Diageo to Appoint new Chief Human Resources Officer

Diageo is appointing Natalie Bickford, formerly Chief People Officer of Sanofi, as its new Chief HR Officer. She will replace Louise Prashad, who has spent more than 25 years with the company.

The leadership shift comes as Ed Pilkington, North America CMO of Diageo and Hina Nagarajan, President of Diageo Africa, also reportedly step down, according to the Irish Times. It also follows news of job cuts at the company led by new CEO Dave Lewis, which could see around 150 jobs affected. 

People leadership shifts

Natalie first joined Sanofi in July 2020 as its Chief People Officer – a role she made the decision to step down from at the end of May. 

On LinkedIn, she shared that she had chosen to leave the company because had “been away from my family for a long time,” and that this felt “like the right moment to go home”. 

During her tenure as Chief People Officer, however, Natalie had a substantial impact on its people operations. 

“We've reimagined the employee experience from the ground up,” Natalie says. “We've created workplaces where people want to be, where they can do their best work and feel genuinely valued. We've built a culture where people can bring their whole selves to work. And we've proven that inclusion isn't just the right thing to do... it's a performance driver and a competitive advantage.”

Before joining Sanofi, Natalie spent more than four years as Group HR Director for Merlin Entertainments and eight years at Sodexo – which she first joined as HR Director for UK and Ireland, before progressing to a role as Senior Vice President of HR, Global Corporate Services. 

She will succeed Louise in the HR leadership role after she spent more than 25 years with the company. 

Louise first joined Diageo in 2001 as a Talent Manager and Business Partner, and has held a series of HR leadership roles in the time since – such as HR Director for Europe, Global Talent Director and Global Talent and Organisational Effectiveness Director. 

She has held the Chief HR Officer Role since January 2022. 

Building a more agile Diageo

Changes in senior leadership at Diageo come as the company looks to reduce headcount in order to offset a decrease in sales. 

The company’s organic net sales are expected to fall by 2% to 3% in 2026 – which can be largely attributed to a lack of demand in the US and China. 

These headcount reductions are being led by the company’s CEO – who has previously been nicknamed “Drastic Dave” due to cost cutting initiatives he led at both Tesco and Unilever. 

According to the Financial Times, each executive at the company will now have a cost reduction target, with “non-revenue generating” teams expected to be reduced most significantly. 

Dave suggested in a February 2026 earnings call that the company would take on a “much more agile” operating framework, with the supply and demand gap acting as both “a source of significant regret,” and an opportunity for the company to realign its operations.