"He is one of Britain's longest serving FTSE [Financial Times Stock Exchange] chief executives and has transformed Diageo into the world's leading premium drinks company, accounting for 10% [2 billion pounds] of the UK's total food and drinks exports," the UK Cabinet Office in a statement. Menezes has been the head of Diageo since 2013 and has earlier several leadership positions in the company in Latin America, Asia and North America, reported The Independent. In its statement, the Cabinet Office said that Menezes champions causes for women and minority community, noting that 42% of Diageo's senior leadership positions globally are held by women and 37% are ethnically diverse.