Diageo CMO Cristina Diezhandino is Global Marketer of the Year

Congratulations to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Diageo, Cristina Diezhandino, who is named winner of The World Federation of Advertiser's (WFA) and The Drum's Global Marketer of the Year 2022 award, after making the annual award’s shortlist for the second time in a row.

"Congratulations to our Chief Marketing Officer, Cristina Diezhandino, who has been named WFA's Global Marketer of the Year 2022!," said Diageo.

Embracing a mindset of possibility

Cristina was chosen after a combined vote from an expert jury and over 7,000 votes from the industry at large. Since 2017, the WFA and The Drum have looked to identify the person in a global or regional role who has, over the last 12 months, made the most impact on their company, the industry and the reputation of marketing among consumers.

“I am delighted and immensely proud to be named WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2022. I hold the WFA in the highest regard and truly value the work it does in championing and inspiring our industry. This award is very special to me and I accept it on behalf of the entire Diageo marketing team, who have all joined me in embracing a mindset of possibility – one that allows us to be open, challenge ourselves and keep driving forward," commented Cristina.

“We aim to continue building our iconic portfolio of brands, in the context of a changing and sometimes volatile consumer environment and in doing so, we have a real opportunity to drive value, not only for our business but also for the communities in which we operate,” Cristina said.

Cristina's expansive career across marketing

Cristina has led global marketing with Diageo since July 2020. Previously, Global Category Director for Scotch and Managing Director for Reserve brands, she has extensive experience across marketing and general management in both emerging and developed markets.

Prior to her Scotch and Reserve role, Cristina was General Manager for Central America and Caribbean and has held key roles for Diageo Africa and as Global Brand Director for its whiskey portfolio, gins and Johnnie Walker. Since becoming Global CMO in 2020, she has taken a leading role in driving the company’s marketing and innovation strategy and leading Diageo’s 2,180-strong marketing team and agency partners.

Cristina's previous roles with Diageo are:

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

Cristina's previous relevant experience includes:

Corporate Marketing Director – Allied Domecq Spain
Marketing roles – Unilever HPC US, UK and Spain

Marketing leadership and innovation go hand in hand

“Cristina has demonstrated how marketing leadership and innovation go hand in hand and help build brand relevance. At the same time, she has been delivering on sustainability by reducing the company’s packaging and enhancing the talent within the Diageo marketing team," said WFA President & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Mastercard, Raja Rajamannar.

“In delivering across such diverse issues, she demonstrates not just how complex the role of a CMO has become, but also how to be successful in a global position. At the same time, she has been delivering on sustainability by reducing the company’s packaging and enhancing the talent within the Diageo marketing team. In delivering across such diverse issues, she demonstrates not just how complex the role of a CMO has become, but also how to be successful in a global position,” Raja explained.

Recognising the work of marketers across the world

This is the sixth year that the WFA has run its Global Marketer of the Year Award. Previous winners include Unilever's Conny Braams, Procter & Gamble's Marc Pritchard, Lubomira Rochet, then at L’Oréal, Mastercard’s Raja Rajamannar and Unilever’s Keith Weed.

As part of Global Marketer of the Year 2022, the expert jury also presented a special recognition to Jodi Harris, former Vice President of Marketing Culture and Capabilities at AB InBev, who sadly passed. Jodi is considered to have played a key role in AB InBev’s creative success as well as being an industry champion for better marketing. Her work is reflected in the brewer being named Cannes Lions 2022 Creative Marketer of the Year.