Cristina Diezhandino
CMO
Diageo
About Me
Cristina Diezhandino is Diageo’s Chief Marketing Officer and responsible for the marketing, innovation and digital transformation of some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Smirnoff.
Appointed in July 2020, Cristina led Diageo’s marketing team and agency partners through a time like no other and instilled what she calls a ‘mindset of possibility’ to ensure that Diageo’s brands emerged stronger.
In her 17 years with Diageo, Cristina has held a variety of Marketing Leadership and General Management roles in both developed and emerging markets. Most recently she was Global Category Director for Scotch and Managing Director for Reserve Brands, and previous roles include General Manager for Central America and Caribbean and Regional Marketing and Innovation Director for Diageo Africa.
Cristina is listed on the Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs List, Campaign’s Power 100 list and ranked second on the prestigious OUTstanding LGBT+ Top 50 Executive Ally Role Model List for her commitment to progressive marketing across Diageo’s 200+ brands, and her role as Global Executive Sponsor of the Diageo Rainbow Network. In 2023, Cristina was named Global Marketer of the Year by the World Federation of Advertisers and named The Marketing Society’s Inspirational Marketing Leader of the Year.
Hear My Insights
Good Business: The CMOs Driving Urgency in Sustainability
The United Nations defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Marketers know better than anyone the long-term ramifications of short-term decision-making, and given the scale and reach of business today, sustainable practices woven into a company's products, practices, and operations are playing an increasingly large role in driving better outcomes for society. Leading marketing chiefs will share what makes them optimistic about the positive role their organisation can play in the world and the alliances they are building to demonstrate how sustainability investments impact business outcomes positively too.