The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky has appointed Joanne Wilson, the finance chief of WPP, as its new chief financial officer, replacing Nick Jandjani in a move that marks the latest step in a sweeping overhaul of the executive team led by newly installed CEO Sir Dave Lewis.

Diageo PLC confirmed that Wilson will join the board at some point during 2027, while WPP noted that Wilson is subject to a 12-month notice period, with her departure date to be "agreed in due course."

Jandjani, who served as interim CEO of DIAGEO from July through December last year, assumed that role following the resignation of former chief executive Debra Crew. His appointment came after the board failed to quell speculation that he was vying for the top job permanently. Jandjani, a former finance chief at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, had been a candidate to succeed Crew on a permanent basis but ultimately lost out to Lewis.

Lewis said in a statement on Wednesday: "Nick and I agreed that, now that we have shared our new corporate strategy for Diageo, this is the right time to make this change." He added: "Joanne is an experienced CFO and business leader who will ensure we accelerate Diageo's transformation, having already delivered broad-based change across multiple companies."

Wilson brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles at beverage firm Britvic, supermarket chain Tesco, its data analytics arm dunnhumby, and KPMG, where she qualified as a chartered accountant. She will work alongside Lewis in overseeing significant cost reductions at the spirits giant.

Lewis, who previously helmed Tesco, is planning to cut $1 billion in costs over the next three years and eliminate thousands of jobs from the company's 30,000-strong workforce. He has already made a series of changes to the leadership team, including replacing the heads of North America, the UK, and Africa operations.

Wilson's departure represents a blow to WPP, which is undergoing its own transformation under new CEO Cindy Rose. Investors are concerned that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence will erode client spending and expose the group to new competitors. Over the past five years, WPP's share price has fallen by 61%.

Reflecting on his tenure, Jandjani said: "I have enjoyed every minute of my time at Diageo." He added: "I am proud that we were able to present a three-year financial plan to investors recently, including significant progress on deleveraging and strengthening the balance sheet."