Michelle Atkinson

Senior Global Sustainability & Innovation Lead, Diageo

Michelle Atkinson is a marketing and innovation leader within Diageo, the world’s leading spirits brand company and owner of 13 $1bn brands including Guinness, Smirnoff, and Johnnie Walker.  Michelle is responsible for leading sustainable packaging solutions within Diageo’s Breakthrough Innovation division.  Over the last 20 years, Michelle has led brand and innovation strategy for global brands and in the last 8 years has focus on driving transformational change across organisations.  A once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica with Coca-Cola and polar explorer Robert Swan OBE shaped her passion for sustainability and she is passionate about successfully demonstrating what we call in Diageo the triple-win; achieving a positive impact for the planet, people and commercial success.


Diageo launched 90% paper-based bottle trials in 2024 as a sustainable alternative to traditional beverage packaging. The results were overwhelmingly