Diageo boss wishes to tackle alcohol abuse

The CEO of Diageo, Ivan Menezes, has said that he has been shocked by the level of drunkenness that he has seen in London and that he wishes to address the problem of binge drinking that we have in the UK.

Diageo is the world’s largest producer of spirits and a major producer of wine and beer. Mr Menezes addressed the Impact Marketing Seminar in New York City last week and said that Diageo has a “commitment to preventing misuse of alcohol and tackling irresponsible consumption of our products”.

He admitted that many of Diageo’s customers have serious drink problems and that drinks manufacturers should take a more responsible and ethical approach to marketing.

Mr Menezes went on to explain how he investigated Britain’s drinking culture first-hand: “One of the first things I did when I moved to the UK to take up my post as CEO of Diageo was to go on a night-time visit with police to look at the challenges of irresponsible drinking in two different communities in London – drunken and sometimes rowdy behaviour on the streets. Some of what I saw shocked me.”

Some public health groups believe that the alcohol industry does not have the right to voice its opinion and that it is the cause of the problem and should not be a part of the solution. However, Mr Menezes disagrees and wishes to use the expertise and experience that is gained by businesses to help tackle social problems on the ground.

“We have valuable expertise and a legitimate point of view and need to fight for our right to participate,” he explained.