Diageo GB appoints new top marketer
Anna MacDonald takes over as marketing and category director for Diageo Great Britain.
· Marketing WeekBy Niamh Carroll 21 Sep 2026 3:33 pm
Diageo has appointed Anna MacDonald as its top GB marketer, taking over as marketing and category director for the region.
MacDonald replaces previous marketing and innovation director Ursula Mejía Melgar, who held the role since April 2025. Mejía Melgar will take on a new role as vice-president of marketing at the Coca-Cola Company for the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
MacDonald has been at Diageo for over 20 years, latterly as global brand director for Captain Morgan. She previously led Guinness in Great Britain for five years, overseeing its rise to become the number one beer and non-alcoholic in the market.
Restructures, Guinness, competitiveness: How Diageo’s new strategy impacts marketing
Diageo is on something of a transformation journey, under the leadership of its new CEO Dave Lewis. Last month, it was reported the business was cutting almost 2,000 jobs, with Lewis saying he had found a lot of “duplication” at the business.
Cuts to marketing budget have also formed part of the CEO’s plans for the business. The business cut marketing spend by 13% year-over-year in the year to 30 June.
In the company’s strategy update last month, it signalled an increased focus on category strategy, rather than just brand strategy. This is with a goal to “serve more customers on more occasions”, across different price points.