Directorate Change

Diageo PLC
19 July 2007

                                                                    19 July 2007



 Lord Blyth of Rowington to retire as Chairman of Diageo to be succeeded by Dr
                          Franz Humer from 1 July 2008



The Board of Diageo plc has today announced the appointment of Dr Franz Humer as
the next Chairman of Diageo plc. Dr Humer will take up his appointment as the
new Chairman from 1 July 2008 after retiring from his current role as Chief
Executive of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd in March of the same year.  Lord (James)
Blyth of Rowington will remain Chairman of Diageo for a further year until Dr.
Humer takes up his appointment.



Lord Blyth commented:

'The Board is delighted that Franz Humer will assume the role of Chairman next
year. Franz has a first class track record with considerable experience of
international business in both mature and developing markets. He has been a
non-executive director of Diageo for two years and during this time he has
demonstrated to the whole board the qualities that will allow him to be a very
successful Chairman of Diageo.'



Dr Humer said:

'I am delighted and honoured that my Board colleagues have offered me this
appointment. Over the last two years I have come to know and admire Diageo's
people and performance. I look forward to taking up broader responsibilities in
the company.'



Paul Walsh, Chief Executive, Diageo plc said:

'I would like to thank James Blyth for his commitment to Diageo over the last
eight years. During that time we have made considerable progress in building
Diageo's position as the world's leading premium drinks business and I thank
James for the significant contribution he has made to that.



'I look forward to working with Franz Humer. We have a shared view in Diageo's
ability to develop as a truly sustainable global business through the delivery
of continued commercial success; enhancing our financial strength and making
further progress against our social and environmental policy commitments.'



                                     -Ends-



Diageo media enquiries to:

Isabelle Thomas                 [phone]            [e-mail]



Diageo investor relations enquiries to:

Darren Jones                    [phone]     [e-mail]



Roche media enquiries to:

Roche Group Media Office        [phone]     [e-mail]



Notes to Editor

1. Lord Blyth first joined the Diageo Board as a non-executive director on 1
January 1999 and became Chairman on 1 July 2000.  His tenure as Chairman was
extended on 3 September 2003 from five years to seven years.



2. Franz B. Humer, a Swiss and Austrian by nationality, holds a doctorate in law
and an MBA at Insead.  He spent over 30 years of his professional career in
executive positions in the pharmaceuticals industry. Humer is Chairman of the
Board of Directors and CEO of Swiss based healthcare Group Roche. Today, Roche
announced that Humer will retire as CEO in March 2008 and remain Chairman.
Before joining Roche in 1995, he was Chief Operating Officer at Glaxo. Humer
became a Non-executive Board member of Diageo plc in 2005. He is also a member
of the Supervisory Board of Allianz AG and of the JPMorgan International
Council.  A full biography follows.



3. Diageo's other non-executive directors are: Lord Hollick (Senior Independent
Director and chairman of the Remuneration Committee), Maria Lilja, William
Shanahan, Jonathan Symonds (chairman of the Audit Committee), Todd Stitzer and
Paul Walker. Executive members of the board are Paul Walsh (CEO), Nick Rose
(CFO).



4. Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business. With its global
vision, and local marketing focus, Diageo brings to consumers an outstanding
collection of beverage alcohol brands across the spirits, wine and beer
categories including Smirnoff, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, J&B, Cuervo,
Captain Morgan and Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards
wines. Diageo trades in some 180 countries around the world and 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 www.diageo.com



5. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading
research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products
and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's
health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics
and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active
in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation,
metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals
Division totaled CHF 33.3 billion, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of
CHF 8.7 billion. Roche employs roughly 75,000 people worldwide and has R&D
agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority
ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai.


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