In today's ruthless corporate world, Sir Ivan Menezes stood out for channeling his inner Gandalf

Sir Ivan Menezes, who recently retired as CEO, Diageo, the British FTSE 100 multinational alcoholic beverages company, passed away in London, UK, in the early hours of June 7, 2023, following complications from surgery for a ruptured ulcer. Menezes, who is survived by his wife, Shibani and his children, Rohini and Nikhil, was born in Pune on July 10, 1959, into a family of high achievers. His father, Manuel, was the Chairman of the Railway Board, while his brother, Victor, was the Chairman and CEO of Citibank.

Ivan’s early schooling was at the Christian Brothers boarding school, St Mary’s, nestled in the hill station, Mount Abu, which is also home to the world famous Dilwara Cave Temples. He excelled at school: a 5-pointer in his graduating batch of 1975, he went on to do a BA Hons in Economics at St Stephen’s, New Delhi, prior to making the cut at IIM Ahmedabad, where he came under the wing of academicians of the calibre of Prof Sanjay Bhattacharya, India’s answer to Philip Kotler. In a recent article in the magazine O Heraldo, celebrating the achievements of Goans of the eminence of the architect Charles Correa and the cartoonist, Mario Miranda, Ivan’s entry reads, “I am the CEO of Diageo, the world’s largest liquor company. My name Ivan Menezes, from Pomburpa Divar. I am Goan!”

This somewhat OTT declaration can be attributed to the author’s enthusiasm, since Ivan was modest to the core. His gangling, teddy-bear exterior masked a razor-sharp intelligence, yet he was a man who wore his considerable learning lightly.  He was so self-effacing that he forebore to share the IQ test results in school; his was like 150 +, prompting the school jock to ask if he could borrow a few points. After IIM he had a stint with Nestle, and then did an MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management before going on to craft a corporate career that was nothing short of dazzling. Prior to his Diageo years, Ivan worked for Whirlpool in Europe, Booz Allen & Hamilton in the US and with Nestle in Asia. He joined Diageo in 1997 when the company came into being following the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan. Slightly over a decade later, he was appointed Executive Director before being promoted to CEO in July 2013. He was responsible for creating the legendary, “Keep Walking” campaign for Johnnie Walker.

Aside from his luminous intelligence and well-honed analytical skills, Ivan was a warm, sensitive and caring human being. In boarding school where kindness and empathy are qualities in short supply, he stood out for his firm, no nonsense approach to bullies and for his championing of the underdog. He was also remarkably generous with the contents of his tuck box, as your correspondent can readily attest, having sampled his mum’s plum cake on more than one occasion.