Mark Sandys has worked at Diageo for over 25 years, beginning as a graduate trainee. During his career with the company he has gained a wealth of experience across both emerging and developed markets.

In July 2022 Mark Sandys was appointed Chief Innovation Officer for Diageo responsible for the full portfolio of brands worldwide, and for all of Diageo’s R&D and Sustainability. Mark’s role is to lead shaping the future of Diageo, and of the drinks industry, by creating brands, platforms and variants that meet consumer needs of the future.

Prior to this role, Mark was the Global Head of Beer, Baileys, Smirnoff & Captain Morgan from 2014 to 2022. In this role Mark was accountable for all of Diageo’s beer businesses worldwide, and some of the largest and most loved spirits brands in the world.

Before then, Mark was the Category Director, Whisky & Reserve, for Diageo Asia Pacific based in Singapore, and the Marketing Director for Diageo Russia and Eastern Europe, based in Moscow.

He first joined Diageo in 1997 as a graduate trainee and worked for his first five years in sales and marketing roles on the Guinness brand in GB, before managing the Gin portfolio in the UK and then taking the position of Strategy & Innovation Director for the Baileys Global Brand team in Dublin.

Mark joined the board of Diageo USL Plc in India in 2022 and was previously a member of the board of Guinness Nigeria PLC from 2016 to 2023.

He is a graduate of Oxford University and became a Fellow of The Marketing Academy in 2018. Mark is married to Tamsin, and lives with their four children and nine pets in Dublin.