Job Description :

Job Title: External Reporting Compliance Lead

Location: London, United KIngdom

Contract: permanent

About us

Diageo was created in 1997 but its business is built on the principles and foundations laid years before by giants of the industry – Arthur Guinness, John Walker, Elizabeth Cumming and many more. Today, Diageo is a world class leader in beverage alcohol, producing an outstanding collection of over 200 brands and owning the top two largest spirit brands in the world, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff and 20 of the world’s top 100 spirit brands. Its portfolio also includes Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor Whiskies, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray, and Guinness.

Diageo has built a strong platform for growth – through investment in its own brands, and by acquisition to broaden the geographical footprint and category depth and range. The company’s strong local business units are well positioned to win in increasingly competitive and fast-paced environments. Diageo’s portfolio is well-diversified across price-tiers, enabling it to participate where consumer opportunity is greatest, and to capture shifts in consumer preference.

Diageo's culture is built and maintained by the five values that underpin its business and guide how Diageo works. At Diageo, employees are passionate about its customers and consumers and want to be the best. They give each other the freedom to succeed and value each other. Employees work hard so they can be proud of what they do and how they do it. While Diageo moves at pace, constantly evolving and improving, its values remain consistent. Diageo wants employees to live these values every day, everywhere so that Diageo can be proud of what they do and be the best that they can be.

About the scope

The External Reporting team is part of the Controller’s Group. The primary roles and responsibilities of the team are:

• Preparation of the Group’s Annual Report, SEC filings (20-F, 6-K, etc), Press Releases and various other statutory filings § Compliance with relevant reporting related regulations in the EU, UK and US (IFRS, UK Company’s Act, FRC, SASB, SEC, FASB, TCFD, TNFD, etc)
• Developing the Group’s Accounting Manual and reporting instructions, practical guidance training materials
• Consolidation and review of data submitted by the group.
• Centre of excellence in accounting, reporting and ESG (including treasury related transactions, pension accounting, business combinations, etc)
• Governance, compliance, risk management for reporting § External audit relationship

Purpose of the Role

This role exists to safeguard the integrity, accuracy, and compliance of Diageo’s key external reporting — including the Annual Report, 6-K, and 20-F — in line with IFRS, UK, and US regulatory requirements, external guidance, and internal policies. It ensures that all external communications deliver consistent, transparent, and strategically aligned messaging.

The role is pivotal in maintaining Diageo’s position as a peer-group leader in reporting, meeting stakeholder expectations, and driving both efficiency and continuous improvement in reporting processes. You will partner closely with the Chief Accountant, Group Controller, Group CFO, and the Diageo Executive team to deliver high-quality, compliant, and insight-driven reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Regulatory Intelligence: Monitor, interpret, and distil new and emerging regulations into clear, actionable insights for senior leadership
• Policy Alignment: Shape and implement internal policies to ensure they fully reflect evolving external requirements
• Annual & ESG Reporting Leadership: Supervise the end-to-end Annual Report and ESG reporting process, ensuring consistent messaging across all filings and publications — acting as “Editor-in-Chief” for the Annual Report
• External Benchmarking: Build and sustain a strong external network to provide fresh perspectives and best-practice insights in reporting
• Regulatory & Auditor Liaison: Serve as a key contact for regulators, legal counsel (internal and external), and independent auditors
• Compliance Assurance: Maintain rigorous compliance with IFRS, FRC, SASB, SEC, FASB, TCFD, TNFD, and other applicable frameworks, covering both financial and non-financial reporting
• Statutory Reporting Support: Ensure adherence to local GAAP where applicable, engaging technical specialists as needed
• Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate timely resolution of technical matters across internal and external partners
• Investor Relations Collaboration: Partner with the IR team to support market announcements and investor communications

About You

• Professionally qualified accountant (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CPA) with 10+ years’ post-qualification experience, ideally with exposure to FMCG (beneficial but not essential)
• Proven track record in finance leadership with strong audit and controls expertise
• Outstanding leadership, coaching, and communication skills, with the ability to inspire across all levels of the organisation.
• Skilled at crafting and editing both financial and non-financial reports with precision and clarity
• Strong influencing skills — able to simplify complex concepts and connect them to the bigger picture
• Experienced in leading geographically dispersed teams and navigating multi-country, cross-functional environments
• Deep understanding of systems, processes, and opportunities for continuous improvement in reporting

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.

We know that for our team to thrive and to realise our ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base.

Flexibility is key to success in our business, and many of our staff work flexibly in many ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.

Worker Type :

Regular

Primary Location:

1HQ

Additional Locations :

Job Posting Start Date :

2025-08-13