements have been approved by a duly appointed and authorised committee of the Board of Directors on 31 July 2023 and 

were signed on its behalf by Debra Crew and Lavanya Chandrashekar, Directors.

Company registration number: 23307 

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Diageo  Annual Report 2023

219

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Statement of changes in equity for Diageo plc

Notes to the company financial statements of Diageo plc

At 30 June 2021

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year

Employee share schemes

Share-based incentive plans

Tax on share-based incentive plans

Unclaimed dividend

Share buyback programme

Dividend declared for the year

At 30 June 2022

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss

Total comprehensive income for the year

Employee share schemes

Share-based incentive plans

Tax on share-based incentive plans

Unclaimed dividend

Share buyback programme

Dividend declared for the year

At 30 June 2023

Share capital

Share premium Merger reserve

Capital 
redemption 
reserve

Own shares

Other reserve

Total

Total equity

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

£ million

741   

1,351   

9,161   

3,202   

(1,877)   

45,657   

43,780   

58,235 

Retained earnings/(deficit)

—   

—   

— 

—   

—   

—   

—   

(18)   

—   

723 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(11)   

— 

712 

1,351 

9,161 

3,220 

(1,838)   

43,040 

—   

—   

— 

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

— 

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

— 

—   

—   

—   

—   

18   

—   

—   

—   

— 

39   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

11 

— 

— 

— 

— 

24 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,026   

1,026   

275   

275   

1,301 

1,301 

50   

59   

1   

2   

(2,310)   

(1,720)   

2,543 

89   

59   

1   

2   

(2,310)   

(1,720)   

41,202 

2,543 

(503)   

(503)   

2,040 

2,040 

24 

49 

1 

1 

48 

49 

1 

1 

1,026 

275 

1,301 

89 

59 

1 

2 

(2,310) 

(1,720) 

55,657 

2,543 

(503) 

2,040 

48 

49 

1 

1 

(1,265)   

(1,265)   

(1,762)   

(1,762)   

(1,265) 

(1,762) 

1,351 

9,161 

3,231 

(1,814)   

42,128 

40,314 

54,769 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these parent company financial statements.

1. Accounting policies of the company
Basis of preparation
The financial statements of Diageo plc (the company) are prepared in 
accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101 Reduced Disclosure 
Framework (FRS 101).

In preparing these financial statements, the company applies the 
recognition, measurement, and disclosure requirements of International 
Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the UK (IFRS), but makes 
amendments where necessary in order to comply with the Companies 
Act 2006 and has excluded certain information as permitted by FRS 101. 
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis 

under the historical cost convention, except for certain financial 
instruments and post employment benefits which are measured and 
stated at their fair value.

By virtue of section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the company is 
exempt from presenting an income statement and disclosing employee 
numbers and staff costs. The company has taken advantage of the 
exemption under FRS 101 from preparing a cash flow statement and 
related notes, disclosures in respect of transactions and the capital 
management of wholly owned subsidiaries, the effects of new but not 
yet effective IFRSs and disclosures in respect of the compensation of key 
management personnel. As the consolidated financial statements of 
Diageo plc include equivalent disclosures, the company has also utilised 
exemptions available under FRS 101 from disclosing IFRS 2 Share-based 
Payment in respect of group settled share-based payments, disclosures 
required by IFRS 7 Financial Instruments Disclosures and by IFRS 13 Fair 
Value Measurement. 

Investments in subsidiaries
Investments in subsidiaries are stated at historical cost less impairment 
provisions for any permanent decrease in value. The carrying amounts 
of the company’s investments are reviewed at each reporting date to 
determine whether there is an indication of impairment. If such an 
indication exists, then the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. 
Losses are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income and 
reflected in an allowance against the carrying value. Where an event 
results in the asset’s recoverable amount being higher than the 
previously impaired carrying value, the original impairment may be 
reversed through the statement of comprehensive income in subsequent 
periods.

Dividends
Dividends payable and dividends receivable are recognised in the 
financial statements in the year in which they are approved.

Share-based payments – employee benefits
The company’s accounting policy for share-based payments is the 
same as set out in note 18 to the consolidated financial statements. 
Where the company grants options over its own shares to the 
employees of its subsidiaries, it generally recharges the cost to the 
relevant group company. Where the amount is not recharged, the value 
of the options is recognised as a capital contribution to the subsidiaries 
and increases the cost of investment.

Pensions and other post employment benefits
The company’s accounting policy for post employment benefits is the 
same as set out in note 14 to the consolidated financial statements. The 
company acts as sponsor of all UK post employment plans for the 
benefit of employees and former employees throughout the group. 
There is no contractual agreement or stated policy for charging the net 
defined benefit costs for the plan measured in accordance with FRS 101, 
to other group companies whose employees participate in these group 
wide plans. However, recharges to other group companies are made 
on a funding basis and are credited against post employment service 
costs to the extent they are in respect of current service. The fair value of 
the plans’ assets less the present value of the plans’ liabilities are 
disclosed as a net asset or net liability on the company’s balance sheet 
as it is deemed to be the legal sponsor of these plans. The net income 
charge/credit reflects the change in the defined benefit obligation, 
resulting from service in the current year, benefit changes, curtailments 
and settlements. Past service costs are recognised in income. The net 
interest cost is calculated by applying the discount rate to the net 
balance of the defined benefit obligation and the fair value of the plan 
assets and is included in the income statement. Any differences due to 
changes in assumptions or experience are recognised in other 
comprehensive income.

Provisions
The company’s accounting policy for provisions is the same as set out in 
note 15 to the consolidated financial statements.

Taxation
The company’s accounting policy for taxation is the same as set out in 
note 7 to the consolidated financial statements.

Financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets and liabilities are initially recorded at fair value 
including, where permitted by IFRS 9, any directly attributable 
transaction costs. For those financial assets that are not subsequently 
held at fair value, the company assesses whether there is evidence of 
impairment at each balance sheet date. The company classifies its 
financial assets and liabilities into the following categories: financial 
assets and liabilities at amortised cost, financial assets and liabilities at 
fair value through income statement and financial assets at fair value 
through other comprehensive income. Where financial assets or 
liabilities are eligible to be carried at either amortised cost or fair value, 
the company does not apply the fair value option.

Amounts owed by group undertakings are initially measured at fair 
value and are subsequently reported at amortised cost. Non-interest 
bearing trade receivables are stated at their nominal value as they are 
due on demand. Allowances for expected credit losses are made based 
on the risk of non-payment, taking into account ageing, previous 
experience, economic conditions and forward-looking data. Such 
allowances are measured as either 12-month expected credit losses or 
lifetime expected credit losses depending on changes in the credit 
quality of the counterparty. Expected credit loss is immaterial for 
amounts owed by group undertakings.

Amounts owed to group undertakings are initially measured at fair 
value and are subsequently reported at amortised cost. Non-interest 
bearing trade payables are stated at their nominal value as they are 
due on demand. For a number of loans owed to other group 
companies, the company has a contractual right to defer payment by 
one year and one day and therefore these amounts are disclosed as 
non-current liabilities.

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221

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Financial assets and liabilities
Other financial assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value through 
income statement and comprise the fair value of interest rate swaps 
and cross currency interest rate swaps with subsidiary undertakings, 
where the company acts as an intermediary between group companies, 
therefore it is not expected that there will be any net impact on future 
cash flows. 

Amounts owed by and to group undertakings, trade and other 
receivables and trade and other payables are measured at amortised 
cost. 

Amounts owed by and to group undertakings are interest bearing 

and unsecured. For a majority of the loans owed to other group 
companies, the company has a contractual right to defer payment by 
one year and one day and they are therefore classified as non-current 
liabilities. Other amounts owed by and to group undertakings are 
repayable on demand. 

5. Deferred tax assets and liabilities

At 30 June 2021

Changes in tax rates

Recognised in income statement

Recognised in other comprehensive 

income and equity

At 30 June 2022

Changes in tax rates

Recognised in other comprehensive 

income and equity

At 30 June 2023

Post 
employment 
plans

Other 
temporary 
differences

Total

£ million

£ million

£ million

(190)   

(23)   

(4)   

(69)   

(286)   

27 

(13)   

138 

(134)   

46   

(1)   

(2)   

—   

43 

— 

(1)   

— 

42 

(144) 

(24) 

(6) 

(69) 

(243) 

27 

(14) 

138 

(92) 

Deferred tax on other temporary differences includes assets in respect of 
the UK Thalidomide Trust liability of £40 million (2022 – £42 million) and 
share-based payment liabilities of £2 million (2022 – £1 million).

Additional estimates have been applied by management regarding 

Recognised in income statement

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Financial guarantee contract liabilities
Financial guarantee contract liabilities are measured initially at their fair 
values. These liabilities are subsequently measured at the higher of the 
amount determined under IAS 37 and the amount initially recognised 
(fair value) less where appropriate, cumulative amortisation of the initial 
amount recognised.
Judgements in applying accounting policies and key 
sources of estimation uncertainty 
The preparation of financial statements requires the directors to make 
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets 
and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the 
date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues 
and expenses during the year. Actual results could differ from those 
estimates.

The critical accounting policies, which the directors consider are of 

greater complexity and/or particularly subject to the exercise of 
estimates and judgements, are the same as those disclosed in note 1 to 
the consolidated financial statements in respect of taxation, post 
employment benefits, contingent liabilities and legal proceedings. 
A critical accounting estimate, specific to the company is the 

assessment of the recoverable amount of the investments in 
subsidiaries. Impairment reviews are carried out to ensure that the value 
of the investments in subsidiaries are not carried at above their 
recoverable amounts. The tests are dependent on management’s 
estimates in respect of the forecasting of future cash flows, the discount 
rates applicable to the future cash flows and expected growth rates. 
Such estimates and judgements are subject to change as a result of 
changing economic conditions and actual cash flows may differ from 
forecasts.

the potential financial impacts of increasing inflationary pressures. 
Details are set out in note 9 to the consolidated financial statements.

2. Income statement
Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements provides details of the 
remuneration of the company’s auditor for the group.

Information on Directors’ emoluments, share and other interests, 

transactions and pension entitlements is included in the Directors’ 
remuneration report in this Annual Report.

3. Investments in subsidiary undertakings

Cost

At 30 June 2022

Additions

At 30 June 2023

Provision

At 30 June 2022

Increase in the year

At 30 June 2023

Carrying amount

At 30 June 2023

At 30 June 2022

£ million

72,701 

3 

72,704 

(11,140) 

— 

(11,140) 

61,564 

61,561 

Investments in subsidiary undertakings are stated at historical cost of 
£72,704 million (2022 – £72,701 million) less impairment provisions of 
£11,140 million (2022 – £11,140 million).

Investments in subsidiary undertakings include £140 million (2022 – 

£137 million) of costs in respect of share-based payments, granted to 
subsidiary undertakings which were not recharged to the subsidiaries. 
The additions comprise £3 million not recharged and capitalised as a 
cost of investment during the year ended 30 June 2023.

A list of group companies as at 30 June 2023 is provided in note 10.

222

Diageo  Annual Report 2023

6. Post employment benefits
The movement in the net surplus for the two years ended 30 June 2023, 
for all UK post employment plans for which the company is the sponsor, 
is as follows:

8. Financial guarantees and letters of comfort
The company has guaranteed certain external borrowings of 
subsidiaries which at 30 June 2023 amounted to £16,508 million (2022 – 
£15,933 million).

Plan assets

Plan liabilities

Net surplus

£ million

£ million

£ million

At 30 June 2021

7,341   

(6,582)   

Income/(charge) before taxation

Other comprehensive (loss)/income

Contributions by group companies

Employee contributions

Benefits paid

At 30 June 2022

Income/(charge) before taxation

Other comprehensive (loss)/income

Contributions by group companies

Benefits paid

At 30 June 2023

134   

(1,191)   

46   

1   

(161)   

1,557   

—   

(1)   

(290)   

290   

6,041 

218 

(1,396)   

49 

(334)   

(4,897)   

(203)   

725 

— 

334 

4,578 

(4,041)   

759 

(27) 

366 

46 

— 

— 

1,144 

15 

(671) 

49 

— 

537 

The net surplus for the UK post employment plans of £537 million (2022 
– £1,144 million) for which the company is a sponsor comprises funded 
plans of £591 million (2022 – £1,210 million) disclosed as part of non-
current assets and unfunded liabilities of £54 million (2022 – 
£66 million) disclosed as part of non-current liabilities.

The disclosures have been prepared in accordance with IFRIC 14. In 

particular, where the calculation for a plan results in a surplus, the 
recognised asset is limited to the present value of any available future 
refunds from the plan or reductions in future contributions to the plan, 
and any additional liabilities are recognised as required. 

Additional information on the UK post employment plans and the 
principal risks and assumptions applicable is disclosed in note 14 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

7. Provisions

At 30 June 2022

Provisions utilised during the year

Unwinding of discounts

At 30 June 2023

Thalidomide

£ million

169 

(12) 

4 

161 

The company’s commitment to the UK Thalidomide Trust is discounted 
and will be utilised over the period of the commitment up to 2037.
At 30 June 2023, £12 million (2022 – £11 million) of provision is 

current and £149 million (2022 – £158 million) is non-current.

The company has also provided irrevocable guarantees relating to 

the liabilities of certain of its Dutch subsidiaries. The company has 
assessed that the likelihood of these guarantees being called is remote. 
The Directors do not expect the company to be liable for any legal 
obligation in respect of these financial guarantee agreements, and they 
have been recognised at nil fair value.

The company issues letter of comfort to provide sufficient funds to 

directly owned subsidiary undertakings as and when required.

9. Shareholders’ funds
(a) Merger reserve 
On the acquisition of a business, or of an interest in an associate, fair 
values, reflecting conditions at the date of acquisition, are attributed to 
the net assets acquired. Where merger relief is applicable under the UK 
Companies Acts, the difference between the fair value of the business 
acquired and the nominal value of shares issued as purchase 
consideration is treated as a merger reserve.

(b) Own shares
At 30 June 2023, own shares comprised 3 million ordinary shares held 
by employee share trusts (2022 – 2 million; 2021 – 2 million) and 213 
million ordinary shares repurchased and held as treasury shares (2022 – 
217 million; 2021 –221 million).

During the year ended 30 June 2023, the group purchased 

38 million ordinary shares (2022 – 61 million; 2021 – 3 million), 
representing approximately 1.5% of the issued ordinary share capital 
(2022 – 2.4%; 2021 – 0.1%) at an average price of 3616 pence per 
share, and an aggregate cost of £1,381 million (including £13 million of 
transaction costs) (2022 – 3709 pence per share, and an aggregate 
cost of £2,284 million, including £16 million of transaction costs; 2021 – 
3407 pence per share, and an aggregate cost of £109 million, including 
£1 million of transaction costs) under the share buyback programme. 
The shares purchased under the share buyback programmes were 
cancelled. 

Information on movements in own shares is provided in note 18(c) to 

the consolidated financial statements.

(c) Retained earnings
£7,236 million (2022 – £7,672 million) of retained earnings is available 
for the payment of dividends or purchases of own shares. Determining 
the company’s reserves available for distribution is complex and 
requires, in some instances, the application of judgement. The company 
has determined what is realised and unrealised profits in accordance 
with the Companies Act 2006 and the guidance included in ICAEW 
Technical Release TECH 02/17BL ‘Guidance on realised and 
distributable profits under the Companies Act 2006’. The company’s 
reserves available for distribution include adjustments to retained 
earnings in respect of the unrealised portion of the dividend in specie 
received by the company, post employment benefit surpluses and 
share-based payment charges capitalised to investments.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

10. Group companies  
In accordance with Section 409 of the Companies Act 2006 a full list of subsidiaries, partnerships, associates, joint ventures and joint arrangements, 
the country of incorporation and the effective percentage of equity owned, as at 30 June 2023 are disclosed below. Unless otherwise stated the 
share capital disclosed comprises ordinary shares which are indirectly held by Diageo plc.

FULLY OWNED SUBSIDIARIES
Angola

Rua Fernao de Sousa, Condominio Bengo, Letter 
A, 11.s floor, Fraction A37, neighbourhood Vila 
Alice, Province of Luanda

Diageo Angola Limitada

Argentina

Bernardo de Irigoyen 972, floor 7, office A, CABA

Diageo de Argentina S.A.

Australia

162 Blues Point Road, Level 1, NSW, 2060, 
McMahons Point
Bundaberg Distilling Investments Pty Ltd(3)
Level 7, 99 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Diageo Australia Limited(3)

Mr Black Spirits Pty Ltd.

Whittred Street, QLD, 4670, Bundaberg
Bundaberg Distilling Company Pty. Limited(5)

Austria

Teinfaltstrasse 8, 1010, Wien

Diageo Austria GmbH

Belgium

Z.3 Doornveld 150, 1731, Zellik

Diageo Belgium N.V.

Bermuda

Victoria Place, 5th Floor, 31 Victoria Street, 
Hamilton, HM10

Atalantaf Limited

Brazil

Fazenda Santa Eliza, Zona Rural, Ceará, 
62.685-000, Paraipaba

Ypioca Agricola LTDA

Municipio de Itaitinga, Estado do Ceara, na 
Rodovia BR 116, no 15.000, Bairro Jiboia, CEP 
61.880-000

Ypioca Industrial de Bebidas S.A.

Rua Olimpiadas, 205, floor 14-15, 04551-000, Sao 
Paulo

Diageo Brasil Ltda

Bulgaria

7 Iskarsko Shose Blvd., Trade Center Europe, 
building 12, floor 2, 1528, Sofia

Diageo Bulgaria Ltd

Cameroon

535 rue AFCODI, Douala P.O. Box 1245

Diageo Cameroon Ltd

Canada

Diageo Czech Marketing Services LLC

134 Peter Street, Suite 1501, Ontario, M5V 2H2, 
Toronto

Denmark

Sundkrogsgade 19, 2. 2100, Copenhagen

Diageo Canada Holdings Inc.

Diageo Canada Inc.

Boul Henri-Bourassa E., 9225, Local A, Quebec, 
H1E 1P6 , Montreal

Diageo Americas Supply Quebec Distribution Inc.

Diageo Denmark AS

Dominican Republic

Num. 07 Av. Jacinto Ignacio Manon, Sector 
Ensanche Paraiso, Edificio Chez Space, Piso 3rd, 
Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo

Diageo Ireland Quebec Distribution Inc.

Diageo Dominicana S.R.L.

Chile

Avenida Apoquindo 5950, Piso 4, Oficina 04-103, 
Las Condes Santiago de Chile

Diageo Chile Limitada

China

41F, One Museum Place, 669 Xinzha Road, Jingan 
District, Shanghai

Diageo China Limited

Fengxiang Village Fengyu Town, Eryuan County, 
Dali Bai Minority Region, Yunnan Province

Diageo Liquor (Dali) Co. Ltd

No. 9 Quanxing Road, Jinniu District, Chengdu, 
610036

Sichuan Chengdu Shuijingfang Group Co. Ltd

No.28 Jiafeng Road, 2502, 5, Pudong District, 
200137, Shanghai

Diageo (Shanghai) Limited

Unit 1101, 1102, Building 16, No.1000 Jinhai Road, 
Shanghai

Diageo Liquor Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd

Unit B, 2nd Floor, West Logistics Center, No. 88 
Linhai Avenue, Nanshan Street, Shenzhen

Diageo Supply Chain (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd

Colombia

100 street No.13 21 Office 502. Bogota

Diageo Colombia S.A.

Costa Rica

Trejos Montealegre, Edificio Escazu, Village II, 
Oficinas 03-118 y 03-120, Distrito San Rafael, San 
Jose

Diageo Costa Rica S.A.

Croatia

Hektoroviceva ulica 2, 10000, Zagreb

Diageo Croatia d.o.o.za usluge

Czech Republic

Namesti I. P. Pavlova 1789/5. 4th floor, 120 00, 
Prague 2

France

4 Rue Jules Lefebvre, 75009, Paris

Guinness France Holdings SAS

73, Rue de Provence, 75009, Paris

United Distillers France SAS

Germany

Reeperbahn 1, 20359, Hamburg

Belsazar GmbH

Diageo Germany GmbH

Greece

Leof. Kifisias 115, Athens, 115 24

Diageo Hellas S.A.

Guernsey

Heritage Hall, Le Marchant Street, St Peter Port, 
GY1 4HY

Diageo Group Insurance Company Limited

Hong Kong

31/F, Tower two, Times Square, 1 Matheson street 
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Diageo RTD Hong Kong Limited

Hungary

Dozsa Gyorgy ut 144, Budapest, 1134

Diageo Business Services Private Company 
Limited by Shares

Diageo Hungary Finance Limited Liability 
Company

Diageo Hungary Marketing Services Limited 
Liability Company

India

Kempapura Main Road, Opp Nagawara Lake, 
Karle SEZ Tower, 2nd floor, Karnataka, 560045, 
Bangalore

Diageo Business Services India Private Limited

Marathon Futurex, A-Wing, 2601, 26th Floor, N M 
Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, 400 013
Diageo Distilleries Private Limited(7)

Diageo India Private Limited

Indonesia

Jl Jend Sudirman Kav. 76-78, Sudirman Plaza, 
Plaza Marein, 15th, Jakarta Selatan, 12910, Jakarta
PT Gitaswara Indonesia(9)

Ireland

Nangor House, Western Estate, Nangor Road, 
Dublin, 12

Gilbeys of Ireland Unlimited Company

R & A Bailey & Co Unlimited Company

UDV Ireland Group (Trustees) Designated Activity 
Company
St. James's Gate, Dublin 8

AGS Employee Shares Nominees (Ireland) 
Designated Activity Company

Arthur Guinness Son & Company (Dublin) 
Unlimited Company(2)
Diageo Ireland Finance 1 Unlimited Company

Diageo Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company

Diageo Ireland Unlimited Company

Diageo Retirement Savings Plan Pension Trustee 
Designated Activity Company

Diageo Turkey Holdings Limited

Guinness Storehouse Limited
Irish Ale Breweries Holdings Unlimited Company(3)

R & A Bailey Pension Trustee Designated Activity 
Company(2)
Italy

Strada Statale 63, 12069, Santa Vittoria d'Alba 
(CN)

Diageo Operations Italy S.p.A.

Via Ernesto Lugaro 15, 10126, Torino

Diageo Italia S.p.A.

Japan

9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 164-0001

Diageo Japan Administration Services K.K.

Diageo Japan K.K

Kenya

Diageo Kenya Limited

La Reunion

45 Rue Alexis De Villeneuve 97400 Saint-Denis

Diageo Reunion SAS

Lebanon

Diageo LENA Off-shore SAL

Mexico

Av. Ejercito Nacional, 843-B, Torre Paseo Acceso 
B, 2, Mexico City , 11520

Costa del Este, Ave La Rotonda, Business Park, 
Torre V. piso 15 Panama City

Diageo Mexico II, S.A. de C.V.

Diageo Panama S.A.

Calle Gobernador Rafael Rebollar 95, Col San 
Miguel de Chapultepec, Del Miguel Hidalgo CP 
11850, Mexico City

CASA UM, S.A.P.I. DE C.V.

Carretera Atotonilco - Guadalajara, Atotonilco el 
Alto, Jalisco, 47750

Diageo Mexico Comercializadora S.A. de C.V.

Diageo Mexico SA de CV

Independencia SN Santiago, Matatlán, Oaxaca 
70440

Sombra Mezcal S. de R.L. de S.V.

Porfirio Diaz 17, Jalisco, 47750, Atotonilco el Alto

Diageo Mexico Operaciones S.A. de C.V.

Diageo Mexico Spirits

Don Julio Agavera S.A. de C.V.

Servicios Agavera, S.A. de C.V.

Mozambique

Estrada Nacional numero 1, Micanhine, 
Marracuene

Diageo Supply Marracuene Lda.

Netherlands

De Ruyterkades, Postbus 2852 1000cw Amsterdam
United Distillers & Vintners (SJ) B.V.(2)
Molenwerf 12, 1014 BG, Amsterdam

Diageo Atlantic B.V.

Diageo Brands B.V.
Diageo Capital B.V.(1)

Diageo Highlands Holding B.V.

Diageo Holdings Netherlands B.V.

Diageo Nederland B.V.

Diageo Relay B.V.

Global Farming Initiative B.V.

Justerini & Brooks Importers B.V.

123 Carlton Gore Road, Level 2, Newmarket, 1023, 
Auckland
Diageo New Zealand Limited(3)

Nigeria

Panama city, West Boulevard, PH ARIFA, 9th and 
10th, Santa Maria Business

Diageo Taiwan Inc.

Paraguay

Avda Aviadores del Chaco 2050. Edificio World 
trade center. Torre 3 piso 11

Diageo Paraguay S.R.L.

Peru

Vi­ctor Andres Belaunde 147, Vi­a Principal 133, 
Interior 107, Piso 10, San Isidro, Lima

Diageo Peru S.A.

Philippines

10th Floor Commerce and Industry Plaza Building, 
McKinley Hill Dr, Taguig, 1634

Diageo Asia Pacific Shared Services Centre 
Limited, Inc.
Unit 1, 17th Floor, Ore Central 9th Avenue corner 
31st Street Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, 1634
Diageo Export SR Inc.(2)
Diageo Philippines Free Port Inc(2)

Diageo Philippines Inc.
North Island United Enterprise Holdings Inc(2)
Unit 3 G/F, 134 Legaspi Parkview Condominium, 
Carlos Palanca Street cor. Legaspi Street, Makati 
City

Chat Noir Co. Inc. 

Poland

Przyokopowa Str. 31, PL 01 – 208 Warsaw

Diageo Polska Sp. z o.o.

Portugal

Avenida D. Joao II, No 50, piso 2, letra D, Edificio 
Mar Vermelho, 1990-095 Lisboa

Diageo Portugal - Distribuidora de Bebidas, 
Unipessoal, Lda

Romania

Expo Business Park, Street Aviator Popisteanu 54A, 
Cladirea 2, et 1-3, Sector 1, Bucharest, 012244

Diageo Balkans S.R.L.

Russia

Kaspiyskaya Street, 22, main bld. 1, bld. 5, floor 3, 
apartment VII, room 31a, 115304, Moscow

Oba Akran Avenue Ikeja, 24, Lagos, PMB 21071, 
100001

D Distribution Joint-Stock Company

Diageo Brands Distributors LLC

Diageo Brands Nigeria Ltd

Norway

Apotekergata 10, 0180 Oslo

Diageo Norway AS

Panama

Singapore

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L R NO 1870/1/176, Aln House, Off Eldama Ravine 
Close, Westlands, Nairobi

Selviac Nederland B.V.

New Zealand

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225

 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

112 Robinson Road, 1, 5th Floor, 1, Singapore 
68902

Diageo Singapore Pte Ltd.

Streetcar Investment Holding Pte. Ltd.

South Africa

Building 3, Maxwell Office Park, Magwa Crescent 
West, Waterfall City, Midrand, 2090

Diageo South Africa (Pty) Limited

United Distillers Southern Africa (Proprietary) 
Limited

South Korea

932-94, Daewol-ro, Daewol-myun, Icheon-shi, 
Gyeonggi-do, 17342, Icheon

Windsor Global Co., Ltd.

Diageo Korea Co. Ltd

Spain

Avda de la Victoria 32, Edificio Spirit, 28023, 
Madrid

Diageo Espana S.A.

Sweden

Gavlegatan street 22/C, 11330, Stockholm

Diageo Sweden AB

Switzerland

Place de la Gare 12, Lausanne, 1003

Diageo Suisse S.A.

Tanzania

CRB Africa Legal Attorneys, Plot 60, Ursino Street 
P.O. Box 32840, Dar es Salaam
Sumagro Limited(2)

Turkey

Esentepe Mah. Bahar Sk. Ozdilek River Plaza 
Vyndham Grand Apt. No 13/25 Sisli, Istanbul

Mey Alkollü İçkiler Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

Mey İçki Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.

Ukraine

1v Pavla Tychyny avenue , 2152, Kyiv

Diageo Ukraine LLC

United Kingdom

11 Lochside Place, Edinburgh, EH12 9HA
Arthur Bell & Sons Limited(2)

Copper Dog Whisky Limited
Diageo Capital plc(1)

Diageo Scotland Limited
J & B Scotland Limited(2)

John Haig & Company Limited
The Lochnagar Distillery Limited(2)

William Sanderson and Son Limited(2)

Zepf Technologies UK Limited

Tipplesworth Limited
UDV (SJ) Holdings Limited(1)

16 Great Marlborough St, London, W1F 7HS

UDV (SJ) Limited

United Distillers France Limited

3rd Floor Capital House, 3 Upper Queen Street, 
Belfast

Diageo Global Supply IBC Limited
Diageo Northern Ireland Limited(1)

S & B Production Limited

61 St. James's Street, London, SW1A 1LZ

Justerini & Brooks, Limited

United States

1 Estate Annaberg & Shannon Grove, RR1 Box 
9400, Kingshill, VI 00850-9703

Diageo USVI Inc.

1209 Orange Street, New Castle, Delaware 19801

DV Technology LLC

1425 South Kingstown Road, South Kingstown, RI 
02879

Diageo Loyal Spirits Corporation

175 Greenwich Street, Three World Trade Center, 
New York, NY 10007

Ballroom Acquisition, Inc.

Davos Services LLC

Diageo Americas Supply, Inc.

Diageo Americas, Inc.

Diageo Beer Company USA

Diageo Inc.

Diageo Investment Corporation

Diageo Latin America & Caribbean LLC

Diageo Non-Alcohol Beverages LLC

Diageo North America Foundation, Inc.
Diageo North America, Inc.(5)

Liquor Investment LLC

Soh Spirits LLC

Stirrings LLC

Anna Seed 83 Limited

Anyslam Investments

Cellarers (Wines) Limited

Chase Distillery (Holdings) Limited

Chase Distillery Limited
Diageo (IH) Limited(2)

Diageo Distribution Company Limited

Diageo DV Limited
Diageo Eire Finance & Co(2)
Diageo Employee Shares Nominees Limited(1),(2)
Diageo Finance plc(1)

Diageo Finance US Limited

Diageo Financing Turkey Limited

Diageo Great Britain Limited
Diageo Healthcare Limited(2)

Diageo HF Holdings Limited
Diageo Holdings Limited(1)
Diageo Holland Investments Limited(2)

Diageo Investment Holdings Limited
Diageo Overseas Holdings Limited(6)

Diageo Scotland Investment Limited
Diageo Share Ownership Trustees Limited(1),(2)

Diageo UK Turkey Holdings Limited

Diageo UK Turkey Limited

Diageo US Holdings

Diageo US Investments

Grand Metropolitan Capital Company Limited

Grand Metropolitan Estates Limited

Grand Metropolitan International Holdings Limited

Grand Metropolitan Limited
Guinness Limited(1)
Guinness Overseas Holdings Limited(1)

Guinness Overseas Limited
James Buchanan & Company Limited(2)
John Walker and Sons Limited(2)

Kanlaon Ltd

Mr Black UK Ltd
Tanqueray Gordon and Company, Limited(1)
The Distillers Company (Biochemicals) Limited(2)
The Pimm's Drinks Company Limited(2)

The Bulleit Distillery, Inc.(2)

Whisky Archive Inc.

Lismore Trading, C.A.

Skye Trading C.A.

300 Delaware Ave Ste 210-A Wilmington, DE 19801

21Seeds Inc.

3411 Silverside Road Tatnall Building, Ste 104 
Wilmington, DE 19810

Casamigos Spirits Company LLC

Casamigos Tequila LLC

CT Staffing Services LLC

Vivanda Inc.

381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1015, New York, NY 
10016

Aviation Gin LLC

Davos Brands LLC

5444 Westheimer 1000, Houston, TX 77056

Balcones Distilling LLC

Uruguay

Pasaje Paseo De Las Carretas, 2580, oficina 1301, 
Montevideo

Diageo Uruguay SA

Venezuela

Av Intercomunal Alí Primera, Los Taques, Estado 
Falcón
DV Paraguana, C.A.(2)
Av La Hormiga con Intersección de la Carretera 
via Payara, C.C. Tierra Buena Acarigua
Mull Trading C.A.(2)
Av. Circunvalacion Norte (Jose Asunsion 
Rodriguez) Edificio Distribuidora Metropol, 
Porlamar, Estado Nueva Esparta
Clyde Trading, C.A.(5)
Cupar Trading, C.A.(5)
Diageo Nueva Esparta, C.A.(2)
DV Trading, C.A.(5)
Zeta Importers C.A.(5)
Ave. San Felipe Urbanización La Castellana, 
Edificio Centro Coinasa, Piso 6. Caracas, 1060

Diageo Venezuela C.A.

CaIIe 1 Este, Edificio y Galpon BTP, Zona Industrial 
La Caracarita, Municipio Los Guayos, estado 
Carabobo

Arran Tradings, C.A.

DV Release, C.A.

Islay Trading, C.A.

L4L Trading, C.A.

Carretera Nacional Acarigua-Barquisimeto Casa 
Agropecuaria Las Marias I C.A.S-N Sector los 
Guayones La Miel, Lara.

Agropecuarias Las Marias I C.A.

Vietnam

No. 157, 21/8 Street, Phuoc My Ward, Phan Rang - 
Thap Cham City, Ninh Thuan Province

Diageo Vietnam

Zimbabwe

48 Midlothian Avenue, Eastlea, Harare

International Distillers - Zimbabwe (Private) 
Limited(2)
SUBSIDIARIES WHERE THE EFFECTIVE
INTEREST IS LESS THAN 100%

Angola

Rua Dom Eduardo Andre Muaca, S/No, LOTE C4, 
Luanda

DIREF Industria de Bebidas,Lda-Angola JV - 
50.10%

No. 7 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 
100020

Swellfun (Beijing ) Consulting Co. Ltd - 63.16%

No. 9 Quanxing Road, Jinniu District, Chengdu, 
610036

Chengdu Jianghai Trade Development Co. 
Limited - 63.16%

Chengdu Tengyuan Liquor Marketing Co. Limited 
- 63.16%

Sichuan Swellfun Co., Ltd - 63.16%

No. 998, Juanxing Road, Hongguang County, 
Chengdu, 610000 

Chengdu Ruijin Trading Co. Limited - 63.16%

Cuba

211 Avenida Malecón, entre J y K, Vedado, Plaza 
de la Revolución, La Habana

Ron Santiago, S.A. - 50.00%

Ghana

Guinness Brewery, Plot 1 Block L, Industrial Area, 
Kaasi, P. O. Box 1536, Kumasi

Guinness Ghana Breweries Plc - 80.40%

British Virgin Islands

Hungary

Commerce House, Wickhams Cay 1, PO Box 3140, 
Road Town, Tortola
Rum Creation & Products Inc.(4) - 50.00%
Sea Meadow House, Blackburne Highway, P.O. 
Box 116, Road Town, Tortola
Palmer Investment Group Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%
USL Holdings Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%

Canada

Labatt House, 207 Queen's Quay West, Suite 299, 
Ontario, M5J 1A7, Toronto

Guinness Canada Limited - 51.00%

China

27 Shuijing Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu, 
610065

Chengdu Shuijingfang Fangcang Liquor Sales Co. 
Ltd - 63.16%
41F, One Museum Place, 669 Xinzha Road, Jingan 
District, Shanghai

Swellfun (Shanghai) Consulting Co. Ltd - 63.16%

No. 21 Shuijing Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu, 
610011

Chengdu Swellfun Marketing Co. Limited - 63.16%

No. 38 Jiuyuan Road, Kongming Street, Qionglai, 
Chengdu

Chengdu Swellfun Liquor Co. Limited - 63.16%

Dozsa Gyorgy ut 144, Budapest, 1134

Diageo Employee Ownership Program 
Organization - 99.94%

Guatemala

Calle 8-19 zona 9, Quetzaltenango

Anejos De Altura, Sociedad Anonima - 50.00%

India

UB Tower, 24 Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, 
560001
Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited(11) - 
55.88%
United Spirits Limited(11) - 55.88%

Indonesia

Jl. Raya Kaba-Kaba No. 88, Banjar Carik Padang, 
Desa Nyambu, Kecamatan Kediri, Kabupaten 
Tabanan, Provinsi Bali

PT Langgeng Kreasi Jayaprima - 80.00%

Kenya

5th Floor, Garden City Business Park, Block A, 
Garden City Road, Off Exit 7, Thika Superhighway, 
Nairobi, P.O. Box 30161-00100
Kenya Breweries Limited(5) - 65.00%

UDV Kenya Limited - 83.79%

Garden City Business Park, 5th Floor, P.O. Office 
Box Number 30161-00100, Nairobi

East African Breweries Plc. - 65.00%

Kampala Road, Industrial Area, Nairobi, P.O. Box 
41412-00100

East African Maltings Limited - 65.00%

Tusker House, Ruaraka, PO Box 30161, 00100 
Nairobi GPO

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  contin ued

Allsopp (East Africa) Limited(2) - 63.05%
EABL International Limited(2) - 65.00%
Tembo Properties Limited(2) - 65.00%

Lebanon

Beirut Symposium Bldg, 10th floor, Beirut, PO Box 
113-5250

Diageo - Lebanon SAL - 84.99%

Verdun Street, Ibiza Building, Beirut, PO Box 
113-5631

Diageo Lebanon Holding SAL

Mauritius

IFS Court, Twenty Eight, Cybercity, Ebene
Asian Opportunities and Investment Limited(2),(11) - 
55.88%

Netherlands

Molenwerf 12, 1014 BG, Amsterdam
Ketel One Worldwide B.V.(4) - 50.00%

Nigeria

Oba Akran Avenue Ikeja, 24, Lagos, PMB 21071, 
100001

Guinness Nigeria plc - 58.02%

North Cyprus

Sehit Mehmet Cetin Sokak, Kucuk Sanayi Bölgesi 
4, 99450, Gazi Magusa

Turk Alkollu Icki ve Sarap Endustri Ltd. - 66.00%

Philippines

Unit 1, 17th Floor, Ore Central 9th Avenue corner 
31st Street Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, 1634
ULM Holdings Inc.(2) - 40.00%
United Distillers & Vintners Philippines Inc(2) - 
99.95%

Rwanda

Kimihurura, Gasabo, Umujyi was Kigali, 7130 Port 
Bell Luzira

East African Breweries Rwanda Limited - 65.00%

Seychelles

O’Brien House, 273 Le Rocher, Mahe

Seychelles Breweries Limited - 54.40%

Plot 3-17 Port Bell Road, Luzira, Kampala, P.O. Box 
7130

Uganda Breweries Limited - 63.82%

Plot No 1 Malt Road, Portbell Luzira P.O. Box 3221 
Kampala

International Distillers Uganda Limited - 65.00%

Tusker House, Ruaraka, PO Box 30161, 00100 
Nairobi GPO
East African Maltings (Uganda) Limited(2) - 
65.00%

United Kingdom

Hungary

Soroksari ut 26, Budapest, 1095

Zwack Unicum plc - 26.00%

India

E-47/5., Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II, New 
Delhi, South Delhi, DL 110020

Nao Spirits & Beverages Private Limited - 12.58%

Italy

Via Tortona 15, 20144, Milan

Niococktails S.R.L. - 20.00%

11 Lochside Place, Edinburgh, EH12 9HA

Japan

Lochside MWS Limited Partnership
McDowell & Co. (Scotland) Ltd(11) - 55.88%
16 Great Marlborough St, London, W1F 7HS
Diageo Pension Trust Limited(1),(9) - 55.00%

Lakeside MWS Limited Liability Partnership

Seedlip Ltd - 91.00%
Shaw Wallace Overseas Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%
United Spirits (Great Britain) Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%
United Spirits (UK) Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%
USL Holdings (UK) Limited(2),(11) - 55.88%

United States

175 Greenwich Street, Three World Trade Center, 
New York, NY 10007
California Simulcast Inc.(2) - 80.00%

D/CE Holdings LLC - 50.00%

Seedlip Inc. - 91.00%

2950 North Loop W Ste 1200 Houston, TX 
77092-8808

Far West Spirits LLC - 99.00%

Venezuela

Ave. San Felipe Urbanización La Castellana, 
Edificio Centro Coinasa, Piso 6. Caracas, 1060

Industrias Pampero C.A. - 96.80%

Vietnam

621 Pham Van Chi Street, District 6, Ho Chi Minh 
City

845-3 Kaminokawa, Hiyoshi-cho Hioki-shi, 
Kagoshima

Komasa Kanosuke Distillery Company Ltd. - 
12.50%

Netherlands

Ceresstraat 1, 4811 CA Breda
Canbrew B.V.(4) - 28.16%

Spain

Calle General Vara del Rey 5, 1 Piso, 26003 
Logroño, La Rioja

El Bandarra S.L. - 25.00%

Calle Malí, 7 La Laguna, 38320 Santa Cruz de 
Tenerife

Compania Cervecera De Canarias, S.A. - 20.00%

Tomino (Ponteverda), 36750, Parroquia de Goian, 
Barrio de Centinela, 1

Valdomino Premium Spirits, S.L. - 20.00%

United Kingdom

20 King Street Prince Albert House Maidenhead 
SL6 1DT

El Rayo Limited - 20.00%

354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE

The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre Limited - 
29.00%
39-45 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF

London Botanical Drinks Limited - 21.25%

64 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 8TB

South Sudan

Vietnam Spirits and Wine Ltd - 55.00%

Pulpex Limited - 36.42%

Southern Sudan African Park Hotel, Juba Town

East African Beverages (Southern Sudan) 
Limited(2) - 64.35%
Tanzania

2nd Floor, East Wing TDFL Building, Ohio street. 
P.O. Box 32840 Dar es Salaam
EABL (Tanzania) Limited(2) - 65.00%
Plot 117/2, Access Road, Nelson Mandela 
Expressway, Chang'Ombe Industrial Area, P.O. 
Box 41080, Dar es Salaam
Serengeti Breweries Limited(3) - 55.25%

Uganda

ASSOCIATES

Australia

50 Bertie Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria 3207

New World Whisky Distillery PTY Limited - 30.00%

Denmark

Stauningvej 38, 6900 Skjern

Stauning Whisky Holding ApS - 40.00%

France

24/32 rue Jean Goujon, 75008 Paris

Moët Hennessy International - 34.00%

Moët Hennessy, SAS - 34.00%

Germany

Mozartstr. 7, 53115 Bonn

Rheinland Distillers GmbH - 20.00%

71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, 
WC2H 9JQ

Leaf Arbor Limited - 20.00%

8 King Edward Street, Oxford, OX1 4HL

Still On The Hill Limited - 28.57%

Ballindalloch Castle, Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 
9AX

Ballindalloch Distillery LLP - 33.33%

Harbourside Brewery, Tretoil Farm, Bodmin, 
Cornwall, PL30 5BA

The Southwest Fermentorium Limited - 25.00%

Here 470 Bath Road, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3AP

Caleno Drinks Ltd - 20.00%

International House, 64 Nile Street, London, 
England, N1 7SR 

Las Olas Limited - 33.33%

United States

1045 Dodge Lane Fallon, NV 89406

Nevada Spirits DE, LLC - 25.00%

1222 SE Gideon Street Portland, OR 97202

Hanoi Liquor and Beverage Joint Stock Company 
(Halico) - 45.57%

JOINT VENTURES

Hong Kong

Room 06, 13A/F. South Tower, World Finance 
Centre, Harbour City, 17 Canton Road, Tsim Sha 
Tsui, Kowloon
Diageo International Spirits Company Limited(3) - 
50.00%

Naam Som LLC - 30.00%

United Kingdom

127 E Warm Springs Road, Las Vegas, NV 89119

9 Wheatfield Road, EDINBURGH, EH11 2PX

Browned Butter Bottling LLC - 40.00%

Lothian Distillers Limited - 50.00%

16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware 19958

Ironroot Republic Holdings LLC - 31.95%

1935 W. Irving Park Chicago, IL 60613

Ritual Beverage Company LLC - 30.51%

2459 E 8th Street, Los Angeles, California 90021

Modern Spirits LLC - 20.00%

251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, Delaware 19808

The North British Distillery Company Limited - 
50.00%
JOINT OPERATIONS(10)
China

804A, 488 Middle Yincheng Road, Shanghai, Pilot 
Free Trade Zone
Moët Hennessy Diageo (China) Co Ltd(12) - 
67.00%

VineLab Inc. - 22.22%

Costa Rica

3411 Silverside Road, Rodney Building, Suite 104, 
Wilmington, Delaware 19810

B&M Craft Spirits LLC - 24.06%

517 West 39th Street Austin, TX 78751

Gourmet Grade LLC - 19.41%

Heredia-Flores Llorente, Cervecería de Costa Rica, 
Edificio Corporativo de FIFCO

HA&COM Bebidas del Mundo, SA - 50.00%

Dominican Republic

Independencia Street, No. 129, Santiago

545 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Gist Dominicana S.A. - 60.25%

Salvador Sturla Street, Ensanche Naco, Santo 
Domingo

Macau

Avenida Comercial de Macau, nos 251ª-301, AIA 
Tower, Level 20, Macau
Moët  Hennessy Diageo Macau Limited(12) - 
67.00%

Malaysia

Unit 30-01, Level 30, Tower A, Vertical Business 
Suite, Avenue 3, Bangsar South, No. 8, Jalan 
Kerinchi, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia Sdn Bhd.(12) - 
67.00%

Netherlands

Molenwerf 12, 1014 BG, Amsterdam
Diageo-Moët Hennessy B.V.(5) - 67.00%

Singapore

83 Clemenceau Ave, 09-01 UE Square, Singapore 
239920
Moët Hennessy Diageo Singapore Pte. Ltd(12) - 
67.00%

Thailand

No. 944, Mitrtown Office Tower, 12th Floor, Rama 
4 Road, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330
Diageo Moët Hennessy (Thailand) Limited(8) - 
63.02%

Ukraine

Chervonoarmiyska Street, bld. 9/2, apt. 70, Kyiv
Seagram Ukraine Limited(2) - 60.90%

United Kingdom

Persimmon House, Fulford, York YO19 4FE

Analog Liquid LLC - 27.78%

575 Grand Street, E1507 New York, NY 10002

Grand Street Beverages LLC - 38.89%

6220 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 220, Alpharetta, GA 
30009

Pronghorn Initiative Holdings, LLC - 49.00%

65 SE Washington Street Portland, OR 97214

House Spirits Distillery LLC - 29.85%

735 10th Street, Fortuna, CA 95540

Redwood Spirits LLC - 20.00%

838 Walker Road, Suite 21-2, Dover, Delaware 
19904

FlyMonkey 20 LLC - 33.90%

8601296, TT Administrative Services LLC, 888 SW 
Fifth Avenue, Ste 1600, Portland, Oregon, 97204

Wilderton LLC - 27.78%
936 SW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33130

KOI Global LLC - 24.75%
Vietnam
94 Lo Duc Street, Pham Dinh Ho Ward, Hai Ba 
Trung District, Ha Noi City

Seagram Dominicana S.A. - 60.83%

Trafalgar Metropolitan Homes Limited - 50.00%

Segunda (2da) Street, Los Platanitos, Santiago

Industria de Licores Internationales S.A. - 60.86%

France

105 Boulevard de la Mission Marchand, 
Courbevoie, 92400

Moët Hennessy Diageo SAS - 0.05%

Hong Kong

Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East, 
Hong Kong
Moët Hennessy Diageo Hong Kong Limited(12) - 
67.00%

Japan

13F Jimbocho Mitsui Building, 1-105 
Kandajimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Moët Hennessy Diageo K.K.(12) - 67.00%

(1) Directly owned by Diageo plc.
(2) Dormant company.
(3) Ownership held in class of A shares.
(4) Ownership held in class of B shares.
(5) Ownership held in class of A shares and B shares.
(6) Ownership held in preference shares.
(7) Ownership held in equity shares and preference 

shares.

(8) Operation is managed by Diageo.
(9) Companies controlled by the group based on 

management's assessments.

(10) Diageo shares joint control over these entities under 

shareholder's agreements, and Diageo's rights to profit, 
assets and liabilities of the companies are dependent 
on the performance of the group's brands rather the 
effective equity ownership of the companies.
(11) Based on 55.88% equity investment in USL that 
excludes 2.38% owned by the USL Benefit Trust.

(12) Operation is managed by Moët Hennessey.

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11. Post balance sheet events 
Starting 1 July 2023, in line with reporting requirements the functional currency of Diageo plc has changed from sterling to US dollar which is applied 
prospectively. This is because the group's share of net sales and expenses in the US and other countries whose currencies correlate closely with the 
US dollar has been increasing over the years, and that trend is expected to continue in line with the group's strategic focus. The change in functional 
currency is not expected to significantly impact Diageo plc’s retained earnings that are available for the payment of dividends or purchases of own 
shares. Diageo has also decided to change its presentation currency to US dollar with effect from 1 July 2023, applied retrospectively, as it believes 
that this change will provide better alignment of the reporting of performance with its business exposures.

On 31 July 2023, the Board approved plans for a further return of capital programme of $1.0 billion to shareholders.

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Additional information

Contents
Unaudited financial information  
Cautionary statement
Non-financial reporting boundaries and methodologies
Independent Limited Assurance Report to the Directors of Diageo 
plc on selected subject matter
Other additional information

232
241
242
263

267

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UNAUD I TED  FI NANCIAL INFORMATI ON

Unaudited financial information

1. Definitions and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to GAAP measures

Diageo’s strategic planning process is based on certain non-GAAP 
measures, including organic movements. These non-GAAP measures 
are chosen for planning and reporting, and some of them are used for 
incentive purposes. The group’s management believes that these 
measures provide valuable additional information for users of the 
financial statements in understanding the group’s performance. These 
non-GAAP measures should be viewed as complementary to, and not 
replacements for, the comparable GAAP measures and reported 
movements therein.

It is not possible to reconcile the forecast tax rate before exceptional 
items, forecast organic net sales growth and forecast organic operating 
profit growth to the most comparable GAAP measure as it is not 
possible to predict, without unreasonable effort, with reasonable 
certainty, the future impact of changes in exchange rates, acquisitions 
and disposals and potential exceptional items. 

Volume 
Volume is a performance indicator that is measured on an equivalent 
units basis to nine-litre cases of spirits. An equivalent unit represents 
one nine-litre case of spirits, which is approximately 272 servings. A 
serving comprises 33ml of spirits, 165ml of wine, or 330ml of ready to 
drink or beer. Therefore, to convert volume of products other than 
spirits to equivalent units, the following guide has been used: beer in 
hectolitres, divide by 0.9; wine in nine-litre cases, divide by five; ready 
to drink and certain pre-mixed products that are classified as ready to 
drink in nine-litre cases, divide by ten. 

Organic movements 
Organic information is presented using sterling amounts on a constant 
currency basis excluding the impact of exceptional items, certain fair 
value remeasurement, hyperinflation and acquisitions and disposals. 
Organic measures enable users to focus on the performance of the 
business which is common to both years and which represents those 
measures that local managers are most directly able to influence. 

Calculation of organic movements 
The organic movement percentage is the amount in the row titled 
‘Organic movement’ in the tables below, expressed as a percentage of 
the relevant absolute amount in the row titled ‘2022 adjusted’. Organic 
operating margin is calculated by dividing operating profit before 
exceptional items by net sales after excluding the impact of exchange 
rate movements, certain fair value remeasurements, hyperinflation and 
acquisitions and disposals.

(a) Exchange rates 
Exchange in the organic movement calculation reflects the adjustment 
to recalculate the reported results as if they had been generated at the 
prior period weighted average exchange rates.
Exchange impacts in respect of the external hedging of intergroup 
sales by the markets in a currency other than their functional currency 
and the intergroup recharging of services are also translated at prior 
period weighted average exchange rates and are allocated to the 
geographical segment to which they relate. Residual exchange 
impacts are reported as part of the Corporate segment. Results from 
hyperinflationary economies are translated at forward-looking rates.

(b) Acquisitions and disposals  
For acquisitions in the current period, the post-acquisition results are 
excluded from the organic movement calculations. For acquisitions in 
the prior period, post-acquisition results are included in full in the prior 
period but are included in the organic movement calculation from the 
anniversary of the acquisition date in the current period. The acquisition 
row also eliminates the impact of transaction costs that have been 
charged to operating profit in the current or prior period in respect of 
acquisitions that, in management’s judgement, are expected to be 
completed. 

Where a business, brand, brand distribution right or agency 

agreement was disposed of or terminated in the reporting period, the 
group, in the organic movement calculations, excludes the results for 
that business from the current and prior period. In the calculation of 
operating profit, the overheads included in disposals are only those 
directly attributable to the businesses disposed of, and do not result 
from subjective judgements of management.

(c) Exceptional items 
Exceptional items are those that in management’s judgement need to 
be disclosed separately. Such items are included within the income 
statement caption to which they relate, and are excluded from the 
organic movement calculations. Management believes that that 
separate disclosure of exceptional items and the classification between 
operating and non-operating items further helps investors to 
understand the performance of the group. Changes in estimates and 
reversals in relation to items previously recognised as exceptional are 
presented consistently as exceptional in the current year. 

Exceptional operating items are those that are considered to be 
material and unusual or non-recurring in nature and are part of the 
operating activities of the group, such as one-off global restructuring 
programmes which can be multi-year, impairment of intangible assets 
and fixed assets, indirect tax settlements, property disposals and 
changes in post employment plans. 

Gains and losses on the sale or directly attributable to a prospective 

sale of businesses, brands or distribution rights, step up gains and 
losses that arise when an investment becomes an associate or an 
associate becomes a subsidiary and other material, unusual non-
recurring items that are not in respect of the production, marketing and 
distribution of premium drinks, are disclosed as exceptional non-
operating items below operating profit in the income statement. 

Exceptional current and deferred tax items comprise material and 
unusual or non-recurring items that impact taxation. Examples include 
direct tax provisions and settlements in respect of prior years and the 
remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities following tax rate 
changes.

(d) Fair value remeasurement 
Fair value remeasurement in the organic movement calculation reflects 
an adjustment to eliminate the impact of fair value changes in 
biological assets, earn-out arrangements that are accounted for as 
remuneration and fair value changes relating to contingent 
consideration liabilities and equity options that arose on acquisitions 
recognised in the income statement.

Growth on a constant basis
Growth on a constant basis is a measure used by the group to 
understand the trends of the business and its recovery towards pre-
Covid-19 performance.

2019 to 2023 growth on a constant basis for volume, sales, net 
sales and operating profit before exceptional items is calculated by 
adding up the respective periods’ organic movement in the row titled 
‘Organic movement’ in the tables below, expressed as a percentage 
of the relevant absolute amount in the row titled '2019 adjusted’. The 
most comparable GAAP financial measure is '2019 to 2023 reported 
movement %' in the tables below which is calculated by combining 
the reported movements for the respective periods, expressed as a 
percentage of the 2019 reported amount.

Adjustment in respect of hyperinflation 
The group's experience is that hyperinflationary conditions result in 
price increases that include both normal pricing actions reflecting 
changes in demand, commodity and other input costs or 

considerations to drive commercial competitiveness, as well as 
hyperinflationary elements and that for the calculation of organic 
movements, the distortion from hyperinflationary elements should be 
excluded.

Cumulative inflation over 100% (2% per month compounded) 
over three years is one of the key indicators within IAS 29 to assess 
whether an economy is deemed to be hyperinflationary. As a result, 
the definition of 'Organic movements' includes price growth in 
markets deemed to be hyperinflationary economies, up to a 
maximum of 2% per month while also being on a constant currency 
basis. Corresponding adjustments have been made to all income 
statement related lines in the organic movement calculations. 

In the tables presenting the calculation of organic movements, 
'hyperinflation' is included as a reconciling item between reported 
and organic movements and that also includes the relevant IAS 29 
adjustments. 

Organic movement calculations for the year ended 30 June 2023 were as follows: 

Volume (equivalent units)

2019 reported

Disposals

2019 adjusted

Organic movement (2020)

Organic movement (2021)

Organic movement (2022)

2020, 2021 and 2022 movement on a constant basis

Volume (equivalent units)

2022 reported
Disposals(2)

2022 adjusted

Organic movement
Acquisitions and disposals(2)

2023 reported

Organic movement %

2019 to 2023 reported growth %

2019 to 2023 growth on a constant basis %

Sales

2022 reported

Exchange
Disposals(2)

Hyperinflation

2022 adjusted

Organic movement
Acquisitions and disposals(2)

Exchange

Hyperinflation

2023 reported

Organic movement %

North America
million

Europe
million

Asia
Pacific
million

Latin America
and Caribbean
million

Africa
million

Corporate
million

Total
million

49.4   

(2.1)   

47.3   

0.1 

5.1 

1.4 

6.6 

54.8   

—   

54.8   

(2.5)   

0.1 

52.4 

 (5) 

 6 

 9 

45.4   

(0.1)   

45.3   

(5.2)   

2.9 

8.5 

6.2 

51.2   

(0.8)   

50.4   

0.1 

0.8 

51.3 

 — 

 13 

 14 

95.1   

—   

95.1   

(14.5)   

7.0 

6.6 

(0.9)   

94.2   

(23.3)   

70.9   

3.9 

6.0 

80.8 

 5 

 (15) 

 3 

22.4   

—   

22.4   

(3.4)   

4.1 

4.0 

4.7 

27.1   

—   

27.1   

(0.9)   

— 

26.2 

 (3) 

 17 

 17 

33.6   

(2.7)   

30.9   

(4.0)   

4.8 

4.0 

4.8 

35.7   

(1.9)   

33.8   

(2.4)   

1.3 

32.7 

 (7) 

 (3) 

 8 

—   

—   

—   

— 

— 

— 

— 

—   

—   

—   

— 

— 

— 

 — 

 — 

 — 

245.9 

(4.9) 

241.0 

(27.0) 

23.9 

24.5 

21.4 

263.0 

(26.0) 

237.0 

(1.8) 

8.2 

243.4 

 (1) 

 (1) 

 8 

North America
£ million

Europe
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin America
and Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

Corporate
£ million

Total
£ million

6,682   

5,740   

5,624   

1,945   

2,403   

54   

22,448 

(51)   

—   

—   

(149)   

(36)   

(213)   

(4)   

(884)   

—   

(19)   

—   

—   

(1)   

(195)   

—   

6,631   

5,342   

4,736   

1,926   

2,207   

(15)   

23 

743 

— 

7,382 

 — 

553 

22 

(205)   

284 

5,996 

 10 

317 

225 

125 

— 

132 

6 

196 

— 

71 

156 

(48)   

— 

5,403 

2,260 

 7 

 7 

2,386 

 3 

—   

—   

—   

54   

33 

— 

1 

— 

88 

 61 

(224) 

(1,115) 

(213) 

20,896 

1,091 

432 

812 

284 

23,515 

 5 

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UNAUD I TED  FI NANCIAL INFORMATI ON  continu ed

North America
£ million

Europe
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin America
and Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

Corporate
£ million

Total
£ million

North America
£ million

Europe
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin America
and Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

Corporate
£ million

Total
£ million

Net sales

2019 reported

Exchange

Reclassification

Disposals

2019 adjusted 

Organic movement (2020)

Organic movement (2021)

Organic movement (2022)

2020, 2021 and 2022 movement on a constant basis

4,460   

2,939   

2,688   

1,130   

1,597   

53   

12,867 

(34)   

—   

(75)   

4,351   

105 

929 

754 

1,788 

(19)   

—   

(1)   

2,919   

(358)   

108 

766 

516 

1   

—   

(1)   

2,688   

(423)   

308 

402 

287 

4   

(10)   

(1)   

1,123   

(169)   

275 

451 

557 

(2)   

—   

(91)   

1,504   

(200)   

258 

308 

366 

2   

—   

—   

55   

(16)   

(18)   

35 

1 

(48) 

(10) 

(169) 

12,640 

(1,061) 

1,860 

2,716 

3,515 

Net sales

2022 reported
Exchange(1)
Disposals(2)

Hyperinflation

2022 adjusted

Organic movement
Acquisitions and disposals(2)
Exchange(1)

Hyperinflation

2023 reported

Organic movement %

2019 to 2023 reported growth %

2019 to 2023 growth on a constant basis %

Marketing

2022 reported

Exchange

Fair value remeasurement of contingent considerations, 

equity option and earn out arrangements

Disposals(2)

Hyperinflation

2022 adjusted

Organic movement
Acquisitions and disposals(2)

Exchange

Hyperinflation

2023 reported

Organic movement %

6,095   

3,212   

2,884   

1,525   

1,682   

54   

15,452 

(46)   

—   

—   

(44)   

(29)   

(71)   

(8)   

(137)   

—   

(16)   

—   

—   

(1)   

(130)   

—   

6,049   

3,068   

2,739   

1,509   

1,551   

11 

20 

678 

— 

347 

20 

(41)   

175 

353 

35 

73 

— 

6,758 

3,569 

3,200 

 — 

 52 

 41 

 11 

 21 

 30 

 13 

 19 

 24 

142 

3 

145 

— 

1,799 

 9 

 59 

 62 

83 

104 

(39)   

— 

1,699 

 5 

 6 

 30 

—   

—   

—   

54   

33 

— 

1 

— 

88 

 61 

 66 

 62 

(115) 

(296) 

(71) 

14,970 

969 

182 

817 

175 

17,113 

 6 

 33 

 35 

North America
£ million

Europe
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin America
and Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

Corporate
£ million

Total
£ million

1,200   

(12)   

1   

—   

—   

577   

5   

—   

(1)   

(6)   

490   

(2)   

—   

—   

—   

243   

(3)   

—   

—   

—   

1,189   

575   

488   

240   

22 

15 

134 

— 

1,360 

 2 

42 

3 

(2)   

17 

635 

 7 

46 

— 

12 

— 

546 

 9 

34 

1 

21 

— 

296 

 14 

199   

(2)   

—   

(9)   

—   

188   

4 

4 

(1)   

— 

195 

 2 

12   

(1)   

—   

—   

—   

11   

4 

2 

2 

— 

19 

 36 

2,721 

(15) 

1 

(10) 

(6) 

2,691 

152 

25 

166 

17 

3,051 

 6 

Operating profit before exceptional items

2019 reported

Disposal

2019 adjusted

Organic movement (2020)

Organic movement (2021)

Organic movement (2022)

2020, 2021 and 2022 movement on a constant basis

Operating profit before exceptional items

2022 reported
Exchange(1)
Fair value remeasurement of contingent considerations and 

equity option

Acquisitions and disposals(2)

Hyperinflation

2022 adjusted

Organic movement
Acquisitions and disposals(2)
Fair value remeasurement of contingent considerations, 

equity option and earn out arrangements

Exchange(1)

Hyperinflation

2023 reported

Organic movement %

Organic operating margin % (3)

2023

2022

Margin movement (bps)

2019 to 2023 reported growth %

2019 to 2023 growth on a constant basis %

For the reconciliation of sales to net sales, see page 54.

(i) 
(ii)  Percentages and margin movements are calculated on rounded figures.  

Notes: Information in respect of the organic movement calculations  

4,116 

(29) 

4,087 

(589) 

627 

995 

1,033 

North America
£ million

Europe
£ million

Asia
Pacific
£ million

Latin America
and Caribbean
£ million

Africa
£ million

Corporate
£ million

Total
£ million

2,454   

(31)   

(32)   

6   

—   

2,397   

(57)   

(18)   

87 

280 

— 

2,689 

 (2) 

 38.6 

 39.6 

(101)   

1,017   

(13)   

(36)   

(18)   

(1)   

949   

103 

(13)   

25 

18 

23 

1,105 

 11 

 30.8 

 30.9 

(13)   

711   

(5)   

—   

(26)   

—   

680   

200 

5 

— 

20 

— 

905 

 29 

 28.5 

 24.8 

363 

538   

(14)   

8   

—   

—   

315   

11   

—   

(18)   

—   

(238)   

(30)   

4,797 

(82) 

—   

—   

—   

(60) 

(56) 

(1) 

532   

308   

(268)   

4,598 

62 

— 

1 

66 

— 

661 

 12 

 36.0 

 35.3 

72 

37 

27 

— 

(152)   

— 

220 

 12 

 21.1 

 19.9 

126 

(24)   

(6)   

— 

(28)   

— 

321 

(5) 

113 

204 

23 

(326)   

5,254 

 (9) 

 7 

n/a

n/a

n/a  

 30.9 

 30.7 

15 

 28 

 33 

(1)

The impact of movements in exchange rates on reported figures for operating profit was principally in respect of the favourable exchange impact of the strengthening of the US dollar 
and Mexican peso against the sterling, partially offset by the weakening of the Nigerian naira, Ghanaian cedi and the Turkish lira. 

(2)  Acquisitions and disposals that had an effect on volume, sales, net sales, marketing and operating profit in the year ended 30 June 2023, are detailed on page 236.
(3)  Organic operating margin calculated by dividing Operating profit before exceptional items by net sales.

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UNAUD I TED  FI NANCIAL INFORMATI ON  continu ed

In the year ended 30 June 2023, the acquisitions and disposals that affected volume, sales, net sales, marketing and operating profit were as 
follows, as per footnote (2) on the previous page:

Year ended 30 June 2022

Acquisition

Chase Distillery

Lone River Ranch Water

Disposals

USL Popular brands

Archers brand

Meta Abo Brewery

Picon brand

Guinness Cameroun S.A.

Acquisitions and disposals

Year ended 30 June 2023

Acquisitions

Mr Black

Balcones Distilling

Mezcal Unión

21Seeds

Don Papa Rum

Disposals

USL Popular brands

Archers brand

Guinness Cameroun S.A.

Acquisitions and disposals

Volume
equ. units million

Sales
£ million

Net sales
£ million

Marketing
£ million

Operating
profit
£ million

—   

—   

—   

(23.3)   

(0.1)   

(0.3)   

(0.7)   

(1.6)   

(26.0)   

—   

—   

—   

(884)   

(16)   

(16)   

(20)   

(179)   

(1,115)   

—   

—   

—   

(137)   

(10)   

(12)   

(19)   

(118)   

(296)   

—   

—   

—   

—   

—   

(1)   

(1)   

(8)   

(10)   

1 

6 

7 

(26) 

(7) 

8 

(12) 

(26) 

(63) 

(26.0)   

(1,115)   

(296)   

(10)   

(56) 

— 

— 

— 

0.1 

0.1 

0.2 

6.0 

0.7 

1.3 

8.0 

8.2 

8 

4 

8 

9 

10 

39 

225 

12 

156 

393 

432 

7 

4 

4 

8 

10 

33 

35 

10 

104 

149 

182 

3 

4 

3 

8 

3 

21 

— 

— 

4 

4 

25 

(2) 

(12) 

(1) 

(9) 

(15) 

(39) 

5 

2 

27 

34 

(5) 

2022

£ million

3,249 

405 

(31) 

(103) 

3,520 

million

2,318 

7 

2,325 

pence

151.9 

151.4 

Earnings per share before exceptional items  
Earnings per share before exceptional items is calculated by dividing profit attributable to equity shareholders of the parent company before 
exceptional items by the weighted average number of shares in issue.  

Earnings per share before exceptional items for the year ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 are set out in the table below: 

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the parent company

Exceptional operating and non-operating items

Exceptional tax items and tax in respect of exceptional operating and non-operating items

Exceptional items attributable to non-controlling interests

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the parent company before exceptional items

Weighted average number of shares

Shares in issue excluding own shares

Dilutive potential ordinary shares

Diluted shares in issue excluding own shares

Basic earnings per share before exceptional items

Diluted earnings per share before exceptional items

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2023

£ million

3,734 

294 

(186)   

(141)   

3,701 

million

2,264 

7 

2,271 

pence

163.5 

163.0 

Free cash flow  
Free cash flow comprises the net cash flow from operating activities aggregated with the net cash received/paid for working capital loans 
receivable, cash paid or received for investments and the net cash expenditure paid for property, plant and equipment and computer software that 
are included in net cash flow from investing activities. 

The remaining components of net cash flow from investing activities that do not form part of free cash flow, as defined by the group’s 

management, are in respect of the acquisition and sale of businesses and non-working capital loans to and from associates. 

The group’s management regards a portion of the purchase and disposal of property, plant and equipment and computer software as ultimately 

non-discretionary since ongoing investment in plant, machinery and technology is required to support the day-to-day operations, whereas 
acquisition and sale of businesses are discretionary. 

Where appropriate, separate explanations are given for the impacts of acquisition and sale of businesses, dividends paid and the purchase of 

own shares, each of which arises from decisions that are independent from the running of the ongoing underlying business. 

Free cash flow reconciliations for the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 are set out in the table below: 

Net cash inflow from operating activities

Disposal of property, plant and equipment and computer software

Purchase of property, plant and equipment and computer software

Movements in loans and other investments

Free cash flow

2023

£ million

3,024 

13 

(1,180)   

(57)   

1,800 

2022

£ million

3,935 

17 

(1,097) 

(72) 

2,783 

Operating cash conversion 
Operating cash conversion is calculated by dividing cash generated from operations excluding cash inflows and outflows in respect of exceptional 
items, dividends received from associates, maturing inventories, provisions, other items and post employment payments in excess of the amount 
charged to operating profit by operating profit before depreciation, amortisation, impairment and exceptional operating items. 

The measure is excluding any hyperinflation adjustment above the organic treatment of hyperinflationary economies. The ratio is stated at the 

budgeted exchange rates for the respective year and is expressed as a percentage.

Operating cash conversion for the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 were as follows:

Profit for the year

Taxation

Share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures

Net finance charges

Non-operating items

Operating profit

Exceptional operating items

Fair value remeasurement
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment(1)

Hyperinflation adjustment

Retranslation to budgeted exchange rates

Cash generated from operations
Net exceptional cash paid(2)
Post employment payments less amounts included in operating profit(1)
Net movement in maturing inventories(3)

Provision movement

Dividends received from associates
Other items(1)

Hyperinflation adjustment

Retranslation to budgeted exchange rates

2023

£ million

3,766 

970 

(370) 

594 

(328) 

4,632 

622 

(124) 

496 

(28) 

(198) 

5,400 

4,779 

25 

25 

577 

65 

(219) 

14 

(29) 

(198) 

5,039 

2022

£ million

3,338 

1,049 

(417) 

422 

17 

4,409 

388 

(60) 

489 

(10) 

27 

5,243 

5,212 

15 

89 

360 

58 

(190) 

(53) 

(22) 

42 

5,511 

Operating cash conversion

 93.3% 

 105.1% 

(1)  Excluding exceptional items. 
(2)  Exceptional cash payments for winding down our Russian operations was £13 million (2022 – £13 million) and for Supply chain agility programme was £12 million (2022 - £nil). In the year 

ended 30 June 2022 exceptional cash payments for other donations were £2 million.

(3)  Excluding non-cash movements such as exchange and the impact of acquisitions and disposals.

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Return on average invested capital 
Return on average invested capital is used by management to assess the return obtained from the group’s asset base and is calculated to aid 
evaluation of the performance of the business. 

The profit used in assessing the return on average invested capital reflects operating profit before exceptional items attributable to equity 
shareholders of the parent company plus share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures after applying the tax rate before exceptional 
items for the fiscal year. Average invested capital is calculated using the average derived from the consolidated balance sheets at the beginning, 
middle and end of the year. Average capital employed comprises average net assets attributable to equity shareholders of the parent company for 
the year, excluding net post employment benefit assets/liabilities (net of deferred tax) and average net borrowings. This average capital employed 
is then aggregated with the average restructuring and integration costs net of tax, and goodwill written off to reserves at 1 July 2004, the date of 
transition to IFRS, to obtain the average total invested capital. 

Calculations for the return on average invested capital for the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 are set out in the table below: 

Operating profit

Exceptional operating items

Profit before exceptional operating items attributable to non-controlling interests

Share of after tax results of associates and joint ventures

Tax at the tax rate before exceptional items of 23.0% (2022 – 22.5%)

Average net assets (excluding net post employment benefit assets/liabilities)

Average non-controlling interests

Average net borrowings

Average integration and restructuring costs (net of tax)

Goodwill at 1 July 2004

Average invested capital

Return on average invested capital

2023

£ million

4,632 

622 

(173) 

370 

(1,294) 

4,157 

8,924 

(1,638) 

14,949 

1,639 

1,562 

25,436 

2022

£ million

4,409 

388 

(192) 

417 

(1,173) 

3,849 

8,428 

(1,641) 

12,859 

1,639 

1,562 

22,847 

 16.3% 

 16.8% 

Adjusted net borrowings to adjusted EBITDA
Diageo manages its capital structure with the aim of achieving capital efficiency, providing flexibility to invest through the economic cycle and giving 
efficient access to debt markets at attractive cost levels. The group regularly assesses its debt and equity capital levels to enhance its capital 
structure by reviewing the ratio of adjusted net borrowings to adjusted EBITDA (earnings before exceptional operating items, non-operating items, 
interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and impairment). 

Calculations for the ratio of adjusted net borrowings to adjusted EBITDA for the years ended30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 are set out in the 

table below: 

Borrowings due within one year

Borrowings due after one year

Fair value of foreign currency derivatives and interest rate hedging instruments

Lease liabilities

Less: Cash and cash equivalents

Net borrowings

Post employment benefit liabilities before tax

Adjusted net borrowings

Profit for the year

Taxation

Net finance charges

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment (excluding exceptional impairment)

Exceptional impairment

EBITDA

Exceptional operating items (excluding impairment)

Non-operating items

Adjusted EBITDA

2023

£ million

1,701 

14,801 

30 

448 

(1,439)   

15,541 

373 

15,914 

3,766 

970 

594 

496 

570 

6,396 

52 

(328)   

6,120 

2022

£ million

1,522 

14,498 

(73) 

475 

(2,285) 

14,137 

402 

14,539 

3,338 

1,049 

422 

492 

336 

5,637 

49 

17 

5,703 

Tax rate before exceptional items  
Tax rate before exceptional items is calculated by dividing the total tax charge before tax charges and credits in respect of exceptional items, by 
profit before taxation adjusted to exclude the impact of exceptional operating and non-operating items, expressed as a percentage. The measure is 
used by management to assess the rate of tax applied to the group’s operations before tax on exceptional items. 

The tax rates from operations before exceptional and after exceptional items for the years ended 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2022 are set out in 

the table below: 

Taxation on profit (a)

Tax in respect of exceptional items

Exceptional tax credit

Tax before exceptional items (b)

Profit before taxation (c)

Non-operating items

Exceptional operating items

Profit before taxation and exceptional items (d)

Tax rate after exceptional items (a/c)

Tax rate before exceptional items (b/d)

2023

£ million

970 

129 

57 

1,156 

4,736 

(328) 

622 

5,030 

 20.5 %

 23.0 %

2022

£ million

1,049 

31 

— 

1,080 

4,387 

17 

388 

4,792 

 23.9 %

 22.5 %

Other definitions 
Volume share is a brand’s retail volume expressed as a percentage of 
the retail volume of all brands in its segment. Value share is a brand’s 
retail sales value expressed as a percentage of the retail sales value of 
all brands in its segment. Unless otherwise stated, share refers to value 
share. 

Net sales are sales less excise duties. Diageo incurs excise duties 
throughout the world. In the majority of countries, excise duties are 
effectively a production tax which becomes payable when the product 
is removed from bonded premises and is not directly related to the 
value of sales. It is generally not included as a separate item on external 
invoices; increases in excise duties are not always passed on to the 
customer and where a customer fails to pay for a product received, the 
group cannot reclaim the excise duty. The group therefore recognises 
excise duty as a cost to the group.

Price/mix is the number of percentage points difference between the 

organic movement in net sales and the organic movement in volume. 
The difference arises because of changes in the composition of sales 
between higher and lower priced variants/markets or as price changes 
are implemented.  

Shipments comprise the volume of products sold to Diageo’s 

immediate (first tier) customers. Depletions are the estimated volume of 
the onward sales made by Diageo's immediate customers. Both 
shipments and depletions are measured on an equivalent units basis.  
References to emerging markets include Poland, Eastern Europe, 

Turkey, Latin America and Caribbean, Africa and Asia Pacific 
(excluding Australia, Korea and Japan). 

References to reserve brands include, but are not limited to, Johnnie 
Walker Blue Label, Johnnie Walker Green Label, Johnnie Walker Gold 
Label Reserve, Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years, John Walker & Sons 
Collection and other Johnnie Walker super and ultra-premium brands; 
The Singleton, Cardhu, Talisker, Lagavulin, Oban and other malt 
brands; Buchanan’s Special Reserve, Buchanan’s Red Seal; Haig Club 

whisky; Copper Dog whisky; Roe & Co; Bulleit Bourbon, Bulleit Rye; 
Orphan Barrel whiskey; Balcones whisky and rum; Tanqueray No. TEN 
and Tanqueray Malacca gin; Aviation, Chase, Jinzu and Villa Ascenti 
gin; Cîroc, Ketel One vodka, Ketel One Botanical; Don Julio, 
Casamigos, DeLeón and 21Seeds tequila; Mezcal Unión mezcal; 
Zacapa, Bundaberg Master Distillers' Collection, Pampero Aniversario 
and Don Papa rum; Shui Jing Fang, Seedlip, Belsazar and Pierde 
Almas. 

References to global giants include the following brand families: 
Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and 
Guinness. Local stars include Buchanan’s, Bundaberg, Crown Royal, 
JεB, McDowell’s, Old Parr, Yenì Raki, Black & White, Shui Jing Fang, 
Windsor and Ypióca. Global giants and local stars exclude ready to 
drink, non-alcoholic variants and beer except Guinness. References to 
Shui Jing Fang represent total Chinese white spirits of which Shui Jing 
Fang is the predominant brand.   

References to ready to drink also include ready to serve products, 

such as pre-mixed cans in some markets.  

References to beer include cider, flavoured malt beverages and 

some non-alcoholic products such as Malta Guinness.  

The results of Hop House 13 Lager are included in the Guinness 

figures.  

There is no industry-agreed definition for price tiers and for data 
providers such as IWSR, definitions can vary by market. Diageo bases 
price tier definitions on a methodology that uses external metrics 
(including market pricing data from Nielsen, IRI etc., as well as the IWSR 
segmentation) for benchmarking and internal pricing metrics for a 
consistent segmentation. 

References to the disposal of the USL Popular brands include non-
exhaustively the Haywards, Old Tavern, White Mischief, Honey Bee, 
Green Label and Romanov brands. 

References to the group include Diageo plc and its consolidated 

subsidiaries.   

Adjusted net borrowings to adjusted EBITDA

2.6 

2.5 

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2. Contractual obligations and other commitments

As at 30 June 2023

Long-term debt obligations

Interest obligations

Credit support obligations

Purchase obligations

Commitments for short-term leases and leases of low-value assets

Provisions and other non-current payables

Lease obligations

Capital commitments

Other financial liabilities

Total

Less than
1 year
£ million

1,459 

541 

15 

1,904 

32 

125 

93 

596 

218 

Payments due by period

1-3 years
£ million

3-5 years
£ million

More than
5 years
£ million

3,614 

750 

— 

736 

3 

240 

131 

3 

— 

2,982 

623 

— 

291 

1 

157 

88 

— 

— 

8,651 

1,503 

— 

71 

— 

213 

239 

— 

— 

Total
£ million

16,706 

3,417 

15 

3,002 

36 

735 

551 

599 

218 

4,983 

5,477 

4,142 

10,677 

25,279 

Long-term debt obligations comprise the principal amount of borrowings (excluding foreign currency swaps) with an original maturity of greater 
than one year. Interest obligations comprise interest payable on these borrowings and are calculated based on the fixed amounts payable and 
where the interest rate is variable on an estimate of what the variable rates will be in the future. Credit support obligations represent liabilities to 
counterparty banks in respect of cash received as collateral under credit support agreements. Purchase obligations include various long-term 
purchase contracts entered into for the supply of raw materials, principally bulk whisk(e)y, cereals, cans and glass bottles. Contracts are used to 
guarantee the supply of raw materials over the long term and to enable a more accurate prediction of costs of raw materials in the future. For 
certain provisions, discounted numbers are disclosed. 

Corporate tax payable of £135 million and deferred tax liabilities of £2,183 million are not included in the table above, as the ultimate timing of 

settlement cannot be reasonably estimated. 

Management believe that it has sufficient funding for its working capital requirements. 

3. Off-balance sheet arrangements
Neither Diageo plc nor any member of the Diageo group has any off-balance sheet financing arrangements that currently have or are reasonably 
likely to have a material future effect on the group’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital 
expenditure or capital resources. 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

Cautionary statement concerning forward-looking statements 

This document contains ‘forward-looking’ statements. These statements 
can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or 
current facts and may generally, but not always, be identified by the use 
of words such as “’will”, “anticipates”, “should”, “could”, “would”, 
“targets”, “aims”, “may”, “expects”, “intends” or similar expressions 
statements. In this document, such statements include those that express 
forecasts, expectations, plans, outlook, objectives and projections with 
respect to future matters, including information related to Diageo’s fiscal 
24 outlook, Diageo’s medium-term guidance for fiscal 23 to fiscal 25, 
Diageo’s supply chain agility programme, future Total Beverage Alcohol 
market share ambitions and any other statements relating to Diageo’s 
performance for the year ending 30 June 2024 or thereafter.

Forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because 
they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the 
future. There is a number of factors that could cause actual results and 
developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by 
these forward-looking statements, including factors that are outside 
Diageo's control, which include (but are not limited to): 
(i) economic, political, social or other developments in countries and 
markets in which Diageo operates, including macro-economic events 
that may affect Diageo’s customers, suppliers and/or financial 
counterparties; (ii) the effects of climate change, or legal, regulatory or 
market measures intended to address climate change; (iii) changes in 
consumer preferences and tastes, including as a result of disruptive 
market forces, changes in demographics and evolving social trends 
(including any shifts in consumer tastes towards at-home occasions, 
premiumisation, small-batch craft alcohol, or lower or no-alcohol 
products and/or developments in e-commerce); (iv) changes in the 
domestic and international tax environment that could lead to 
uncertainty around the application of existing and new tax laws and 
unexpected tax exposures; (v) changes in the cost of production, 
including as a result of increases in the cost of commodities, labour 
and/or energy due to inflation and/or supply chain disruptions; (vi) any 
litigation or other similar proceedings (including with tax, customs, 
competition, environmental, anti-corruption or other regulatory 
authorities); (vii) legal and regulatory developments, including changes 
in regulations relating to environmental issues and/or e-commerce; (viii) 
the consequences of any failure of internal controls; (ix) the 
consequences of any failure by Diageo or its associates to comply with 
anti-corruption, sanctions, trade restrictions or similar laws and 
regulations, or any failure of Diageo’s related internal policies and 
procedures to comply with applicable law or regulation; (x) Diageo’s 
ability to make sufficient progress against or achieve its ESG ambitions; 
(xi) cyber-attacks and IT threats or any other disruptions to core business 
operations; (xii) contamination, counterfeiting or other circumstances 
which could harm the level of customer support for Diageo’s brands and 
adversely impact its sales; (xiii) Diageo’s ability to maintain its brand 
image and corporate reputation or to adapt to a changing media 
environment; (xiv) fluctuations in exchange rates and/or interest rates; 
(xv) Diageo’s ability to derive the expected benefits from its business 
strategies, including Diageo’s investments in e-commerce and its luxury 
portfolio; (xvi) increased competitive product and pricing pressures, 
including as a result of introductions of new products or categories that 
are competitive with Diageo’s products and consolidations by 
competitors and retailers; (xvii) increased costs for, or shortages of, 
talent, as well as labour strikes or disputes; (xviii) movements in the 
value of the assets and liabilities related to Diageo’s pension plans; (xix) 
Diageo’s ability to renew supply, distribution, manufacturing or licence 
agreements (or related rights) and licences on favourable terms, or at 
all, when they expire; or (xx) any failure by Diageo to protect its 
intellectual property rights. 

In preparing the ESG-related information contained in this 

document, Diageo has made a number of key judgements, estimations 

and assumptions and the processes and issues involved are complex. 
The ESG-related forward looking statements should be treated with 
special caution, as ESG and climate data, models and methodologies 
are often relatively new, are rapidly evolving and are not of the same 
standard as those available in the context of other financial information, 
nor are they subject to the same or equivalent disclosure standards, 
historical reference points, benchmarks, market consensus or globally 
accepted accounting principles. In particular, it is not possible to rely on 
historical data as a strong indicator of future trajectories in the case of 
climate change and its evolution. Outputs of models, processed data 
and methodologies are also likely to be affected by underlying data 
quality, which can be hard to assess and we expect industry guidance, 
market practice, and regulations in this field to continue to change. 
There are also challenges faced in relation to the ability to access data 
on a timely basis and the lack of consistency and comparability 
between data that is available. This means the ESG-related forward-
looking statements and ESG metrics discussed in this document carry an 
additional degree of inherent risk and uncertainty, and as a result, our 
actual results and developments could differ materially from those 
expressed or implied by the ESG-related forward-looking statements in 
this document. 

In light of the uncertainty as to the nature of future policy and 
market responses to climate change, including between regions, and 
the effectiveness of any such responses, Diageo may have to re-
evaluate its progress and evolve its approach towards its ESG ambitions, 
commitments and targets in the future, update the methodologies it uses 
or alter its approach to ESG and climate analysis and may be required 
to amend, update and recalculate its ESG disclosures and assessments 
in the future, as market practice and data quality and availability 
develops rapidly.  

All oral and written forward-looking statements made on or after the 
date of this document and attributable to Diageo are expressly qualified 
in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in 
this section. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting 
Diageo are described in our filings with the London Stock Exchange and 
the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in our 
Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 30 June 2023.

Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Diageo 
speak only as of the date they are made. Diageo expressly disclaims 
any obligation or undertaking to publicly update or revise these forward-
looking statements other than as required by applicable law. The reader 
should, however, consult any additional disclosures that Diageo may 
make in any documents which it publishes and/or files with the SEC.

All readers, wherever located, should take note of these disclosures. 

This document includes names of Diageo’s products, which constitute 
trademarks or trade names which Diageo owns, or which others own 
and license to Diageo for use. All rights reserved. © Diageo plc 2023.

The information in this document does not constitute an offer to sell 

or an invitation to buy shares in Diageo plc or an invitation or 
inducement to engage in any other investment activities.

This document may include information about Diageo’s target debt 

rating. A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold 
securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by 
the assigning rating organisation. Each rating should be evaluated 
independently of any other rating.

Past performance cannot be relied upon as a guide to future 

performance.

References in this document to information on websites are included 

as an aid to their location and such information is not incorporated in, 
and does not form part of, this document unless otherwise noted.

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NON-FI NANCI AL REPORTI NG  BOUNDARIES  AND METHODOLOGIES 

Non-financial reporting boundaries and 
methodologies

Exceptions to and limitations of each indicator are explained in the 
following pages section of this document.  

III. Baseline and targets
The financial year ended 30 June 2020 is our baseline year. It applies 
to the majority of our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ targets. 
Exceptions are described in the following pages. The baseline data is 
used as the basis for calculating progress against our targets.

We aim to achieve each target by fiscal 30, unless otherwise stated 

in the following pages of this document. 

IV. Acquisitions and disposals
New acquisitions are included in the consolidated reporting for non-
financial disclosure from the date when control passes or as soon as 
practically feasible, and no later than one year after assuming 
operational control.(2) This duration varies as each new acquisition has 
unique systems and processes that must be integrated. In case of 
disposals, data associated with the divestment is removed from the 
baseline, intervening years and current year unless otherwise stated in 
the following pages.

V. Restatements
We may have to restate historical data due to structural changes in our 
operations, including from acquisitions and divestments; improvements 
in data accuracy and calculation methodologies; material changes to 
relevant policies; and material changes in our non-financial reporting.

To determine whether we need to restate historical data, we 

examine whether the qualitative or quantitative impacts of the changes 
to our non-financial reporting are material enough to compromise the 
accuracy, consistency and relevance of the reported information. In 
case a restatement for environmental data is necessary, we restate the 
data for the baseline year and intervening years.

In case of our environmental data, we may need to adjust data to 
reflect updates to GHG emission factors, in line with the GHG Protocol 
recommendations; and any changes in reporting policy that result in a 
material change to the baseline of more than 1%. We also restate data 
where we can show that structural changes regarding outsourcing and 
insourcing have an impact of more than 1%. In certain cases, where 
historical data is unavailable, the environmental impacts for the 
baseline year and intervening years are extrapolated from current 
environmental impact data, based on production patterns.

In fiscal 23, the baseline year GHG emissions impacts were restated 

to reflect changes to CO2e emission factors and updated calorific 
values.

The non-financial reporting boundaries and 
methodologies outlined here relate to the social 
and environmental performance disclosures set 
out in the Annual Report and the ESG Reporting 
Index. We describe below the general reporting 
methodologies and boundaries related to both 
non-environmental and environmental reporting. 
Where there are exceptions to these general 
reporting methodologies and boundaries, these 
have been included with the specific metric in the 
tables that follow.

General reporting methodology and boundaries, 
covering both non-environmental and 
environmental metric reporting

I. Reporting period
Our reporting covers the financial year ended 30 June 2023 unless 
otherwise stated.

II. Scope
Unless otherwise stated(1), the boundaries for all non-financial 
information disclosed in the Annual Report and the ESG Reporting 
Index include the performance of the global operations of Diageo plc 
and its subsidiaries, together with the attributable share of the results of 
significant joint ventures and joint operations. 

The reporting boundaries are based on the principles outlined by 
the non-financial reporting strategy of our management, the nature of 
each indicator and, in the case of our greenhouse gas (GHG) 
emissions metrics, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. 

Environmental data and health and safety data is collected and 
reported for all operational sites and office sites with more than 50 
employees where we have operational control. The environmental 
impacts associated with leased facilities that do not meet the criteria 
already mentioned are excluded and considered immaterial to the 
company’s overall impacts. This scope is reviewed every year to assess 
the data and extent of impacts. 

GHG emissions associated with leased vehicles under operational 

control are being reviewed and reassessed to determine material 
significance to overall emissions and extent of overlap with Scope 3 
indirect emissions. This review will be concluded in fiscal 24; our current 
estimate indicates leased vehicles may contribute 4%-5% of Scope 1 
emissions or <0.5% of Scope 3 emissions.

Material changes to environmental reporting methodologies are 

ratified at quarterly 2030 grain to glass Strategic Business Review 
meetings, chaired by the President, Global Supply Chain & 
Procurement and Chief Sustainability Officer.

(1) Non-financial information, including baseline information, excludes the performance attributable to one of our business units in Greater China due to local regulatory restrictions. We believe the 

exclusion of this data does not materially impact our non-financial performance. We restate baseline and intervening years' non-financial information to reflect divestments, acquisitions, the exclusion 
of a business unit in China due to local regulatory restrictions, and any other changes that would otherwise compromise the accuracy, consistency and relevance of the reported information. 
(2) We define operational control using the definition of accounting standards for most of our ESG metrics. For greenhouse gas emissions, our definition is aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

and transition risks as the world continues to warm as a consequence 
of emissions already in the atmosphere. The pathway to reducing 
emissions is also highly variable, as governments and industry pursue a 
variety of means, such as introducing regulation and developing new 
technologies. Nevertheless, scenario analysis is a powerful tool to 
understand how our business could be impacted under certain 
plausible but severe future conditions, and it allows us to understand 
where risks and opportunities are most likely to materialise, to 
understand trends and to integrate these into our strategy.

Following the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-

related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), we conducted scenario analysis to 
determine the likely financial impact of the most important physical 
risks on our assets and operations. The physical risks we identified of 
most importance were:

1. Water supply: Inability to produce brands due to constrained 
water supply as a result of drought caused by chronic climate 
change. 

3.

2. Agricultural material supply: Increased cost of raw materials due 
to scarcity caused by changes in growing conditions caused by 
chronic climate change.
Site integrity: Inability to produce products, or damage to stored 
products due to acute weather events (floods or storms).
4. Disruption to agricultural material supply: Inability to receive 
agricultural materials due to acute weather events (floods or 
storms).

Using the best available climate data and natural catastrophe-
modelling techniques, our climate resilience partners calculated 
projected Estimated Annual Losses (EALs) and Value at Risk (VaR) for 
the present day and two future time periods (the 2030s and 2050s) 
under two climate scenarios. For most climate variables, these climate 
scenarios include a ‘moderate’ emissions reduction pathway (RCP4.5 
or SSP245) and a ‘worst-case’ pathway (RCP 8.5 or SSP 585). The 
results were expressed as:

Present day and projected EALs driven by:

• The impact of drought, river floods and tropical windstorms on 

owned and third-party-operated production assets.

• The impact of floods and tropical windstorms on supplier assets 

(glass and cans);

and present day and projected VaR associated with:

• The exposure of production assets to water stress.
• The exposure of production and supplier assets to tropical 

windstorms.

Please see the diagram on page 244 for a summary of the scope of 
our physical and transition risk assessments and scenario analysis.)

(1) Markets using our Workday online Human Resource system.
(2) Non-Workday markets refer to markets where the Workday online Human Resource 

system is not used.

VI. Reliability and accuracy of data 
We have processes that govern the collection, review and validation of 
non-financial data included in this report, at market, regional and 
global levels. We have clear reporting lines and documentation of our 
processes; this report provides more detail about our reporting 
methodologies and calculation processes. Reporting methodologies 
are reviewed and updated each year by leadership teams.

While we make every effort to capture all information as accurately 
as possible, it is neither feasible nor practical to measure all data with 
absolute certainty. Where we have made estimates or exercised 
judgement, this is highlighted within the reporting methodologies. 
The metrics with the Δ symbol are within the scope of PwC’s 
independent limited assurance reported to the Directors – see pages 
263-266 of this document.

Some of our listed subsidiaries also publish sustainability information 
either as standalone reports or as part of their annual report. Examples 
of sustainable information reporting are linked below:

• United Spirits Limited: https://media.diageo.com/diageo-

corporate-media/media/wxaflz30/united-spirits-limited-esg-
reporting-index-2022.pdf

• Sichuan Swellfun Co, Ltd: https://www.swellfun.com/ueditor/php/

upload/file/20230426/1682490877231414.pdf

• East Africa Breweries PLC: https://www.eabl.com/sites/default/

files/documents/EABL_Sustainability_Report-2022.pdf

• Guinness Nigeria plc: https://www.guinness-nigeria.com/PR1346/

aws/media/14677/f22-sustainability-report.pdf

VII. Reporting systems
We use four main systems to collect, validate and analyse reported 
data.

• Human Resources data is reported at site level using Workday, our 
global information management systems. HR data is collected on a 
monthly basis for all Workday markets.(1) Non-Workday markets(2) 
data is manually captured offline via HR Directors and the points of 
contact only for annual reports. Both Workday and non-Workday 
markets data are then consolidated. 

• Health and Safety information for performance measures is 

collected locally, on a monthly basis, using site held incident reports. 
This is collated and analysed using a web-based information 
management system and reported externally on an annual basis.
• Environmental data is collected on key measures of environmental 
performance every year. This is collated and analysed using a web-
based environmental management system.  

• Market-level ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ data: Where ‘Society 
2030: Spirit of Progress‘ programmes are managed at a local level, 
data is collated every quarter. The data is compiled at market, 
regional and global levels, alongside our other ‘Society 2030: Spirit 
of Progress‘ targets, and is reviewed by general managers, 
functional leadership teams, the 2030 grain to glass Strategic 
Business Review (SBR) and the Global Executive Committee during 
quarterly meetings. 

This regular assessment of performance enables us to manage 
programme risks and opportunities and helps us ensure that we have 
the right level of resources to deliver on our commitments.

Scope and methodology of physical and transition 
climate risk scenario analysis reported on pages 
72-78
Scenario analysis of physical risks
Important note on scenario analysis:
Climate risk scenario analysis has limitations: it is not a predictor of the 
future and it is limited by the assumptions used, which themselves are 
subject to uncertainty. No single scenario is likely to materialise in the 
coming decades, and we are all likely to be exposed to both physical 

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A summary of the scope of our physical and transition risk assessments and scenario analysis 
Timeframe

Medium term (2030)

Short term (0-5yrs)

Long term (2050)

Geography

Risk types

Temperature scenarios

Scope

All Diageo and key third-party operations in North America, Scotland (fiscal 21); India, Africa, Mexico and Turkey (fiscal 22); 
and Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America and Caribbean (fiscal 23).

Physical risks
Water (availability, quality, temperature), temperature, 
flooding, landslide, wildfires, wind, humidity

Transition risks and opportunities

+4 to +5ºC (extreme)
RCP 8.5'

+2 to +3ºC (moderate)
RCP 4.5'

1.5ºC to 2ºC (Paris agreement)
RCP 2.6'

Processing
Approximately 250 
Diageo and third-party 
operations' sites
Detailed assessments 
of 39 sites

Distribution
Key road, rail routes
Key sea ports (69)

Raw materials
1,200+ suppliers' sites
Key raw materials* 
(wheat, barley, maize, 
cane and beet sugar, 
vanilla, aniseed, 
grapes, broken rice, 
sorghum, agave, dairy, 
hops)
*+4 to +5ºC scenario 
only

Risks reviewed
Policy and legal risks
Technology risks
Market risks
Reputation risks

Scenario analysis
Energy
Transport
Packaging
Raw materials

Opportunities
Resource efficiency
Energy source 
Products and services
Markets

Scenario analysis
Pack weight reduction
Circular offerings

Scenario analysis of transition risks
Over fiscal years 21-23, we have conducted scenario analysis of the impact on our financial performance of transition risks stemming from a Paris-
aligned scenario. Our modelling envisages a successful transition to a low-carbon economy in time to keep the temperature rise to 1-2⁰C by 2100 
and assumes a variety of decarbonisation challenges and opportunities relating to ingredients, energy, packaging and transport costs, and changes 
in demand for our products (to 2030 and 2050). Over consecutive years, we have refined the model and incorporated data relating to our entire 
business, including production volume, sales, raw materials and packaging costs, and projected growth rates by category and market to inform 
future scenarios.

In modelling the financial impact of a successful transition to a low-carbon economy, we considered two scenarios: 

1.

A baseline scenario which incorporates stated policies and national targets that are already in place and have detailed measures for their 
realisation; and

2. A transition scenario that assumes the world successfully reaches net zero emissions by 2050. This scenario considers necessary changes in the 

global energy sector and associated changes across all other sectors of the economy that can reasonably be modelled. 

Both scenarios rely on a combination of internal assumptions (e.g., production costs, sales and margin growth rates, product mix, etc) and external 
factors (e.g., carbon pricing, greening of energy production, decarbonisation of industry). External models available from the International Energy 
Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other institutions were supplemented where necessary by our expert partners' internal 
models. Together, these models gave us a range of plausible assumptions designed to capture a trajectory of changes in demand, costs, prices, 
regulation, technology and capital investments in relevant markets and business segments, that could result in the world achieving net zero 
emissions by 2050. We looked at how combinations of these changes might affect us both positively (increased demand for sustainable products) 
and negatively (higher costs) and estimated the combined effect on our cash flow to both 2030 and 2050. Outlined in the table on page 245, below 
are the materials that most affect our input costs, which may go up or down depending on the situation. We have modelled costs based on our 
exposure to global versus local changes; so, for example, glass and aluminium are procured globally, while the cost of energy, for example, is 
always local. For each scenario, we then estimated the prices of major input costs, where relevant by geography, and modelled the impact they 
would have on our operating profit.

Input costs assessed in the scenario analysis by geography

Region

Glass

Aluminium

Land transport

Ocean transport

Energy

Electricity

Raw materials:

Barley

Wheat

Maize

Rice

Sorghum

Sugar

Vanilla

Aniseed

Agave

Grapes

Hops

Dairy

Global

UK

US

Canada Mexico

Turkey

India

Africa

Asia 
Pacific

LAC

Ireland

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Promote positive drinking 

Target

Performance measure

Scale up our SMASHED partnership and educate 10 million young people, parents and teachers on the 
dangers of underage drinking
• Number of people educated on the dangers of underage drinking through a Diageo-supported education 

As a responsible business, we want to change the way people drink – for the better. This is why we promote moderate drinking and invest in 
education and programmes to discourage the harmful use of alcohol. Around the world, we reach audiences with messages that aim to change 
attitudes, whether it’s highlighting the harm of underage drinking or binge drinking, warning of the dangers of drink driving, or using our brands to 
highlight the importance of moderation. 

Our work speaks to audiences across the globe. We continue to innovate and look for ways to improve as we strive to engage more and more 
people through our work to promote positive drinking. This desire to learn and improve extends to how we measure and evaluate the impact of our 
work and its effect on changing people’s attitudes. 

We have reached our DRINKiQ target by launching it in all our markets where legally permissible, but we are determined to continue promoting 

DRINKiQ so that consumers have access to information that can increase their knowledge and awareness of the impact of harmful drinking.

Definition

Target

Champion health literacy and tackle harm through DRINKiQ in every market where we live, work, source and sell

Performance measure Number of markets that have launched DRINKiQ

Definition

• Markets required for DRINKiQ rollout were identified during the initial project scoping phase in fiscal 20. The baseline is 

the total number of Diageo markets where we live, work, source and sell.

Data preparation

• The Global Spirit of Progress team manages all aspects of DRINKiQ design, development and deployment (except 

• ‘Launched’ means the DRINKiQ website is live and accessible by consumers in the market from November 2020. 

Scope exception

China, where we had to use a local vendor for build due to firewall issues).

• We engage and manage the global agency that is responsible for building and testing every website in every market 

throughout all stages of development, user acceptance testing and deployment. 

• The agency web developers who build the DRINKiQ website undertake a series of steps to deploy DRINKiQ to the 
production environment. Once the deployment is complete, the agency conducts testing to verify overall site 
performance and functionality is operating as intended. The completion of the testing concludes the deployment 
process, and the site/updates are deemed as ‘live’ since they are available on www.drinkiq.com. 

Scope exception

Turkey is the only market in which we are unable to roll out DRINKiQ due to legal restrictions. Travel Retail Asia covers 
multiple geographical territories and is therefore not counted as an individual market in scope for delivering our DRINKiQ 
target.

Target

Leverage Diageo marketing and innovation to make moderation the norm – reaching 1 billion people with 
dedicated responsible drinking messaging

Performance measure Number of people reached through campaigns and training specifically designed to promote moderation

Definition

Scope exception

Reporting period

Data preparation

Limitations

We deliver responsible drinking campaigns and training through social media, viral videos, events, traditional media 
campaigns and other forms of marketing by Diageo brands. 
Markets are only included where we have verifiable media data provided by third-party partners.

1 June to 31 May. Our baseline year for calculating cumulative progress is fiscal 21.

Data on how many people our campaigns reach is collected by our media agency partners and reported to us. Diageo’s 
media agency partners manage measurement and verification of this data through various industry-standard practices 
optimised for each media channel.

• Digital media: Cookies/pixels provide unique consumer identifiers. These identifiers provide us with the ability to 

estimate how many people we reach across a single campaign.

• Non-digital media: Utilising industry-standard audience measurement for each platform, we can estimate how many 
people our campaigns reach for any TV, radio, out of home or other non-digital channel. For example, we utilise 
industry-standard metrics, such as Nielsen, to estimate viewer audience for a TV programme during which we ran an 
ad. For out of home, industry-standard measurement of foot traffic, vetted through third-party organisations, is used to 
estimate the number of people who pass by a billboard. 

To attempt to prevent double counting, we also adjust the data in the context of the adult population for each market. 
Each market's total annual reach figure comprises either the highest number of people reached in any given quarter in 
that market, or the highest number of people reached by a specific campaign in that market, whichever is the greater.
Reach data cannot be as accurately deduplicated over periods of time longer than a year. When reporting how many 
people we reach over time periods of longer than one fiscal year, figures for individual fiscal years are added together to 
provide a cumulative number.

Reporting period

Data preparation

programme 

• Number of people who confirmed changed attitudes on the dangers of underage drinking following participation in 

a Diageo-supported education programme

SMASHED is our flagship underage drinking programme, developed and delivered in partnership with Collingwood 
Learning (Collingwood) and sponsored by Diageo. Our SMASHED partnership aims to change attitudes to underage 
drinking through live theatre performances and workshops and interactive online events. 
Live: A live or virtual theatre performance in schools or other community setting, with interactive workshops for students, 
resources for teachers and parents, and comprehensive evaluation. 
Online: An innovative and engaging e-learning course, telling the SMASHED story though filmed clips, with interactive 
learning tools, student assessment and teacher support. 
Offline: SMASHED Online can also be delivered offline through PowerPoint and video clips. 
People educated: Target age group (10-17), who have participated in the full 60-minute live or online learning 
experience. Completions for online are counted only on course completion, and live completion is counted when the 
number, as stated by the teacher, has completed the full 60-minute session, which is then confirmed by the local 
delivery partner. 
Changed attitudes: A young person who confirmed a changed attitude is someone who responds to the post-survey 
question by stating that they are less likely to drink underage. This is supported by evidenced progression through pre- 
and post-performance surveys against all other learning outcomes, with the ‘less likely to drink underage’ results as the 
core indicator. 

Local adaptations: Collingwood has set criteria for partners – a local delivery partner, ministry of education (or similar) 
and sponsors – to support the success of local adaptations on the ground. 
Each  delivery  partner  will  culturally  and  linguistically  adapt  the  storyline  and  interactive  elements  to  suit  the  local 
audience, with guidance from Collingwood. 

Collingwood  collaborates  with  delivery  partners  to  ensure  they  comply  with  the  original  content  while 
accommodating  appropriate  adaptations.  This  is  also  supported  by  programme  sponsors  and  educational 
stakeholders to support links with existing curriculum. Evaluation questions remain consistent worldwide, both pre- and 
post-programme. Collingwood does not allow changes to the content or intent of the questions. The only adaptations 
made are for language translation.
The complexity of gathering data from hundreds of schools globally with different academic years means there is a lag 
in reporting information from our live programmes. Each financial year we include data from 1 June to 31 May. 
The baseline year for the reporting of cumulative progress towards our target is our financial year ended 30 June 2018; 
reporting is therefore cumulative progress from July 2018 onwards.
The number of people educated is supplied by in-country delivery partners to Collingwood. When SMASHED is 
delivered by a third-party and is partially funded by Diageo, we only claim the proportion of people educated that our 
funding contributes to. 

From September 2022, where an audience numbers over 500 students in one session, we have categorised these 

as ‘large-scale special events’. Where large-scale events are run if there are a sufficient number of facilitators (ratio 
1:200) then the full number of people educated is included. If the number of facilitators present is below this ratio, then 
the number of people in attendance are capped at the large-scale event number.

The number of people educated is calculated by adding together the number of people reached in each country.  
SMASHED Live operates pre- and post-evaluation surveys of at least 20% of the target audience of young learners as 
part of the programme on the day. This represents 20% of the participating schools on each tour. 
The following sampling criteria have been established to measure attitude change: 

• Assess 20% of programme participants through pre- and post-evaluation surveys. 
• The participants that make the 20% sample have to be selected randomly. 
• If the sample is less than 200 people, the same participants must take the pre- and post-evaluation surveys. 
• The sample has to be approximately 50% male and 50% female. 

The number of people who confirmed changed attitude is calculated by projecting the results of the survey, for those 
who have confirmed in the post-survey question that they are less likely to drink underage, to the total number of 
people educated for the events run.  

The data, alongside supporting evidence is supplied by delivery partners and then consolidated and reviewed by 

Collingwood before being shared with us for review and reporting. 

We have assumed that teachers are an impartial and accurate provider of student numbers, with clear knowledge 
of the groups allocated to SMASHED. We have also assumed that students participating in SMASHED Live and Online 
have adequate literacy skills to understand and complete written evaluation forms.

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Target (continued)

Limitation

Scale up our SMASHED partnership and educate 10 million young people, parents and teachers on the 
dangers of underage drinking
We consider double counting to be highly unlikely, given the activity is only delivered once to any audience within the 
curricular requirements for the year. No unique personal identifiers are collected, for data privacy reasons.
• We avoid having schools run SMASHED Live and Online concurrently by offering only a single option in the vast 

majority of countries. Where two programmes are available, we mitigate the risk of duplication by offering 
programmes strategically to different school areas. In the unlikely event a school uses SMASHED Online and 
SMASHED Live, we assume that the school will utilise courses for different student groups. We mitigate the risk 
further by checking participating school data quarterly and communicating with teachers. 

• We have assumed that the number of students expected to either repeat a year group or change secondary 

schools is negligible, based on the most recent statistics from third parties.

Target

Performance measure

Extend our UNITAR partnership, and promote changes in attitudes to drink driving, reaching five million 
people by 2030
• Number of people educated about the dangers of drink driving
• Number of people who confirmed attitudinal change on the dangers of drink driving through the Diageo supported 

Definition

Scope exception

Reporting period

Data preparation

programme

• Number of law enforcement officers trained through the UNITAR High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) programme. 
We run two programmes that aim to address the dangers of drink driving. Our Wrong Side of the Road (WSOTR) 
programme, primarily delivered online, is designed to help people understand the consequences of drink driving by 
listening to the repercussions for people who decided to get behind the wheel after drinking. All stories are real and 
aim to help prevent other people from making the same mistakes. The purpose is to show the effects that this decision 
can have on the individual and the people around them, helping viewers to consider what would happen if they were 
in a similar situation. 

We also partner with UNITAR on its high-visibility enforcement training programme, an online training course which 
aims to help government and law enforcement officials design and implement interventions that contribute to reducing 
the number of alcohol-related fatalities and injuries. 

Changed attitudes: A person who confirmed a changed attitude is someone who responds to the post-experience 
survey by stating that they are less likely to drink and drive because of participating in the Diageo learning experience.

For programmes that are partially funded by Diageo, we only claim the proportion of people educated that our 
funding contributes to.
1 July to 30 June. Our baseline year is fiscal 22.

To measure attitude change, at least 20% of WSOTR participants are assessed through a pre- and post-programme 
survey as to whether they are less likely to drink and drive because of their participation.
The different formats are reported in the following ways: 

• Online: The online completions are reported daily through a data report pulled from Diageo’s internal PowerBi 

system.

• Online through third parties: Depending on the format, their numbers can either be generated by the main system 
through the daily report or through their own reports. They must provide back-up data, which is then validated by 
the Diageo global team.

• Offline: In markets where internet access is a challenge, we have tailored the experience to be used offline at events 
or high-footfall locations. Completions are captured on forms that are then collated and input to a report. These 
reports are submitted quarterly and reviewed and verified by the global team. 

Limitations

-

Doing business the right way
from grain to glass

We want to do business in the right way every day, everywhere. This is about ensuring our people and suppliers demonstrate integrity, live our 
values, and behave in an ethical way that underpins our Code of Conduct. We expect everyone who works for us and alongside us to uphold 
human rights and stand up for what is right, as we grow sustainably and responsibly.

Governance and ethics

Working with integrity is an important part of who we are and how we achieve our performance ambition to be the best performing, most trusted 
and respected consumer products company in the world. 

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Code of Business Conduct Mandatory Training
Annually, we request all Diageo employees to complete the Code of Business Conduct e-learning. This requires 
employees to confirm their commitment to their compliance and ethics accountabilities, and certify that they have 
read, understood, and complied with our Code of Business Conduct and supporting Global policies.

Employees on long-term leave e.g. family leave, sickness leave.

We deliver the Code of Business Conduct e-learning through our global online training tool, My Learning Hub, which 
holds a record of who has participated in and completed the course. Participation and completion records are 
reported to market and function leadership teams and reviewed by Business Integrity leads.

Limitation

-

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

SpeakUp
We inform all employees and third parties about our SpeakUp whistleblowing telephone service and online portal, 
which is available in all 20 of our Code languages. The service is run by an independent external party 24 hours a day, 
365 days a year. 

-

We capture allegations reported either via SpeakUp or our internal channels in our global breach management tool.

-

Reported and substantiated breaches
Reported breaches are potential breaches of our Code of Business Conduct, policies or standards made known to the 
business, either via our SpeakUp service or brought to our attention internally. Substantiated breaches are those reports 
that ultimately result in sufficient evidence being gathered to support the concern raised.

-

We update the number of substantiated breaches and Code-related leavers from previous years to include the 
outcomes of those reports made in one financial year – but for which the investigation and any associated disciplinary 
actions are not closed until the following financial year, after the Annual Report has been published. This enables us to 
make a full and accurate year-on-year comparison.
-

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Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Human rights impact assessments
Diageo has been a signatory to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) since 2014. As part 
of our commitment to act in accordance with the UNGPs, we partnered with Business for Social Responsibility in 2016 to 
formulate our human rights strategy and deliver a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) in all of our markets. An 
HRIA is a process for identifying, understanding, assessing and addressing the adverse effects of business activities on 
the human rights of impacted rights-holders such as workers and community members.
To date, we have conducted HRIAs in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, 
the Middle East, Nigeria, North America (United States and Canada), North Asia (South Korea and Japan), PEBAC 
(Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda and the United 
Kingdom. From fiscal 24, all direct operations will be required to complete a detailed annual human rights self 
assessment questionnaire, and take remedial action where necessary.

We have conducted a corporate-level risk assessment and mapped our global policies and processes against the 
UNGPs, while also considering risks in different geographies using our understanding and external reference data. 

Following the corporate-level assessment, we developed a comprehensive human rights impact assessment toolkit 

to guide our markets through a systematic review of their businesses to identify and assess potential human rights 
impacts, including modern slavery risks, throughout our value chain. 

Where assessments identify human rights concerns or suggest our approach can be strengthened to better identify 

and prevent risk, we put in place robust action plans to resolve matters, working with external experts when 
appropriate. 
We have completed an HRIA in every market, but not every country. We discuss significant actual and potential 
negative impacts on local communities at global and local levels but do not collate and report this by specific every 
location.

Our people

At Diageo, we strive to create an environment where all our people feel they are treated fairly and with respect. We commit to understanding what it means 
to act with integrity in our roles, to ensure we are doing business in the right way, meeting external expectations and our own standards. Our global health 
and safety ambition and strategy are designed to ensure all our people are safe when working, on site, at home and on the road, every day, everywhere.

Employee profile data
Performance 
measure

Average number of employees by region by 
gender
Employees have been allocated to the region in which 
they reside. 

Definition

Scope 
exception

Data 
preparation

Limitation

All Diageo employees are in scope for this performance 
measure. However, people data from joint ventures and 
associates where Diageo does not have operational 
control are not included.
Total employee data comprises our average number of 
FTE employees across 12 months. Employee data is 
captured globally through financial and HR information 
and reporting systems.

Employee type includes Regular, Graduates and 
Fixed Term Contract (FTC) across all markets. Data from 
markets where Diageo has not implemented its global 
HR system is collected by local HR teams to form a total 
Diageo view.
Joint operations are included but, where Diageo does 
not have operational control, only high-level regional 
data is available.

Markets where our global HR system, Workday, is 
not in place are reliant on manual data collection or, in 
some cases, we may not be able to obtain data. These 
markets include Ypioca, Zacapa, United Spirits Limited 
– India (partial), Casamigos, Balcones, Davos, Vietnam 
Spirits and Wine, Don Papa Rum, Moet Hennessy 
Diageo, Korea (partial), Japan JWS, Angola and 
Northern Cyprus.

Average number of employees by role by gender

Employees have been allocated to the role in which they occupy.

We define Executive as a member of the Executive Committee; 

Senior Manager (SL, L2, L3) as those in top leadership positions 
excluding Executive Committee members; Line Manager as all Diageo 
employees (excluding Executive Committee members and Senior 
Managers) with one or more direct reports; and Supervised employee as 
all remaining Diageo employees (excluding Executive Committee 
members, Senior Managers and Line Managers) who have no direct 
reports.
All Diageo employees are in scope for this performance measure. 
However, people data from joint ventures and associates where Diageo 
does not have operational control are not included.

Employee data comprises our average number of FTE employees across 
12 months except Executives, which are reported as of 30 June 2023 
because of the small population size. Employee data is captured 
globally through financial and HR information and reporting systems.

Employee type includes Regular, Graduates and Fixed Term Contract 

(FTC) across all markets. Data from markets where Diageo has not 
implemented its global HR system is collected by local HR teams to form 
a total Diageo view.

Joint operations are included but, where Diageo does not have 
operational control, only high-level regional data is available.

Markets where our global HR system, Workday, is not in place are 
reliant on manual data collection or, in some cases, we may not be able 
to obtain data. These markets include Ypioca, Zacapa, United Spirits 
Limited – India (partial), Casamigos, Balcones, Davos, Vietnam Spirits 
and Wine, Don Papa Rum, Moet Hennessy Diageo, Korea (partial), 
Japan JWS, Angola and Northern Cyprus.

Health and safety 
Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Lost-time accident frequency rate (LTAFR) 
The LTAFR is the number of lost-time accidents (LTAs) per 1,000 full-time employees (Occupational Health & Safety 
(OH&S) FTE). 

We define an LTA as any work-related incident resulting in injury or illness, where a healthcare professional or 
Diageo recommends one or more full days away from work, or where a job restriction or modification prevents the 
employee from conducting their routine tasks and activities and from working a full shift.

We consider an injury or illness to be work-related when an event or exposure in the work environment (including 

people working at home) either caused or contributed to the resulting condition, or significantly aggravated a 
medically documented and treated pre-existing injury or illness.

LTA numbers also include any OH&S FTE work-related fatalities.
In line with industry best practice, for the purposes of calculating this KPI, we include all Diageo employees, as well 

as temporary staff and contractors who work under our direct day-to-day supervision in our definition of OH&S FTE.

We have looked closely into which home-working injuries should be in scope for reporting: for example, an injury 
would be in scope if caused by an activity involving work-related equipment, such as an employee injuring a finger by 
getting it trapped in a laptop cover. If the injured person did not report the accident on the same shift to their 
immediate line manager and/or Diageo point of contact, unless there are reasonable grounds, this accident is not in 
scope as work-related.

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Data preparation

Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation
Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Data preparation
Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Data preparation
Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Data preparation
Limitation

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Reporting period

We collect and report safety data for all sites where we have full operational control, including all office sites. It includes 
newly acquired businesses as soon as resources and systems are in place, and no later than one year after we have 
assumed operational control. We exclude safety data associated with any divestments during the current reporting 
year from reporting in the current period. 

When an incident occurs at any site (operational, corporate office, remote commercial and remote home-working 
environments), the local line manager and local health and safety team will initiate an accident investigation and root-
cause analysis. If the accident is classified as an LTA, then the local health and safety representative will escalate to the 
site leadership team, who will in turn escalate to regional, market and global leadership. Each month, sites are required 
to submit details associated with all incidents, accidents and LTAs, as well as OH&S FTE data for their site. OH&S FTE 
data is primarily obtained directly from the global HR/payroll system or estimated using employee numbers, average 
number of hours worked, absences and overtime information, if actual data is not readily available. Contractor 
agencies provide data on the hours worked by each contractor. This is then combined with Diageo employee data to 
calculate the total FTE data for the month. Safety data and OH&S FTE data is reported at site level using our global 
data management system. 
We do not report LTAFR for independent contractors because of the difficulty and administrative burden in accurately 
recording headcount.

Total recordable accident frequency rate (TRAFR) less than 3.5
TRAFR is the sum of all work-related accidents including OH&S FTE/non-FTE (contractors) fatalities on Diageo premises, 
OH&S FTE/non-FTE LTAs, OH&S FTE medical treatment cases (MTC), and non-FTE permanent location-based MTCs, 
expressed as rate per 1,000 OH&S FTEs plus permanent location-based non-FTEs.

We consider an injury or illness to be work-related when an event or exposure in the work environment (including 

people working at home) either caused or contributed to the resulting condition, or significantly aggravated a 
medically documented and treated pre-existing injury or illness. 

As under LTAFR

As under LTAFR
We do not report MTCs for non-site-based contractors.

Number of fatalities
A fatality includes any work-related fatality of an employee or contractor under our direct supervision in their day-to-
day work environment (on or off our premises), or any work-related fatality suffered by a third-party or contractor (non-
FTEs) while on our premises.

We consider a fatality to be work-related when an event or exposure in the work environment (including people 

working at home) either caused or contributed to the event.
-
As under LTAFR
-

Lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR)
Lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) is a standard Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) metric that 
measures the number of lost-time injuries occurring in a workplace per one million hours worked. 
As under LTAFR
As under LTAFR
We do not report LTIFR for independent contractors because of the difficulty and administrative burden in accurately 
recording headcount.

Lost-time injury rate (LTIR)
LTIR is a standard OSHA metric that calculates the number of lost-time injuries occurring in a workplace per 200,000 
hours worked. 
As under LTAFR
As under LTAFR
We do not report LTIR for independent contractors because of the difficulty and administrative burden in accurately 
recording headcount.

Employee Engagement Index
The Employee Engagement Index is calculated as the percentage of respondents who answer positively to three 
questions in our Your Voice survey: I am proud to work for Diageo; I would recommend Diageo as a great place to 
work; I am extremely satisfied with Diageo as a place to work.
–
The data was collected between 6 and 31 March 2023, so the results are based on feedback from participants in that 
particular window.

Data preparation
Limitation

The index is calculated from an anonymous annual survey run by an independent third-party.
Contractors and employees on long-term leave are excluded.

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Champion inclusion and diversity 

Championing inclusion and diversity is at the heart of what we do, and is crucial to our purpose of ‘celebrating life, every day, everywhere’.

We have set ourselves ambitious goals to drive progress, inside our business and beyond. They range from increasing representation of women 

and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds in our leadership, to using our media spend and influence to promote progressive portrayals in 
marketing, working with diverse creative teams and diverse-owned suppliers and supporting people in our local communities with hospitality and 
business skills.

Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitations

Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitations

Champion gender diversity, with an ambition to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership roles 
by 2030
Percentage of female leaders globally

Leadership roles comprise Executive Committee members (Exec), Senior Leaders (SL), Level 2 (L2) and Level 3 (L3) 
roles, some of which will be vacant at any point in time. Employee type includes those on regular and fixed-term 
contracts. 

Non-Executive Directors and extended workers (agency workers, independent contractors, freelancers and consultants) 
are not in scope, nor are joint ventures, joint operations or associates where Diageo does not have operational control.
The KPI is calculated as the average of filled leadership roles at the end of each of the four quarters across the fiscal year. The 
total leadership population is calculated from markets that collect gender information through Workday, enabling all 
employees in scope to self-disclose this information. Gender data is disclosed by employees themselves on a voluntary 
basis on our online Human Resources system (Workday). All leaders in scope have the ability to disclose gender 
information on Workday.

Where employees have chosen not to declare their gender, this information is excluded from the gender representation 
data.

Champion ethnic diversity with an ambition to increase representation of leaders from ethnically diverse 
backgrounds to 45% by 2030
Percentage of ethnically diverse leaders globally

Leadership roles comprise Executive Committee members (Exec), Senior Leaders (SL), Level 2 (L2) and Level 3 (L3) roles, some 
of which will be vacant at any point in time. Employee type includes those on regular and fixed-term contracts. 

We define ethnically diverse as those ethnic groups who are, or were historically, systematically under-represented, 

disenfranchised and/or economically excluded. 

Ethnically diverse people can be a majority or a minority in a country. 

Non-Executive Directors and extended workers (agency workers, independent contractors, freelancers and consultants) 
are not in scope, nor are joint ventures, joint operations or associates where Diageo does not have operational control.
The KPI is calculated as the average of filled leadership roles at the end of each of the four quarters across the fiscal year. 

Ethnicity data is disclosed by employees on a voluntary basis on Workday. The relevant ethnicity fields are based on 

the country in which the individual is employed to ensure all are culturally relevant.

Ethnicity is selected by individuals within the Leadership population from a pre-defined list that encompasses those 

ethnic types most readily seen within the specific country, based on local census and governmental data.

We determined eight categories of ethnicity, considering Diageo’s market footprint, historic under-representation 
and alignment across regions: Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latin American, Indian, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and Turkish, 
Mixed and Other Ethnic Groups. If an individual has identified as another type of local ethnicity, the people analytics 
team manually assign them to the closest fit, for the purposes of this data gathering exercise only. 

Although employees based in India (Diageo India and Diageo Global Business Operations) are on the Workday 

system, they do not submit ethnicity data through Workday due to cultural sensitivities. So, self-disclosure is not the 
basis for data capture. Nationality is obtained by the local HR team through official identification documents by 
employees during the onboarding process and disclosed on Workday. Indian nationals are recorded by HR as being 
of Indian ethnicity. For India-based employees not of Indian nationality, the local HR director confirms their ethnicity 
through a confidential conversation with the individual.

Based on a third-party study commissioned by Diageo, ‘Hispanic/Latin American’ is adopted as a term to 

categorise all people originating from the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, including both indigenous and 
historically migrant populations. For the purposes of this data gathering exercise, all employees identifying as White 
with a LAC nationality have been recorded as Hispanic/Latin American. Non-LAC nationals are mapped to their 
identified ethnicity.
Employees who identify as White, declined to self-identify or have not disclosed their ethnicity are not counted as 
ethnically diverse.

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Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Reporting period

Data preparation

Accelerate inclusion and diversity in our value chain, increasing the share of our global spend with 
diverse-owned and disadvantaged businesses to 15% by 2030
Percentage of spend with diverse-owned and disadvantaged businesses

We define diverse-owned suppliers as for-profit businesses majority owned and operated by under-represented 
communities, including (but not limited to) women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities and other 
minority groups identified in the markets where we source. 

Although we try to define diverse businesses consistently across all our markets, we recognise that diversity can 
differ across geographical regions, cultures and communities. This means that we define ethnic minority groups on a 
local level rather than global. In addition, in some markets, we have identified other regionally specific under-
represented groups to make sure we are as inclusive as possible.   

Disadvantaged businesses include smallholder farmers. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization describes a 
smallholder farmer as one who farms an area below the median threshold of their country. For the purposes of supplier 
diversity reporting, we consider a smallholder farmer in Africa to be one that farms an area of less than ten acres. In 
other markets, we use locally recognised guidance, such as for agave farmers in Mexico where the Consejo Regulador 
del Tequila defines this as 50,000 plants. These suppliers, which can be individuals or farm families, are widely 
considered to be disadvantaged because of factors including their size and exposure to global commodity markets.
Where our direct suppliers are not diverse-owned, we will consider spend with disadvantaged businesses in their 

own value chains. This is considered as tier two direct diverse spend.

Spend from categories that are deemed as non-influenceable is excluded from our baseline spend and diverse spend 
calculations. Examples include customs charges, taxation and charitable donations. 
1 July to 30 June. Our baseline year is fiscal 22.

Our total global spend is extracted from our global enterprise software, SAP, and also from other local market 
enterprise resource planning systems, with spend identified as non-influenceable deducted from this amount. Our 
spend with diverse-owned and disadvantaged suppliers is calculated as a percentage of this total spend, and is 
considered our tier 1 diverse spend total.  

We ask our direct suppliers who are not diverse-owned to report their spend with diverse-owned business in their 

supply chains, and we calculate our tier 2 diverse total from these submissions. 

Our tier 1 and tier 2 spend calculations are combined and are reflected in the total spend reported against this target. 

Limitations

-

Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Provide business and hospitality skills to 200,000 people, increasing employability and improving 
livelihoods through Learning for Life and our other skills programmes
Number of people reached through Learning for Life and other skills programmes

Our business and hospitality skills training programmes, including Learning for Life, aim to increase participants’ 
employability, improve livelihoods and support a thriving hospitality sector that works for all. The core curriculum 
includes modules on technical skills, life skills and inclusion and diversity.

Only markets running business and hospitality programmes are in scope. Markets with no such programmes are 
Australia, South Korea, Turkey and Eastern Europe. For entrepreneurship programmes to be included, the metric owner 
determines that the initiatives are appropriate to be included under the definition of providing business or hospitality 
skills related to our value chain.
We collate the number of beneficiaries of Learning for Life and other skills programmes through participant 
programme completion records (collected face to face or via our online training systems) maintained by Diageo 
programme managers or third-party delivery partners.

We make sure double counting is avoided through programme registration and completion records.

Limitation

Accuracy relies on the quality of data provided by our third-party delivery partners.

Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Data preparation

Through the Diageo Bar Academy (DBA), we will provide 1.5 million training sessions delivering skills and 
resources to help build a thriving hospitality sector that works for all
Number of participations in training sessions delivered through Diageo Bar Academy

We measure the number of participations in DBA training sessions. One individual could receive multiple training 
sessions and each training participation would count towards our target. 

The DBA delivers a range of hospitality skills training to owners, managers, bartenders and wait staff with the 

objective of raising professional standards in the industry and helping professionals and businesses to thrive. Examples 
of course content include alcohol category knowledge, drink preparation skills, serving skills including responsible 
serving, business and bar management skills. 

Training includes physical, virtual, e-learning and masterclass tutorials. 

-
Participants in all these DBA trainings are included in this performance measure.  
Diageo obtains data on the number of participations in trainings delivered in different ways depending on the types of 
course, as outlined below: 

• Physical training: attendance number in face-to-face sessions delivered to groups of participants 
• Virtual training: attendance number in live online sessions 
• E-learning: number of completions of self-directed learning courses 
• Masterclass: number of attendances at Live Tutorials and number of viewers of the recorded sessions

From fiscal 23 we include online training data from China, where different digital platforms are used.
Accuracy of data in case of physical trainings relies on third-party delivery partners.

Ensure 50% of beneficiaries of our community programmes are women and that our community 
programmes are designed to enhance diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups
Percentage of beneficiaries of our community programmes who are women

For Learning for Life (or equivalent) programmes, we measure the number and percentage of women who have 
gained business and hospitality skills. 
Our scope currently includes female beneficiaries of registered business and hospitality skills programmes. In future, the 
scope of this target will also include female representation on our water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) committees 
and women who benefit from initiatives such as our smallholder farmer programmes. 

Limitation

Ambition

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

For Learning for Life programmes (and other skills programmes), we collect data on the number of female participants 
through training records managed by Diageo programme managers or third-party delivery partners. 
Accuracy relies on the quality of data provided by our third-party delivery partners.

Pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability 

Our continued long-term success depends on the people and planet around us. Our work to pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability is divided into three 
areas: preserve water for life, accelerate to a low-carbon world and become sustainable by design.

Our water stewardship strategy, ‘Preserve Water for Life’, outlines how we manage water in our supply chain, operations and communities, as 

well as advocate for collective action to improve water security. We started our decarbonisation journey in 2008, and we aim to reach net zero 
across our direct operations by 2030, using 100% renewable energy everywhere we operate. We are also committed to reducing our value chain 
carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. We are working to reduce our carbon footprint by reducing packaging, increasing recycled content and are 
focusing on regenerative agriculture. 

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Preserve water for life

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Our strategy is based on best practice water stewardship in three areas: water accessibility, availability and quality. We are also working in 
partnership to better manage water globally and to lead collective action in critical water basins.

Target

Performance measure

Additional performance 
measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Reduce water use in our operations with a 40% improvement in water-use efficiency in water-stressed 
areas and a 30% improvement across the company 
Water use efficiency per litre of product packaged (Litres/Litre)

Percentage improvement in litres of water used per litre of product packaged from the prior year

We prepare and report water withdrawal (use) from sites where we have operational control, using internally 
developed reporting methodologies based on the GRI Standards.  

Water withdrawal includes water obtained from ground water, surface water, mains supply and water delivered to 
the site by tanker, less any clean water provided back to local communities directly from a site. Uncontaminated water 
abstracted and returned to the same source under local consent, water abstracted from the sea, and rainwater 
collection are excluded from reported water withdrawal data.  

For water-stressed only: We define water-stressed areas using the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct tool, UN 

definitions and internal survey information. During the reporting period, we identified 40 of our sites as located within 
water-stressed areas. An assessment of our sites located in water-stressed areas is completed every two years and 
includes any new-build or acquired sites and excludes any sites divested.

The volume of water used at Diageo-operated agricultural lands – in Brazil, Mexico and Turkey – is quantified and 
reported separately. 
Water withdrawal (use) is measured primarily from meter readings and invoices. In limited cases, estimates are used. Water 
efficiency per litre of packaged product is calculated by dividing total water withdrawal by the total packaged volume. 

We use litres of packaged product as the measure for comparison, because this indicates how much water has 
been used relative to the amount of finished product that has been packaged. We measure litres of packaged product 
by site and aggregate them at group level. For fiscal 23, the total volume packaged used for the denominator in 
efficiency indicators is 3,801,239,185 litresΔ.

Limitation

In limited cases (e.g., failure or malfunction of water meters), estimates are used for water withdrawals.

∆ Within the scope of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) independent limited assurance reported to the Directors. For further detail and the reporting methodologies, see pages 242-266.

Scope exception

Reporting period
Data preparation

Limitation

Replenish more water than we use for our operations for all of our sites in water-stressed areas by 2026
Annual volumetric replenishment capacity of projects developed (m3)

This performance measure is total water replenishment capacity created in fiscal 23 in water-stressed areas. We define 
replenishment (or volumetric water benefit), in line with the WRI, as the volume of water resulting from water 
stewardship activities that modify the hydrology in a beneficial way and/or help reduce shared water challenges, 
improve water stewardship outcomes, and meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Replenishment capacity created by replenishment projects is calculated by reference to Diageo’s Water Replenishment 
Implementation Guide and Technical Protocol. When projects are delivered by a third-party and partially funded by Diageo, to 
avoid double counting, we only claim the proportion of volumetric capacity attributable to Diageo. 

We define water-stressed areas using the WRI Aqueduct tool (at the Minor Basin level), UN definitions and internal 
survey information. During the reporting period, we identified 40 of our sites as located within water-stressed areas. An 
assessment of our sites located in water-stressed areas is completed every two years and includes any new-build or 
acquired sites and excludes any sites divested. In order to be considered within the annual volumetric replenishment 
capacity, replenishment projects need to be in a water-stressed area (i.e., a site’s water catchment and/or water-
stressed water basins from which we source local raw materials).

The methodology for calculating the volume of water replenished for Diageo’s Water Replenishment Programme is 
based on the WRI’s Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting: A Method For Implementing and Valuing Water Stewardship 
Activities (2019, www.wri.org/research/volumetric-water-benefit-accounting-vwba-method-implementing-and-valuing-
water-stewardship), which is a “comprehensive, standardised and science-based methodology to calculate and 
evaluate the benefits of water stewardship activities.” We detail the approach adopted and mathematical calculations 
applied in the Diageo Water Replenishment Programme Technical Protocol (2019) and provide a step-by-step 
implementation guide for markets to ensure consistency and robust controls: Diageo Water Replenishment 
Implementation Guide (2022).

—

1 June to 31 May (previously 16 June to 15 June; see under Limitation, below).
Data required to calculate the indicative volume of water replenished is collected by an implementation partner and 
confirmed on completion of the project. This data is then validated by an external validator, and confirmed by the 
Diageo global lead for water. The Diageo Water Replenishment Implementation Guide provides templates for 
calculating water volume replenished – the estimated volumes are pre-validated by the global team before the project 
is implemented. Volumes are then validated again after the commissioning of the project. 

The project volumes for fiscal 26 are restated every year to reflect latest estimates and previous fiscal actuals.
The complexity of gathering data from multiple projects globally means there can be a delay in reporting information. This 
means we currently include data from projects completed by 31 May 2023 to allow us to consolidate data by fiscal year end.

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Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Reporting period

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Invest in improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in communities near our sites 
and local sourcing areas in all of our water-stressed markets
Percentage of water-stressed markets with investment in WASH

This target tracks funding committed and spent on new WASH facilities to improve local community access to clean 
water, sanitation or hygiene in communities within the same water basin as our sites and local sourcing areas.

We usually define Diageo’s markets as countries or locations where we operate or sell our products. To ensure 
comprehensive coverage, this KPI instead defines each market as an individual country, as set out on page 40. This 
means that the KPI considers water stress and investment at a country level, rather than at a market level. 

We define water-stressed areas using the WRI Aqueduct tool at the minor basin level, UN definitions and internal 

survey information. During the reporting period, we identified 40 of our sites across 12 countries as located in water-
stressed areas, with 34 of these locations currently operational and six non-operational. An assessment of our sites 
located in water-stressed areas is completed every two years and includes any new-build or acquired sites and 
excludes any sites divested.

The KPI is calculated as a percentage of the number of water-stressed markets in which Diageo has invested in 
WASH programmes in the same minor water basin as the site, divided by the total number of (in scope) water-stressed 
markets in which Diageo operates.

The scope excludes water-stressed markets in which Diageo operates where there is no demand or requirement for 
new community WASH projects (Turkey, Indonesia, Seychelles). 

These exclusions are verified by an expert implementing partner, and are based on government, WRI or World 

Health Organization information on WASH risk and availability. 

It also excludes Diageo WASH projects in markets that are not assessed as water stressed or where we do not have 

direct operations (for example, Myanmar). 

1 June to 31 May

Data on the WASH programmes, including locations, clean water yield, and the number of people (including the 
number of women) who benefit is calculated by NGO delivery partners and validated by an external validator.
The KPI is calculated as a percentage, i.e., the total number of water-stressed markets in which Diageo has invested in 
WASH programmes divided by the total number of (in scope) water-stressed markets in which Diageo operates.
The complexity of gathering data from multiple projects globally means there can be a delay in reporting information. 
This means we currently include data from projects completed by 31 May 2023 to allow us to consolidate data by fiscal 
year end.

Engage in collective action in all of our priority water basins to improve water accessibility, availability and 
quality and contribute to a net positive water impact
Percentage of priority water basins with collective action participation

We identify priority water basins using a Diageo criticality assessment (based on expert judgement and consumption 
volumes) and those facing high water risk, according to the WRI Aqueduct tool. These basins would benefit most from 
Diageo operational sites participating in collective action to address identified water challenges. 

Collective action in water stewardship includes multi-stakeholder water management initiatives or projects that 

involve interaction with government entities, local communities, NGOs and/or civil society organisations.

Scope exception
Data preparation

Limitation

—
Priority water basins with collective action participation are reported at country level and tracked by the Diageo global 
metric owner.
—

Accelerating to a low-carbon world

We know that our planet needs significant, science-based action to create a sustainable future. We have set ourselves bold targets to reach net zero 
carbon across our operations and to work with our suppliers to reduce our value chain carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.

Target

Performance measure

Become net zero carbon in our direct operations (Scope 1 and 2)
Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net based) (1000 tonnes CO2e)

Additional performance 
measures

Percentage reduction in absolute carbon emissions (direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net 
based)) from the prior year

Market based (net) intensity ratio of GHG emissions (grams CO2e per litre of packaged product)

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Scope 1 and 2 emissions are presented as the absolute GHG emissions (Direct – Scope 1 emissions from on-site energy 
consumption of fuel sources and Indirect – Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity and heat) in 1000 tonnes 
CO2e using market-based reporting methodology.  Market-based GHG emission intensity ratio is calculated as 
grammes per CO2e per litre, using direct operations packaged product volume in litres for fiscal 23. 
We exclude minor quantities of Scope 1 emissions up to 0.5% of a site's emissions, to a maximum of 50 tonnes CO2e 
per emission source, as well as the carbon emissions associated with biogas flaring, since they are determined to be 
insignificant to our overall impacts. More details can be found in the Scope section of General Reporting methodology 
and boundaries, covering both non-environmental and environmental metric reporting.

Biological/biogenic CO2 emissions from the combustion of bioenergy, and from direct operations processes such as 
fermentation to create alcohol are outside of scope and are reported separately. However, bioenergy CO2e emissions 
associated with methane and nitrous oxides that are not absorbed in bioenergy feedstock growth are included in 
Scope 1 emissions.

We do not include carbon offsets or credits in the Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions market-based approach.

We calculate CO2e emissions data based on direct measurement of energy use (meter readings/invoices) for the 
majority of sites.
Market-based emissions
We externally report Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions using metric tonnes of CO2e to compare the emissions from the 
seven main GHGs based on their global warming potential. We base our CO2e reduction targets and reporting 
protocols (since 2007) on market-based emissions.
Direct (Scope 1) emissions
We report fuel consumption by fuel type at site level using the environmental management system. Using calorific 
values, the fuel is then converted to energy consumption, in kilowatt hours (kWh), by fuel type, and is multiplied by the 
relevant CO2e emission factor to derive total CO2e emissions. Scope 1 emission factors for fuels are typically average 
fuel CO2e emissions factors and calorific values (the latest available at the end of the reporting year) from the UK 
Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. We apply product-specific factors, where available. Energy 
attribute certificates (EACs), derived from our distillery by-product feedstock and processed by a third-party to generate 
biomethane, form a component of our decarbonisation, together with purchased renewable gas EACs (i.e., from 
certificate-backed biomethane supplied indirectly through the natural gas grid). This is reflected in data preparation 
and aggregation.
Indirect (Scope 2) emissions
We report GHG emissions from electricity as market-based emissions in line with the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol 
Scope 2 guidance 2015. Electricity consumption recorded on our environmental management system is multiplied by 
emissions factors specified in EACs, contracts, power purchase agreements and supplier utility emissions, as detailed in 
the GHG Protocol’s Scope 2 guidance. We use GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance to ensure EACs and associated 
contractual instruments meet the required standards. GHG emission factors relating to indirect emissions are updated 
with the latest available by end of the financial year.
Fugitive and owned agricultural (Scope 1) emissions
We calculate fugitive emissions based on the amount of emitted ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated gases, 
multiplied by the relevant emission factor to represent the global warming potential in tonnes of CO2e. Annually, each 
site reports the quantity (mass) of each material/gas emitted based any added/topped-up amount, reported via the 
environmental management system. The mass of each of emitted ozone-depleting substance and fluorinated gas is 
multiplied by the relevant emission factor and then added together to report the equivalent GHG emissions in tonnes of 
CO2e.

We calculate agricultural emissions from direct operations owned and operated agricultural land only based on 
fertiliser use. The annual quantity (mass) of inorganic fertiliser is multiplied by the percentage of nitrogen content and 
by the relevant GHG emission and conversion factors (i.e., nitrogen to nitrous oxide, nitrous oxide GHG emission factor) 
to determine the equivalent tonnes CO2e emissions.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 data aggregation
Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net based) (1,000 tonnes CO2e) is the aggregation of 
Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions with fugitive and owned agriculture emissions for external reporting annually. The 
percentage reduction in absolute carbon emissions (direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net 
based)) from the prior year is a percentage change calculation with reference to the corresponding prior year figure.
Our net zero emissions target for 2030 remains consistent with earlier reporting protocols and is based on market-

based emissions. 
GHG emission intensity ratios
Total, aggregated direct operations market-based emissions (as detailed above) are divided, by the volume of direct 
operations packaged product reported in the same period. The market-based emissions are converted to grammes of 
CO2e and the volume of packaged product is reported in litres to generate relevant GHG emission intensity ratios in g 
CO2e/litre packaged.  For fiscal 23, the total volume packaged used for the denominator in intensity indicators is 
3,801,239,185 litres.

Limitation

Where invoices or site meter readings are not available – due, for example, to timing differences or metering issues – 
we estimate consumption.

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Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Reduce our value chain (Scope 3) carbon emissions by 50%
Percentage reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions (ktCO2e) from the prior year
Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both 
upstream and downstream emissions (but excluding Scope 2 emissions from purchased power and heat). 

The CO2e emissions relating to all categories of materials and services within our value chain include those from 
purchased raw materials, packaging, third-party manufacturers, consumer use and disposal. We aggregate emissions 
from upstream and downstream logistics and distribution, including Category 4 logistics emissions. In addition, we 
include Category 2 capital goods, Category 3 fuels and energy-related activities, Category 5 waste generated in 
operations, Category 6 business travel and Category 7 employee commuting. The emissions attributable to all 
categories of materials and services provide a total value chain, Scope 3 footprint. 

We do not include carbon offsets or credits in the Scope 3 GHG emissions market-based or location-based 

approach. 

Any categories of Scope 3 emissions not listed in the definition above are not currently included in our external 
reporting.
We report Scope 3 GHG emissions using metric tonnes of CO2e to compare the emissions from the seven main GHGs 
based on their global warming potential. We base our CO2e reduction targets and reporting protocols on real 
consumption location-based emissions. We report in line with the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain 
(Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard, 2011.

We calculate CO2e emissions data on the basis of the volume of materials purchased, services provided, capital 
equipment purchased and distances travelled for upstream/downstream logistics. Supplier-specific emission factors 
and/or emission factors from literature are then applied to the component type to derive an absolute CO2e emissions 
volume, in metric tonnes.

Limitation

—

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Use 100% renewable energy across all our direct operations 
Change in percentage of renewable energy across our direct operations

We report total energy use and renewable energy use in megawatt hours (MWh) and/or terajoules (TJ). Total energy 
and renewable energy use are determined from direct and indirect energy consumption; energy generated on our sites 
and purchased energy. We determine direct energy (renewable/non-renewable) from the quantity of different fuel 
types (in metric tonnes, litres) of renewable and non-renewable fuels, and by applying the relevant calorific value 
(either from BEIS or the supplier). We measure indirect energy (renewable/non-renewable) in MWh and/or TJ from 
energy utilities or suppliers and/or by applying the relevant EACs. 

For avoidance of doubt, we include directly connected renewable energy generated on or near our sites, where all 

energy is used on site and no EACs are created (e.g., roof-mounted solar panels with all generated renewable 
electricity used on site).
We exclude minor energy sources that account for less than 0.5% of a site's overall Scope 1 and 2 emissions, up to a 
maximum of 50 t CO2e of individual emission source. They are considered immaterial to our overall impact. 
We report total energy and renewable energy in MWh and/or TJ. We calculate direct and indirect energy data based 
on the direct measurement of energy use (meter readings/invoices for volumes of fuel supplied) for the majority of 
sites. 

We report fuel consumption by fuel type at site level using the environmental management system. Using calorific 

values, the fuel is then converted to energy consumption, in kWh, by fuel type and classified as either renewable or 
non-renewable based on fuel type or source. EACs, derived from our distillery by-product feedstock and processed by 
a third-party to generate biogas, together with purchased renewable gas EACs, are applied to relevant natural gas 
supplied to sites via a common carrier pipeline/network. This is reflected in data preparation and aggregation.

All indirect energy generated and used on site, along with purchased indirect energy supplied through the grid is 
classified as renewable by the allocation of EACs, contracts, power purchase agreements and supplier specific utility 
factors, where relevant. 

To achieve the percentage of renewable energy use, we divide total renewable energy into direct and indirect 

energy supplies (in MWh) by total energy use, comprising all reported energy sources (MWh).

Energy data is calculated based on direct measurement of energy use (meter readings/invoices) for the majority of 
sites. Where invoices are not available – due, for example, to timing differences – consumption is estimated. These 
instances account for less than 1% of the total.

Become sustainable by design

We have already made progress in reducing our environmental impact, and we continue to work hard to meet our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress‘ 
targets and become sustainable by design by reducing packaging, increasing recycled content and eliminating waste.

Target

Performance measure

Achieve zero waste in our direct operations and zero waste to landfill in our supply chain
Percentage reduction in total waste sent to landfill from the prior year

Additional measure

Total volume of waste sent to landfill (tonnes)

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception
Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

We record the type and quantity of all waste to landfill using our internal environmental reporting methodologies and 
GRI Standards. The definition of waste to landfill includes all hazardous waste and all unwanted or discarded material 
produced in solid, sludge or liquid form from manufacturing and office sites, except asbestos waste and/or other waste 
required by national or state legislation to be landfilled in either specified registered sites or other landfill sites. The 
definition includes all refuse, garbage, construction debris, treatment and process sludge, and materials that a site has 
been unable to reclaim, reuse or recover. 

We consider we have achieved zero waste to landfill if we have disposed of less than 0.2% of baseline waste-to-
landfill volume during the year. Some 0.2% of baseline waste-to-landfill volume equates to 200 tonnes and excludes 
any waste we are required to dispose to landfill under local regulations.
—

Sites typically collect primary waste data from weighbridge tickets and invoices from waste handlers. Data is reported 
by waste type at site level using the environmental management system. 

Incidents may occur where small quantities of waste are sent to landfill by accident or because of operational changes, 
such as acquiring new sites, changing who handles our waste and issues with waste disposal suppliers. 

Continue our work to reduce total packaging (delivering a 10% reduction in packaging weight)
Percentage reduction of total packaging (by weight)

We determine changes to packaging weight by quantifying the weight reduction in grammes multiplied by the number 
of product lines (SKUs) affected, on an annualised basis.
—
We collate packaging material volume data from enterprise software, including SAP and other sources, for total 
volume of packaging purchased and weight. We verify weight data through quarterly supplier questionnaires. 
Reporting relies on suppliers' technical information and supporting supplementary information. 

Continue our work to increase recycled content on our packaging (increasing the percentage of recycled 
content of our packaging to 60%)
Change in percentage of recycled content (by weight)

We determine recycled content by establishing the percentage weight of non-virgin materials used to generate the 
packaging components. 
—

We collate packaging material volume data from enterprise software, including SAP and other sources, for the total 
volume of packaging purchased. We collect recycled content data through quarterly supplier questionnaires and then 
consolidate and internally verify it. 

Reporting relies on suppliers' technical information and supporting supplementary information.

Ensure 100% of our packaging is widely recyclable (or reusable/compostable)
Percentage of packaging recyclable (by weight)

For fiscal 23, we are reporting our 'technically recyclable' number. This includes packaging that is technically possible to 
recycle, but does not take into account whether the collection, sorting and recycling of the package happens in 
practice, at scale and at viable cost.

—

Packaging material volume data is collated from enterprise software, including SAP (materials supplied) and other 
sources. It is then consolidated and internally verified, based on the best available information.
Reporting relies on suppliers' technical information and supporting supplementary information. 

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IND EPENDENT LIMITED  ASSURANCE REPORT ON SELECTED SU BJECT MATTER 

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure
Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Limitation

Target

Performance measure

Definition

Scope exception

Data preparation

Achieve 40% recycled content in our plastic bottles by 2025, and 100% by 2030
Percentage of recycled content in our plastic bottles used

This is determined by quantifying the metric tonnes of non-virgin plastic in the total volume of all plastic bottles used at 
each site or market reported through a plastics database.
—

We collate plastic material volume data from enterprise software, including SAP and other sources, for the total volume 
of plastics purchased. We collect recycled content data through quarterly supplier questionnaires and then consolidate 
and internally verify it. 

Reporting relies on suppliers' technical information and supporting supplementary information. 

Ensure 100% of our plastics are designed to be widely recyclable (or reusable/compostable) by 2025
Percentage of recyclable (or reusable/compostable) plastic used

For fiscal 23, we are reporting our 'technically recyclable' number. This includes packaging that is technically possible to 
recycle, but does not take into account whether the collection, sorting and recycling of the package happens in 
practice, at scale and at viable cost.

—

Packaging material volume data is collated from enterprise software, including SAP (materials supplied) and other 
sources. It is then consolidated and internally verified, based on the best available information.
Reporting relies on suppliers' technical information and supporting supplementary information.

Provide all of our local sourcing communities with agricultural skills and resources, building economic and 
environmental resilience (supporting 150,000 smallholder farmers)
Number of smallholder farmers in our supply chain supported by our smallholder farmer programme
We define a smallholder farmer as an individual or family farming an area of less than four hectares, for the primary 
markets in scope for this target. Our local sourcing communities are those where we engage directly with smallholder 
farmers, or indirectly through our suppliers. 

We define providing agricultural skills and inputs aimed at improving the methods and activities used by 

smallholder farmers to farm effectively and sustainably by providing training or providing or facilitating access to farm 
inputs such as certified seeds and mechanisation. 

Building economic and environmental resilience involves improving smallholders’ financial awareness, their family 

income and/or their understanding of how to act in a climate-smart way.

Our work with smallholder farmers is currently focussed around sorghum value chains in five countries in Africa. For 
Fiscal 23, we focussed efforts on Kenya. With this focus we have learned how to best deploy at scale.

Our sourcing teams and third-party partners track the number of smallholder farmers undergoing training and 
education or being provided with access to farm inputs both manually and directly into our new digital platform. The 
baseline year for our smallholder programmes is fiscal 22.

The performance measure is refreshed each year, rather than accumulated over consecutive years, to evidence 

evolution of the number of smallholder supported on a year-by-year basis.
Monitoring is likely to evolve over time, because collecting data at smallholder-farm level is complex, with a heavy 
reliance on individuals, a lack of publicly available high-impact datasets and a lack of real-time data.

Develop regenerative agriculture pilot programmes in five key sourcing landscapes
Number of regenerative agriculture pilot programmes initiated

We define our key sourcing landscapes as locations from which we source our most material crops, in terms of 
volumes sourced, product dependency (e.g., agave for tequila) and contribution to our Scope 3 GHG footprint.
The programmes include:
• On-the-ground programmes with farmers to test and integrate regenerative and low-carbon practices in crop 

production systems

• On-farm measurements and data collection protocols to track improvements in soil health, soil carbon, biodiversity, 

water stewardship and farm profitability

• Collaborative programmes with our suppliers, other commodity off-takers, expert agronomists, technology providers, 

NGOs or specialist organisations

—

Data is consolidated for each pilot programme, tracking KPIs and reporting on improvements against key outcomes. 
The baseline year is fiscal 23. The baseline year for assessing the results of our first pilot programme, Guinness barley, is 
fiscal 23.

Limitation

—

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Independent Limited Assurance Report 
to the Directors of Diageo plc on 
selected subject matter

Our limited assurance conclusion
Based on the procedures we have performed, as described under “Summary of work performed” and the evidence we have obtained, nothing has 
come to our attention that causes us to believe that the information marked with the symbol ∆ in Diageo plc’s (‘Diageo’s’) Annual Report (‘the 
Report’) for the year ended 30 June 2023 and summarised below (together the ‘Subject Matter Information’), has not been prepared, in all material 
respects, in accordance with “Diageo’s Reporting boundaries and methodologies” (the ‘Reporting Criteria’) set out on pages 242-262 of the Annual 
Report.

What we assured 
The Subject Matter Information needs to be read and understood together with the Reporting Criteria which Diageo’s Directors are solely responsible 
for selecting and applying. The Subject Matter Information are set out below:
Subject Matter Information
(for the year ended 30 June 2023 unless otherwise stated)
Environmental and Safety indicators:
Total volume packaged (litres) 1
Water use efficiency per litre of product packaged (litres/litre) 2
Percentage improvement in litres of water used per litre of product packaged from the prior year (percentage) 7

Location of Subject
Matter Information

pages 5 and 79

3,801,239,185

page 256

page 79

 (1.2) %

4.14

Percentage reduction in absolute carbon emissions (direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market / net 
based)) from the prior year 7
Total direct and indirect carbon emissions by weight (market/net based) (1,000 tonnes CO2e) 1
Market based (net) intensity ratio of GHG emissions (g CO2e per litre of packaged product) 2
Percentage reduction in total waste sent to landfill from the prior year 7
Lost time accident frequency rate per 1,000 full-time employees (FTEs) 3

Smashed indicators (for the period 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023):
Number of people educated on the dangers of underage drinking through a Diageo supported education 
programme 1
Number of people who confirmed changed attitudes on the dangers of underage drinking following participation in 
a Diageo supported education programme 1
Inclusion and Diversity indicators:
The percentage of female leaders globally 4
The percentage of ethnically diverse leaders globally 5

Water Replenishment indicators:
Annual volumetric replenishment capacity (m3) of projects developed 3

Percentage of water-stressed markets where Diageo have invested in improving access to clean water, sanitation 
and hygiene near sites and local sourcing areas (FY21-FY23) 6

 5.4 %

401

105

 35.5 %

0.91

page 82

pages 5 and 83

page 83

page 86

page 65

1,985,817

pages 5 and 58

1,548,996

page 58

 44 %

 43 %

pages 5 and 67-68

pages 5 and 67-68

1,311,010

 100 %

page 79

page 80

The footnote refers to our assessment of materiality discussed in this report.

The scope of our work did not extend to information in respect of earlier periods or to any other information included in, or linked from, the Report.
Our work
Professional standards applied
We performed a limited assurance engagement in accordance with International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (Revised) ‘Assurance 
Engagements other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information’ and, in respect of the greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with 
International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3410 ‘Assurance engagements on greenhouse gas statements’, issued by the International 
Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.
Our independence and quality control
We have complied with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Code of Ethics, which includes independence and other 
requirements founded on fundamental principles of integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality and professional 
behaviour, that are at least as demanding as the applicable provisions of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants International 
Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards).

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We apply International Standard on Quality Management (UK) 1 and accordingly maintain a comprehensive system of quality control including 
documented policies and procedures regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards and applicable legal and regulatory 
requirements.

Summary of work performed
We performed a limited assurance engagement. Because a limited assurance engagement can cover a range of assurance, we give more detail 
about the procedures performed, so that the intended users can understand the nature, timing and extent of procedures we performed as context 
for our conclusion. These procedures performed vary in nature and timing from, and are less in extent than for, a reasonable assurance 
engagement. Consequently, the level of assurance obtained in a limited assurance engagement is substantially lower than the assurance that would 
have been obtained had a reasonable assurance engagement been performed.
In performing our assurance procedures, which were based on our professional judgement, we performed the following:

• considered the suitability of the circumstances of Diageo’s use of the Reporting Criteria, as the basis for preparing the Subject Matter Information;
• obtained an understanding of Diageo’s control environment, processes and systems relevant to the preparation of the Subject Matter 
Information. Our procedures did not include evaluating the suitability of the design or operating effectiveness of control activities;

• evaluated the appropriateness of measurement and evaluation methods, reporting policies used and estimates made by Diageo, noting that our 

procedures did not involve testing the data on which the estimates are based or separately developing our own estimates against which to 
evaluate Diageo’s estimates;

• undertook site visits at 12 of Diageo’s sites; we selected these sites based on their inherent risk, materiality to the group, and an analysis of 

unexpected fluctuations in the Subject Matter Information since the prior period. 4 of these sites based in Scotland, Uganda, Ghana and the 
United States were performed virtually using live feed streaming under our direction. A further 8 sites in Scotland (2), England, India, Nigeria (2), 
Mexico and Australia were conducted as physical visits;

• performed limited substantive testing on a selective basis of the Subject Matter Information related to the Environmental and Safety indicators 

listed above, which is aggregated from information submitted by Diageo’s operational sites. Testing was conducted as part of the site visits and 
involved: comparing year on year movements and obtaining explanations from management for significant differences we identified, agreeing 
arithmetical accuracy and agreeing data points to or from source information to check that the underlying subject matter was complete and 
accurate, and had been appropriately evaluated or measured, recorded, collated and reported;

• the Subject Matter Information related to Water Replenishment indicators is aggregated from the specific water replenishment programmes 

undertaken by Diageo. In order to understand the key processes and controls for reporting, we made management enquiries and performed 
limited substantive testing on a selective basis by sampling 5 out of 35 projects, based on their inherent risk and materiality to the annual 
volumetric water replenishment capacity. This specifically focused on understanding how programmes are selected and implemented by 
implementation partners on behalf of Diageo. This testing checked that underlying information had been appropriately evaluated or measured, 
recorded, collated and reported;

• performed limited substantive testing on a selective basis of the Subject Matter Information related to the Smashed and Inclusion and Diversity 
indicators. This testing was performed at the Diageo head office, to check that underlying information was complete and accurate, and had 
been appropriately evaluated or measured, recorded, collated and reported; and
• evaluated the disclosures in, and overall presentation of the Subject Matter Information.
Our assurance procedures specifically did not include evaluating the suitability of design or operating effectiveness of control activities.

Materiality
We are required to plan and perform our work to address the areas where we have identified that a material misstatement of the Subject Matter 
Information is likely to arise. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to 
determine the nature, timing and extent of our procedures in support of our conclusion. We believe that it is important that the intended users 
understand the concept and the level of materiality to place our conclusion in context.

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the Subject Matter Information as follows:

Overall 
materiality

Materiality differs depending upon the nature of the Subject Matter Information. We apply professional judgement to consider the 
most appropriate materiality benchmark for each aspect of the Subject Matter Information, having considered how the intended 
users may use the information.

The benchmark approach for each aspect of the Subject Matter Information is indicated in the table by one of the following 
numbers;
1 This metric is an absolute number. A benchmark materiality of 5% has been applied.
2 This metric measures intensity, which is calculated as a ratio between 2 different numbers. A benchmark of 5% has been applied to 
both the numerator and denominator used in the calculation.
3 This metric is a ratio. Each misclassified lost time accident is considered material whilst materiality for 1,000 FTEs is set at 5%;
4 This metric is a percentage. A benchmark materiality of 2.5% has been applied to both the number of female leaders and total 
number of leaders used in the percentage calculation.
5 This metric is a percentage. A benchmark materiality of 2.5% has been applied to both the number of ethnically diverse leaders 
and total number of leaders used in the percentage calculation.
6 This metric is a percentage. Any identified misstatement in either the numerator or denominator is considered material.
7 This metric is a percentage change. A benchmark of 5% has been applied to both the numerator and denominator.

We also agreed to report to the Directors misstatements (‘reportable misstatements’) identified during our work at a level below overall materiality, 
as  well  as  misstatements  below  that  lower  level,  that  in  our  view  warranted  reporting  for  qualitative  reasons.  The  Directors  are  responsible  for 
deciding whether adjustments should be made to the Subject Matter Information in respect of those items.

Key assurance matters
We considered the following areas to be those that required our particular focus and discussed these areas with Diageo’s management. This is not a 
complete list of all areas of focus identified by our work.
Classification of waste
Nature of the issue

Diageo engages a wide range of third parties in the collection, management and disposal of the waste generated through their 
global operations. As soon as waste leaves a site, Diageo is no longer in control of the waste journey taken and there is a loss of 
visibility of waste disposal routes. Diageo then often has to rely on management information provided by third parties to 
appropriately classify waste - particularly waste sent to landfill.

There is a risk that waste is inappropriately classified, by Diageo or a third party, as another waste stream (e.g. ‘recycled’ despite its 
final disposal route being to landfill).

How our work addressed the 
key assurance matter

Whilst our testing approach in relation to third parties is unique to each individual aspect of the Subject Matter Information, the 
following are examples of work performed at some of the 12 Diageo sites selected in relation to waste specifically:

• Performed walkthrough procedures to gain an understanding of the end-to-end waste journey for selected waste streams, and 
enquired with local management to understand how they are comfortable with data obtained from third party waste handlers;
• Enquired with third party waste handlers to understand how they compile their management information they send to Diageo;
• Obtained an understanding of any specific contractual obligations in place on third party waste handlers in relation to sending 

waste to landfill;

• Obtained third party confirmations of year to date 'waste to landfill' volumes for a sample of waste handlers servicing the sites;
• Obtained and reviewed waste traceability review reports completed by local site management of waste collections made from 

by third parties;

• Attended a waste traceability review conducted by local site management with a third party waste handler;
• Reviewed the group management schedule of waste handler reviews, assessing key findings and the broader impact on the 

group;

• Performed substantive testing to confirm accuracy and classification of waste values reported, and for a sample of waste 

collections (5-15) within management information and corroborated to supporting documentation (e.g. weighbridge tickets);
• Obtained weighbridge calibration certificates, or equivalent documents, to confirm accuracy of actual waste collection volumes;
• Obtained and reviewed calculations performed by selected waste handlers to report total waste sent to landfill figures; and
• Obtained and assessed reasonableness of estimation methodologies applied locally in the absence of reliable third party data, 

and validated data inputs.

Percentage reduction in total waste sent to landfill from the prior year

Element(s) of the Subject 
Matter Information most 
significantly impacted

Application of complex criteria
Nature of the issue

Diageo has extensive internal risk management and assurance guidance to support local site management teams to collate and 
report health and safety incidents consistently. Whilst this guidance is detailed, there are some complex areas which can sometimes 
be open to interpretation or judgement, resulting in significant assurance risks around completeness, accuracy, classification and 
presentation and disclosure.

There are complex definitions and exception criteria specific to Lost Time Accidents (LTAs), which determine whether an incident is 
reportable and how it should be classified. For example, in relation to the lost time accident reporting, judgements can arise in 
interpreting key definitions: work-related or job restriction based on detailed internal definitions and criteria which may not be 
present in the external criteria.

Whilst our testing approach in relation to judgements is unique to each individual aspect of the Subject Matter Information, the 
following are examples of work performed at some of the 12 Diageo sites selected in relation to lost time accident reporting 
specifically:
• Obtained an understanding of local safety governance and escalation channels available to local site management;
• Performed walkthrough procedures to gain an understanding of local incident reporting procedures to ensure and assess 

consistency when utilising classification guidance;

• Enquired with local site management to understand how they classify incidents for complex or unusual incidents;
• Performed substantive testing over all lost time accidents reported to date, and for a sample of between 5-15 other incidents to 

confirm classification;

• Obtained additional corroborating evidence where underlying incident reporting was not sufficient to substantiate incident 

classification. In some instances, these were escalated and discussed with Global Governance.

Additional testing has also been performed at a group-level, specifically:
• Substantive testing for a sample of 20 incidents globally not classified as a lost time accident (e.g. medical treatment case or first 

aid case) to ensure incident classification was appropriate;

• Enquired with the Global Governance team on incident classification where underlying evidence was not clear and obtained 

additional corroborating evidence, where needed.

Lost time accident frequency rate per 1,000 full-time employees

How our work addressed the 
key assurance matter

Element(s) of the Subject 
Matter Information most 
significantly impacted

Challenges of non-financial information
The absence of a significant body of established practice upon which to draw to evaluate and measure non-financial information allows for 
different, but acceptable, evaluation and measurement techniques that can affect comparability between entities, and over time.

Non-financial information is subject to more inherent limitations than financial information, given the characteristics of the underlying subject matter 
and the methods used for measuring or evaluating it. The precision of different measurement techniques may also vary.

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OTHER ADD ITIONAL INFORMATION

Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Report other than the Subject Matter Information and our assurance report. The 
Directors are responsible for the other information. As explained above, our conclusion does not extend to the other information and, accordingly, 
we do not express any form of assurance thereon. In connection with our assurance of the Subject Matter Information, our responsibility is to read 
the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the Subject Matter Information or our 
knowledge obtained during the assurance engagement, or otherwise appears to contain a material misstatement of fact. If we identify an apparent 
material inconsistency or material misstatement of fact, we are required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement 
of the Subject Matter Information or a material misstatement of the other information, and to take appropriate actions in the circumstances.

Responsibilities of the Directors
As explained in the Directors’ Statement on page 116 of the Annual Report, the Directors of Diageo are responsible for:

• determining appropriate reporting topics and selecting or establishing suitable criteria for measuring or evaluating the underlying subject matter;
• ensuring that those criteria are relevant and appropriate to Diageo and the intended users of the Report;
• the preparation of the Subject Matter Information in accordance with the Reporting Criteria including designing, implementing and maintaining 

systems, processes and internal controls over the evaluation or measurement of the underlying subject matter to result in Subject Matter 
Information that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; and

• producing the Report, including underlying data and statements of Directors’ responsibility, which provides a balanced reflection of Diageo’s 

performance in this area and discloses, with supporting rationale, matters relevant to the intended users of the Report.

Our responsibilities
We are responsible for:

• planning and performing the engagement to obtain limited assurance about whether the Subject Matter Information is free from material 

misstatement, whether due to fraud or error;

• forming an independent conclusion, based on the procedures we have performed and the evidence we have obtained; and
• reporting our conclusion to the Directors of Diageo.

Use of this report
Our report, including our conclusion, has been prepared solely for the Directors of Diageo in accordance with the agreement between us dated 31 
January 2023 (as varied). To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility or liability to anyone other than the Board 
of Directors and Diageo for our work or this report except where terms are expressly agreed between us in writing.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants 

London

31 July 2023

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Other additional 
information

Spirits and investments
Spirits are produced in distilleries located worldwide. The group owns 
30 Scotch whisky distilleries in Scotland, two whisky distilleries in 
Canada and three in the United States. Diageo produces Smirnoff 
internationally. Ketel One and Cîroc vodkas are purchased as finished 
product from The Nolet Group and Maison Villevert, respectively. Gin 
distilleries are in both the United Kingdom and in Santa Vittoria, Italy. 
Baileys is produced in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 
Irish whiskey is distilled at the Roe & Co distillery in Dublin. Rum is 
distilled in the US Virgin Islands and in Australia, Venezuela, and 
Guatemala and is blended and bottled in the United States, Canada, 
Italy and the United Kingdom. Raki is produced in Turkey, Chinese 
white spirits are produced in Chengdu, in the Sichuan province of 
China, cachaça is produced in Ceará State in Brazil and tequila in 
Mexico. The Chase Distillery in England produces vodka and gin.

Diageo’s maturing Scotch whisky is in warehouses in Scotland 
(Clackmannanshire area between Blackgrange, Cambus West and 
Menstrie, where we are holding approximately 50% of the group’s 
maturing Scotch whisky), its maturing Canadian whisky in Valleyfield 
and Gimli in Canada, its maturing American whiskey in Kentucky and 
Tennessee in the United States and maturing Chinese white spirits in 
Chengdu, China.

There is a significant progress in our investment of £185 million in 
the Scotch whisky and tourism sectors in Scotland. This has included 
the creation of a major new Johnnie Walker global brand attraction in 
Edinburgh (Johnnie Walker Princes Street). The distillery visitor 
investment has focused on the ‘Four Corners distilleries’, Glenkinchie, 
Caol Ila, Clynelish and Cardhu, celebrating the important role these 
single malts play in the flavours of Johnnie Walker. The new visitor 
experiences at Glenkinchie, Clynelish and Cardhu are now fully 
operational and Caol Ila opened in August 2022. The iconic lost 
distillery of Port Ellen is expected to be back in production in the 
summer of 2023.

In China, work continues with our $75 million investment in the 
Eryuan malt whisky distillery. It will produce our first China-origin, single 
malt whisky and be carbon-neutral on opening. 

In North America, further capacity expansion projects are now 

underway to support future growth including the C$245 million 
construction of a carbon neutral Crown Royal distillery in Canada to 
supplement existing manufacturing operations. 

Diageo’s end-to-end tequila production is in Mexico, and more 

than $500 million dollars is being invested to expand our 
manufacturing footprint through an investment in new facilities in the 
state of Jalisco to support growth. As part of our expansion and our 
investments in the tequila category, we have different digital 
transformation projects under implementation at the El Charcón 
production site to respond to the growing demand in tequila and the 
expansion of our operations. Projects include additional technology 
support and automatisation of our new bottling line on site, which will 
be dedicated to Casamigos tequila. The use of technology will allow us 
to operate 24/7.

Diageo owns a controlling equity stake in United Spirits Limited 
(USL) which is one of the leading alcoholic beverage companies in 
India selling close to 66 million equivalent units (reported) in fiscal 23 of 
Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and imported liquors. USL has a 
significant market presence across India and operates 12 owned sites, 
as well as a network of leased and third-party manufacturing facilities 
in India. USL owns several Indian brands, such as McDowell’s (Indian 

whisky, rum, and brandy), Black Dog (scotch), Signature (Indian 
whisky), Royal Challenge (Indian whisky) and Antiquity (Indian whisky).
Beer and investments
Diageo’s principal brewing facility is at the St James’s Gate brewery in 
Dublin, Ireland. In addition, Diageo owns breweries in several African 
countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and the 
Seychelles. During the year ended 30 June 2023, Guinness Cameroun 
S.A. was sold to the Castel Group.

Guinness flavour extract is shipped from Ireland to all overseas 
Guinness brewing operations which use the flavour extract to brew beer 
locally. Guinness is transported from Ireland to Great Britain in bulk to the 
Runcorn facility which carries out the kegging of Guinness Draught.

Projects are underway to support future beer growth. In July 2022, 

Diageo announced plans to invest €200 million in Ireland’s first 
purpose-built carbon neutral brewery on a greenfield site in 
Littleconnell, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. A planning application for the 
new brewery was submitted in October 2022 and, if successful, 
brewing would commence in 2024. Furthermore, Diageo will also 
invest £21 million to build a new production area at St. James’s Gate 
and increase brewing capacity of Guinness 0.0, building on the 
£41 million announced to expand and optimise capacity at its beer 
packaging facilities in Belfast and Runcorn. Work on these three 
projects is substantially complete with capacity coming onstream in 
2023 calendar year.

The Diageo Beer Category Third-Party Operations Team are the 
technical brewers supporting the delivery of over two and a half million 
hectoliters of beer and ready to drink products supplied through over 
50 partner breweries and beverage packaging facilities across the 
world. The team's focus is upon assuring the consistent quality of 
Diageo brands produced at third-party facilities and on enhancing 
Diageo value through supporting the start-up of new partnerships and 
delivery of innovation projects. In addition to supporting Guinness and 
beer, the team has an expanding role in the support of third-party 
manufacturing of ready to drink and spirits in Asia-Pacific and Africa.

Flavoured malt beverages (FMB) are made from original base containing 
malt, but then stripped of malt character and flavoured. This product 
segment is implemented mainly in the United States, Canada and the 
Caribbean. 

Ready to drink (RTD)
Diageo produces a range of ready to drink products mainly in the United 
Kingdom, Italy, across Africa, Australia, the United States and Canada.

Raw materials and supply agreements
The group has several long-term contracts in place for the purchase of 
raw materials, including glass, other packaging, spirits, cream, rum 
and grapes. Forward contracts are in place for the purchase of cereals 
and packaging materials to minimise the effects of short-term price 
fluctuations. The global ocean freight crisis coupled with volatile but 
strong consumer demand, change in consumer habits (for example, 
the increase in e-commerce, the energy crisis, residual impact of 
Covid-19 and impact of the conflict in Ukraine) are the key drivers of 
constraints that we are managing through.

Like other consumer goods companies, we keep stocks in markets 
to compensate for extended lead times and demand volatility. Diageo 
is managing well through the current levels of uncertainty and 
constraints in our supply chain through expansion of our supplier base 
and agility in our logistics networks.

Cereals, including barley, wheat, corn and sorghum are used in out 
scotch and beer production and in our spirits brand through purchased 
neutral spirit. Cream is the principal raw material used in the 
production of Irish cream liqueur and is sourced from Ireland. Grapes 
and aniseed are used in the production of raki and are sourced from 
suppliers in Turkey. Agave is a key raw material used in the production 
of our tequila brands and is sourced from Mexico. Other raw materials 
purchased in significant quantities to produce spirits and beer are 
molasses, sugar, and several flavours (such as juniper berries, agave, 

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chocolate, and herbs). These are sourced from suppliers around the 
world. 

Many products are supplied to customers in glass bottles. Glass in 

purchased from a variety of multinational and local suppliers. The 
largest suppliers are Ardagh Packaging in the United Kingdom and 
Owens-Illinois in the United States. 

Competition
Diageo’s brands compete primarily on the basis of quality and price. Its 
business is built on getting the right product to the right consumer for the 
right occasion, and at the right price, including through taking into account 
ever evolving shopper landscapes, technologies and consumer 
preferences. Diageo also seeks to recruit and re-recruit consumers to its 
portfolio of brands, including through meaningful consumer engagement, 
sustainable innovation and investments in its brands.

In spirits, Diageo’s major global competitors are Pernod Ricard, 
Beam Suntory, Bacardi and Brown-Forman, each of which has several 
brands that compete directly with Diageo’s brands. In addition, Diageo 
faces competition from regional and local companies in the countries 
in which it operates.

In beer, Diageo also competes globally, as well as on a regional 
and local basis (with the profile varying between regions) with several 
competitors, including AB InBev, Molson Coors, Heineken, 
Constellation Brands and Carlsberg. 

Research and development 
Innovation forms an important part of Diageo’s growth strategy, 
playing a key role in positioning its brands for continued growth in both 
developed and emerging markets. The strength and depth of Diageo’s 
brand range also provides a solid platform from which to drive 
sustainable innovation that leads to new products and experiences for 
consumers, whether or not they choose to drink alcohol. Diageo 
focuses its innovation on its strategic priorities and the most significant 
consumer opportunities, including the development of global brand 
extensions and new-to-world products, and continuously invests to 
deepen its understanding of evolving trends and consumer socialising 
occasions to inform product and packaging development, ranging 
from global brand redesigns to cutting edge innovations. Supporting 
this, the Diageo group has ongoing programmes to develop new 
beverage products which are managed internally by the innovation 
and research and development function. 

Trademarks and other intellectual property 
Diageo produces, sells and distributes branded goods, and is therefore 
substantially dependent on the maintenance and protection of its 
trademarks. All brand names mentioned in this document are 
protected by trademarks. The Diageo group also holds trade secrets, 
as well as has substantial trade knowledge related to its products. The 
group believes that its significant trademarks are registered and/or 
otherwise protected (insofar as legal protection is available) in all 
material respects in its most important markets. Diageo also owns 
valuable patents and trade secrets for technology and takes all 
reasonable steps to protect these rights.

Regulations and taxes 
Diageo’s worldwide operations are subject to extensive regulatory 
requirements relating to production, product liability, distribution, 
importation, marketing, promotion, sales, pricing, labelling, packaging, 
advertising, antitrust, labour, pensions, compliance and control systems 
and environmental issues. 

In the United States, the beverage alcohol industry is subject to strict 

federal and state government regulations. At the federal level, the 
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, of the US Treasury 
Department oversees the US beverage alcohol industry, including 
through regulating and collecting taxes on the production of alcohol 
within the United States and regulating trade practices. In addition, 
individual US states, as well as some local authorities in US jurisdictions 
in which Diageo sells or produces its products, administers and 

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enforces industry-specific regulations and may apply additional excise 
taxes and, in many states, sales taxes. Federal, state and local 
regulations cover virtually every aspect of Diageo's US operations, 
including production, importation, distribution, marketing, promotion, 
sales, pricing, labelling, packaging and advertising.

Spirits and beer are subject to national import and excise duties in 
many markets around the world. Most countries impose excise duties 
on beverage alcohol products, although the form of such taxation 
varies significantly from a simple application to units of alcohol by 
volume, to advanced systems based on the imported or wholesale 
value of the product. Several countries impose additional import duty 
on distilled spirits, often discriminating between categories (such as 
Scotch whisky or bourbon) in the rate of such tariffs. Within the 
European Union, such products are subject to different rates of excise 
duty in each country, but within the overall European Union framework 
there are minimum rates of excise duties that must first be applied to 
each relevant category of beverage alcohol. Following its departure 
from the European Union, the UK is no longer subject to the European 
Union’s rules on excise duties and will introduce a new alcohol duty 
system from August 2023. The implementation of this system, which 
aims to simplify the previous duty regime, could impact Diageo’s 
business activities. 

Import and excise duties can have a significant impact on the final 

pricing of Diageo’s products to consumers. These duties can affect a 
product’s revenue or margin, both by reducing consumption and/or by 
encouraging consumers to switch to lower-taxed categories of 
beverages. The group devotes resources to encouraging the equitable 
taxation treatment of all beverage alcohol categories and to reducing 
government imposed barriers to fair trading.

The advertising, marketing and sale of alcohol are subject to 
various restrictions in markets around the world. These range from a 
complete prohibition of alcohol in certain cultures and jurisdictions, 
such as in certain states in India, to the prohibition of the import into a 
certain jurisdiction of spirits and beer, and to restrictions on the 
advertising style, media and content. In a number of countries, 
television is a prohibited medium for the marketing of spirits brands, 
while in other countries, television advertising, while permitted, is 
carefully regulated. Many countries also strictly regulate the use of 
internet-based advertising and social media in connection with alcohol 
sales. Any further prohibitions imposed on advertising or marketing, 
particularly within Diageo’s most significant markets, could have an 
adverse impact on beverage alcohol sales.

Labelling of beverage alcohol products is also regulated in many 
markets, varying from the required inclusion of health warning labels to 
manufacturer or importer identification, alcohol strength and other 
consumer information. As well as producer, importer or bottler identification, 
specific warning statements related to the risks of drinking beverage alcohol 
products are required to be included on all beverage alcohol products sold 
in the US, in certain countries within the EU, and in a number of other 
jurisdictions in which Diageo operates.

Spirits and beer are also regulated in distribution. In many countries, 

alcohol may only be sold through licensed outlets, both on- and off-
trade, varying from government- or state-operated monopoly outlets 
(for example, in the off-trade channel in Norway, certain Canadian 
provinces, and certain US states) to the system of licensed on-trade 
outlets (for example, licensed bars and restaurants) which prevails in 
much of the Western world, including in the majority of US states, in the 
UK and in much of the EU. In a number of states in the US, wholesalers 
of alcoholic beverages must publish price lists periodically and/or must 
file price changes in some instances up to three months before they 
become effective. In a response to public health concerns, some 
governments have imposed or are considering imposing minimum 
pricing on beverage alcohol products and may consider raising the 
legal drinking age, further limiting the number, type or opening hours 
of retail outlets and/or expanding retail licensing requirements.

Regulatory decisions and changes in the legal and regulatory 
environment could also increase Diageo’s costs and liabilities and/or 
impact on its business activities.

Taxation
This section provides a descriptive summary of certain US federal 
income tax and UK tax consequences that are likely to be material to 
the holders of the ordinary shares or ADSs, but only those who hold 
their ordinary shares or ADSs as capital assets for tax purposes. It does 
not purport to be a complete technical analysis or a listing of all 
potential tax effects relevant to the ownership of the ordinary shares or 
ADSs. This section does not apply to any holder who is subject to 
special rules, including:

• a dealer in securities or foreign currency;
• a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of 

accounting for securities holdings;

• a tax-exempt organisation;
• a life insurance company;
• a person liable for alternative minimum tax;
• a person that actually or constructively owns 10% or more of the 
combined voting power of voting stock of Diageo or of the total 
value of stock of Diageo;

• a person that holds ordinary shares or ADSs as part of a straddle or 

a hedging or conversion transaction;

• a person that holds ordinary shares or ADSs as part of a wash sale 

for tax purposes; or

• a US holder (as defined below) whose functional currency is not US 

dollar.

If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for US federal 
income tax purposes holds ordinary shares or ADSs, the US federal 
income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status 
of the partner and the tax treatment of the partnership. A partner in a 
partnership holding ordinary shares or ADSs should consult its tax 
advisor with regard to the US federal income tax treatment of an 
investment in ordinary shares or ADSs.

For UK tax purposes, this section applies only to persons who are 

the absolute beneficial owners of ordinary shares or ADSs and who 
hold their ordinary shares or ADSs as investments. It assumes that 
holders of ADSs will be treated as holders of the underlying ordinary 
shares. In addition to those persons mentioned above, this section does 
not apply to holders that are banks, regulated investment companies, 
other financial institutions, or to persons who have or are deemed to 
have acquired their ordinary shares or ADSs in the course of an 
employment or trade. This summary does not apply to persons who are 
treated as non-domiciled and resident in the United Kingdom for the 
purposes of UK tax law. 

This section is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as 
amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations, 
published rulings and court decisions, the laws of the United Kingdom 
and the practice of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), all as 
currently in effect, as well as on the Convention Between the 
Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland and the Government of the United States of America for the 
Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion 
with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital Gains (the Treaty). These 
laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

In addition, this section is based in part upon the representations of 
the Depositary and the assumption that each obligation in the Deposit 
Agreement and any related agreement will be performed in 
accordance with its terms. In general, and taking into account this 
assumption, for US federal income tax purposes and for the purposes 
of the Treaty, holders of ADRs evidencing ADSs should be treated as 
the owner of the shares represented by those ADSs. Exchanges of 
shares for ADRs, and ADRs for shares, generally will not be subject to 
US federal income tax or to UK tax on profits or gains.

A US holder is a beneficial owner of ordinary shares or ADSs that is 

for US federal income tax purposes:

• a citizen or resident for tax purposes of the United States and who is 

not and has at no point been resident in the United Kingdom;

• a US domestic corporation;
• an estate whose income is subject to US federal income tax 

regardless of its source; or

• a trust if a US court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s 

administration and one or more US persons are authorised to 
control all substantial decisions of the trust.

This section is not intended to provide specific advice and no action 
should be taken or omitted in reliance upon it. This section addresses 
only certain aspects of US federal income tax and UK income tax, 
corporation tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and stamp taxes. 
Holders of the ordinary shares or ADSs are urged to consult their own 
tax advisors regarding the US federal, state and local, and UK and 
other tax consequences of owning and disposing of the shares or ADSs 
in their respective circumstances. In particular, holders are encouraged 
to confirm with their advisor whether they are US holders eligible for the 
benefits of the Treaty. 

Dividends
UK taxation
The company will not be required to withhold tax at source when 
paying a dividend.

All dividends received by an individual shareholder or ADS holder 
who is resident in the UK for tax purposes will, except to the extent that 
they are earned through an ISA or other regime which exempts the 
dividends from tax, form part of that individual’s total income for 
income tax purposes and will represent the highest part of that income.
A nil rate of income tax will apply to the first £1,000 of taxable 

dividend income received by an individual shareholder in the 
2023/2024 tax year, and to the first £500 of taxable dividend income 
received by an individual shareholder in the 2024/2025 tax year (the 
Nil Rate Amount), regardless of what tax rate would otherwise apply to 
that dividend income.

Any taxable dividend income in excess of the Nil Rate Amount will 

be subject to income tax at the following special rates (as at the 
2023/2024 tax year):

• at the rate of 8.75%, to the extent that the relevant dividend income 

falls below the threshold for the higher rate of income tax;
• at the rate of 33.75%, to the extent that the relevant dividend 

income falls above the threshold for the higher rate of income tax 
but below the threshold for the additional rate of income tax; and
• at the rate of 39.35%, to the extent that the relevant dividend income 

falls above the threshold for the additional rate of income tax.

In determining whether and, if so, to what extent the relevant dividend 
income falls above or below the threshold for the higher rate of income 
tax or, as the case may be, the additional rate of income tax, the 
individual’s total taxable dividend income for the tax year in question 
(including the part within the Nil Rate Amount) will, as noted above, be 
treated as the highest part of that individual’s total income for income 
tax purposes.

Shareholders within the charge to UK corporation tax which are 
small companies (for the purposes of the UK taxation of dividends) will 
not generally be subject to tax on dividends from the company. Other 
shareholders within the charge to UK corporation tax will not be subject 
to tax on dividends from the company so long as the dividends fall 
within an exempt class and certain conditions are met. In general, 
dividends paid on shares that are ordinary share capital for UK tax 
purposes and are not redeemable and dividends paid to a person 
holding less than 10% of the issued share capital of the payer (or any 
class of that share capital) are examples of dividends that fall within an 
exempt class.

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US taxation
Under the US federal income tax laws, and subject to the passive 
foreign investment company (PFIC) rules discussed below, the gross 
amount of any distribution (other than certain pro rata distribution of 
ordinary shares) paid to a US holder by Diageo in respect of its 
ordinary shares or ADSs out of its current or accumulated earnings and 
profits (as determined for US federal income tax purposes) will be 
treated as a dividend that is subject to US federal income taxation.
Dividends paid to a non-corporate US holder that constitute 
qualified dividend income will be taxed at the preferential rates 
applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that the ordinary shares 
or ADSs are held for more than 60 days during the 121-day period 
beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date and the holder meets 
other holding period requirements. Dividends paid by Diageo with 
respect to its ordinary shares or ADSs generally will be qualified 
dividend income to US holders that meet the holding period 
requirement, provided that, in the year that you receive the dividend, 
we are eligible for the benefits of the Treaty. We believe that we are 
currently eligible for the benefits of the Treaty and we therefore expect 
that dividends on the shares or ADSs will be qualified dividend income, 
but there can be no assurance that we will continue to be eligible for 
the benefits of the Treaty. Under UK law, dividends paid by the 
company are not subject to UK withholding tax. Therefore, the US 
holder will include in income for US federal income tax purposes the 
amount of the dividend received, and the receipt of a dividend will not 
entitle the US holder to a foreign tax credit.

The dividend must be included in income when the US holder, in the 

case of shares, or the Depositary, in the case of ADSs, receives the 
dividend, actually or constructively. The dividend will not be eligible for 
the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to US corporations 
in respect of dividends received from other US corporations. Dividends 
will generally be income from sources outside the United States and 
will generally be ‘passive’ income for purposes of computing the 
foreign tax credit allowable to a US holder. The amount of the dividend 
distribution that must be included in income of a US holder will be the 
US dollar value of the pounds sterling payments made, determined at 
the spot pounds sterling/US dollar foreign exchange rate on the date 
of the dividend distribution, regardless of whether the payment is in fact 
converted into US dollars. Generally, any gain or loss resulting from 
currency exchange fluctuations during the period from the date the 
dividend payment is distributed to the date the payment is converted 
into US dollars will be treated as ordinary income or loss and will not 
be eligible for the special tax rate applicable to qualified dividend 
income. The gain or loss generally will be income or loss from sources 
within the United States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. 
Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits, 
as determined for US federal income tax purposes, will be treated as a 
non-taxable return of capital to the extent of the holder’s basis in the 
ordinary shares or ADSs and thereafter as capital gain. However, 
Diageo does not expect to calculate earnings and profits in 
accordance with US federal income tax principles. Accordingly, a US 
holder should expect to generally treat distributions Diageo makes as 
dividends.

Taxation of capital gains
UK taxation
A citizen or resident (for tax purposes) of the United States who has at 
no time been resident in the United Kingdom will not be liable for UK 
tax on capital gains realised or accrued on the sale or other disposal of 
ordinary shares or ADSs, unless the ordinary shares or ADSs are held in 
connection with a trade or business carried on by the holder in the 
United Kingdom through a UK branch, agency or a permanent 
establishment. A disposal (or deemed disposal) of shares or ADSs by a 
holder who is resident in the United Kingdom may, depending on the 
holder’s particular circumstances, and subject to any available 
exemption or relief, give rise to a chargeable gain or an allowable loss 
for the purposes of UK tax on capital gains.

US taxation
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a US holder who sells or 
otherwise disposes of ordinary shares or ADSs will recognise capital 
gain or loss for US federal income tax purposes equal to the difference 
between the US dollar value of the amount that is realised and the tax 
basis, determined in US dollars, in the ordinary shares or ADSs. Capital 
gain of a non-corporate US holder is generally taxed at preferential 
rates where the property is held for more than one year. The gain or 
loss will generally be income or loss from sources within the United 
States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.

PFIC rules
Diageo believes that ordinary shares and ADSs should not currently be 
treated as stock of a PFIC for US federal income tax purposes, and we 
do not expect to become a PFIC in the foreseeable future. However this 
conclusion is a factual determination that is made annually and thus 
may be subject to change. It is therefore possible that we could 
become a PFIC in a future taxable year.

If treated as a PFIC, gain realised on the sale or other disposition of 
ordinary shares or ADSs would in general not be treated as capital gain. 
Instead, unless a US holder elects to be taxed annually on a mark-to-market 
basis with respect to the ordinary shares or ADSs, US holders would be 
treated as if the holder had realised such gain and certain ‘excess 
distributions’ pro-rated over the holder’s holding period for the ordinary 
shares or ADSs and would be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for each 
such year to which the gain or distribution was allocated, together with an 
interest charge in respect of the tax attributable to each such year. With 
certain exceptions, a holder’s ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as 
stock in a PFIC if Diageo were a PFIC at any time during the holding period 
in a holder’s ordinary shares or ADSs. In addition, dividends received from 
Diageo will not be eligible for the special tax rates applicable to qualified 
dividend income if Diageo is a PFIC (or is treated as a PFIC with respect to 
the holder) either in the taxable year of the distribution or the preceding 
taxable year, but instead will be taxable at rates applicable to ordinary 
income. If you own our shares or ADSs during any year that we are a PFIC 
with respect to you, you may be required to file IRS Form 8621.

Based on HMRC’s published practice, no UK stamp duty will be 

payable on the acquisition or transfer of ADRs. Furthermore, an 
agreement to transfer ADSs in the form of ADRs will not give rise to a 
liability to SDRT.

Purchases of ordinary shares (as opposed to ADRs) will be subject to UK 

stamp duty, and/or SDRT as the case may be, at the rate of 0.5% of the 
price payable for the ordinary shares at the time of the transfer. Stamp duty 
applies where a physical instrument of transfer is used to effect the transfer. 
SDRT applies to any agreement to transfer ordinary shares (regardless of 
whether or not the transfer is effected electronically or by way of an 
instrument of transfer). However, where ordinary shares being acquired are 
transferred direct to the Depositary’s nominee, the only charge will generally 
be the higher charge of 1.5% of the price payable for the ordinary shares so 
acquired.

Any stamp duty payable (as opposed to SDRT) is rounded up to the 
nearest £5. No stamp duty (as opposed to SDRT) will be payable if the 
amount or value of the consideration is (and is certified to be) £1,000 
or less. Stamp duty and SDRT are usually paid or borne by the 
purchaser.

Whilst stamp duty and SDRT may in certain circumstances both 
apply to the same transaction, in practice usually only one or other will 
need to be paid.

UK inheritance tax
Subject to certain provisions relating to trusts or settlements, an 
ordinary share or ADS held by an individual shareholder who is 
domiciled in the United States for the purposes of the Convention 
between the United States and the United Kingdom relating to estate 
and gift taxes (the Convention) and who is neither domiciled in the UK 
nor (where certain conditions are met) a UK national (as defined in the 
Convention), will generally not be subject to UK inheritance tax on the 
individual’s death (whether held on the date of death or gifted during 
the individual’s lifetime) except where the ordinary share or ADS is part 
of the business property of a UK permanent establishment of the 
individual or pertains to a UK fixed base of an individual who performs 
independent personal services. In a case where an ordinary share or 
ADS is subject both to UK inheritance tax and to US federal gift or 
estate tax, the Convention generally provides for inheritance tax paid 
in the United Kingdom to be credited against federal gift or estate tax 
payable in the United States, or for federal gift or estate tax paid in the 
United States to be credited against any inheritance tax payable in the 
United Kingdom, based on priority rules set forth in the Convention.

UK stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax
Stamp duty and stamp reserve tax (SDRT) may arise upon the deposit 
of an underlying ordinary share with the Depositary, generally at the 
higher rate of 1.5% of its issue price or, as the case may be, of the 
consideration for transfer. The Depositary will pay the stamp duty or 
SDRT but will recover an amount in respect of such tax from the initial 
holders of ADSs. Following litigation, however, HMRC have confirmed 
that they will no longer seek to apply the 1.5% SDRT charge on an issue 
of shares to a depositary receipt issuer or to a person providing 
clearance services (or their nominee or agent) on the basis that this is 
not compatible with EU law. HMRC may continue to apply the 1.5% 
stamp duty or SDRT charge on transfers of shares to a depositary 
receipt issuer or to a person providing clearance services (or their 
nominee or agent) unless the transfer is an integral part of a raising of 
capital. HMRC's current practice states that the 1.5% charge on issues 
will remain disapplied following Brexit unless the stamp taxes on shares 
legislation is amended. However, since the UK is no longer bound by 
EU law, the position may change, possibly as a result of any changes in 
the status of retained EU law.

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Exchange controls
Other than certain economic sanctions which may be in effect from 
time to time, there are currently no UK foreign exchange control 
restrictions on the payment of dividends, interest or other payments to 
holders of Diageo’s securities who are non-residents of the UK or on the 
conduct of Diageo’s operations.

There are no restrictions under the company’s articles of association 

or under English law that limit the right of non-resident or foreign 
owners to hold or vote the company’s ordinary shares.

Please refer to the ‘Taxation’ section on pages 269-271 for details 

relating to the taxation of dividend payments.

Useful contacts
The Registrar/Shareholder queries
Link Group acts as the company’s registrar and can be contacted as 
follows:

By email: Diageo@linkgroup.co.uk
By telephone: +44 (0) 371 277 1010*
In writing: Registrars – Link Group, Diageo Registrar, Central Square, 29 
Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 1DL.

*  Calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Calls 

outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. Lines 
are open 08:00 to 17:30 UK time, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in 
England and Wales.

ADR administration
Citibank Shareholder Services acts as the company’s ADR 
administrator and can be contacted as follows:

By email: citibank@shareholders-online.com
By telephone: +1 866 253 0933/ (International) +1 781 575 4555*
In writing: Citibank Shareholder Services. PO Box 43077,
Providence, RI 02940-3077

*  Lines are open Monday to Friday 8:30 to 18:00 EST

General Counsel and Company Secretary
Tom Shropshire 
The.cosec@diageo.com

Investor Relations
investor.relations@diageo.com

ADDI TI ONAL I NFORMATION FOR SHAREHOLD ERS

Additional 
information for 
shareholders

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM will be held at etc.venues St Paul's, 200 Aldersgate, London 
EC1A 4HD at 2.30 pm on Thursday, 28 September 2023.

Documents on display
The Annual Report on Form 20-F and any other documents filed by the 
company with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) may be 
inspected at the SEC’s office of Investor Education and Advocacy 
located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549-0213, USA. Please 
call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public 
reference rooms and their copy charges. Filings with the SEC are also 
available to the public from commercial document retrieval services, 
and from the website maintained by the US Securities and Exchange 
Commission at www.sec.gov.

Warning to shareholders - share fraud
Please beware of the share fraud of ‘boiler room’ scams, where 
shareholders are called ‘out of the blue’ by fraudsters (sometimes claiming 
to represent Diageo) attempting to obtain money or property dishonestly. 
Further information on boiler room scams can be found on the Financial 
Conduct Authority’s website (https://www.fca.org.uk/ scamsmart/share-
bond-boiler-room-scams) but in short, if in doubt, take proper professional 
advice before making any investment decision.

Electronic communications
Shareholders can register for an account to manage their shareholding 
online, including being able to: check the number of shares they own 
and the value of their shareholding; register for electronic 
communications; update their personal details; provide a dividend 
mandate instruction; access dividend confirmations; and use the online 
share dealing service. To register for an account, shareholders should 
visit www.diageoregistrars.com.

Dividend payments
Direct payment into bank account
Shareholders can have their cash dividend paid directly into their UK 
bank account on the dividend payment date. To register UK bank 
account details, shareholders can register for an online account at 
www.diageoregistrars.com or call the Registrar on +44 (0)371 277 1010* 
to request the relevant application form. For shareholders outside the 
UK, Link Group (a trading name of Link Market Services Limited and 
Link Market Services Trustees Limited) may be able to provide you with 
a range of services relating to your shareholding. To learn more about 
the services available to you please visit the shareholder portal at 
www.diageoregistrars.com or call +44 (0)371 277 1010*.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan
A Dividend Reinvestment Plan is offered by the Registrar, Link Market 
Services Trustees Limited, to give shareholders the opportunity to build 
up their shareholding in Diageo by using their cash dividends to 
purchase additional Diageo shares. To join the Dividend Reinvestment 
Plan, shareholders can call the Registrar, Link Group on 
+44 (0)371 277 1010* to request the relevant application form.

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every day, everywhere 

Diageo plc

16 Great Marlborough Street 
London 
W1F 7HS

United Kingdom

T: +44 (0) 20 7947 9100

www.diageo.com

Registered in England 
No. 23307

© 2023 Diageo plc. All rights reserved. All 
brands mentioned in this Annual Report are 
trademarks and are registered and/or otherwise 
protected in accordance with applicable law.