Ian Wright has held the role since 2004. He will be succeeded by Charlotte Lambkin, currently group communications director of BAE Systems plc.

Lambkin will join Diageo in January 2014 and will replace Wright on the Diageo executive. Wright will support Lambkin through her first months and leave Diageo on March 31, 2014.

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes, said: “I want to thank Ian for all the support he is giving me in my transition, and for the part he has played in securing his successor to a critical leadership role for our business.”

Paul Walsh, now advisor to the chairman and chief executive, said: “Ian has been a principal architect of Diageo’s reputation. It was he and his team who first articulated our ambition to be one of ‘the world’s most trusted and respected companies’ and he has been a major contributor in our efforts to achieve it. I know he took particular pride on the two occasions when we were named Britain’s Most Admired Company. He has made a very important contribution to Diageo’s standing among global corporations and has also been a key member of the executive committee. We all wish him well."