Diageo Appoints Sheila Stanziale President, Diageo-Guinness USA

NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diageo announced today the appointment of Sheila Stanziale to the position of President, Diageo-Guinness USA (DGUSA).  In her new role, Ms. Stanziale will have full responsibility for the growth and development of the company's beer business in the United States including the iconic brands Guinness, Red Stripe, Smithwick's, Harp and Kilkenny as well as the popular Smirnoff Ice flavored malt beverages (PABs) and the newly launched and highly successful Smirnoff Premium Malt Mixed drinks.  Stanziale will serve on the North America Executive Team, reporting to Larry Schwartz, President Diageo USA.

"This is a critical role at an important time for our beer business," said Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo USA. "With more than 25 years experience in the beverage and foodservice industries, Sheila will build on DGUSA's strong momentum.  With overall DGUSA sales up, driven by Guinness and PABs, Diageo's beer business in the US is well positioned for growth."

Ms. Stanziale brings best practice experience from some of the biggest consumer product companies in the world, including PepsiCo, Nabisco and General Mills where she has held senior leadership positions in sales and operations. Most recently, Ms. Stanziale was Vice President, Sales & Execution for PepsiCo's $700 million restaurant business, where she was responsible for, driving profitable growth within on-premise channels including national and regional restaurant chains while working closely with distributors and bottlers to bring product to market.

Ms. Stanziale is practiced in successful new-to-world product launches, as well as leveraging innovation to drive profitability and sustainability of existing categories.  With responsibility for the Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain and Finance on the $350 million brand Naked Juice, she helped with broaden the consumer base and expand drinking occasions for this premium brand.

"Sheila's broad scope of experience is an ideal fit for DGUSA," continued Schwartz. "Her extensive experience with several  retail channels including convenience stores, innovative in-store merchandising programs and brand development align perfectly with our business objectives."

The appointment comes at an important time, as 2011 marks a year of continued growth for DGUSA, with new launches of Guinness Black Lager, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and to continue the momentum of recent launches of Smirnoff Premium Malt Mixed Drinks and Red Stripe Light.

Ms. Stanziale will begin her new role on October 4, and will be based at Diageo's North American headquarters in Norwalk, CT.

About Diageo

Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo