On Monday, United Spirits, the Indian subsidiary of Diageo, declared that Praveen Someshwar, head of HT Media, will succeed Hina Nagarajan as its chief executive officer (CEO), effective April 1.
Nagarajan will transition to a position on Diageo's global executive committee, the company said. The incoming CEO, Someshwar, will also join the committee.
The shift in leadership followed allegations from India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last week, claiming that Diageo, which holds approximately 56 per cent of United Spirits, made a dubious payment to an Indian politician to secure advantageous decisions.
Someshwar has served as CEO of HT Media, which owns the Hindustan Times national newspaper for five years. Before that, he spent 24 years at PepsiCo, taking on several positions across different finance and management divisions.
UK-based Diageo is under investigation by Indian authorities, stemming from a 2018 inquiry regarding investment approvals.
Nagarajan was called last year to testify by New Delhi's anti-corruption police looking into billing and discount methods related to government entities operating liquor retail stores from 2017 to 2020.
She did not show up in front of the police, but Diageo, via company representatives, provided numerous documents related to the three-year period.
Nagarajan was appointed CEO designate in April 2021 and assumed the managing director and chief executive role two months later.
_20250113103730_original_image_39.webp)
_20250113102312_original_image_36.webp)