Lewis, who served as group chief executive for Tesco between 2014 and 2020, will look to reverse the struggling giant’s fortunes amid declining sales across the spirits industry. “We are delighted to welcome Dave as Diageo's new chief executive officer,” said Diageo chair, Sir John Manzoni.

“Having conducted an extensive and thorough global search, the board unanimously felt that Dave has both the extensive chief executive experience, and the proven leadership skills in building and marketing world-leading brands, that is right for Diageo at this time.”

Lewis’ predecessor in the role, Debra Crew, stepped down in July by mutual agreement after a challenging two years in the role. Since Crew’s departure, Diageo has seen its share price continue to decline.

Nik Jhangiani will continue as interim chief executive until the new year, when he resumes his role as chief financial officer.

Speaking on the new role, Lewis said: “Diageo is a world leading business with a portfolio of very strong brands, and I am delighted to be joining the team. The market faces some headwinds but there are also significant opportunities.

“I look forward to working with the team to face these challenges and realise some of the opportunities in a way which creates shareholder value.”

Before his role at Tesco, Lewis spent nearly three decades at Unilever, where he led both marketing and business performance, and currently serves as a non-executive board director at PepsiCo.