Ivan Manuel Menezes, the Indian-born CEO of the world’s largest spirit company Diageo, passed away on Wednesday. The cause of his death is still unknown although he had been admitted to the hospital due to some health concerns, which include stomach ulcers.
The company released a statement saying that Menezes’ recovery took a turn for the worse due to some complications. The doctors reportedly performed an emergency surgery on the ulcer.
Menezes was set to retire this month from the company. He joined Diageo in 1997 after its merger with Guinness and Grand Metropolitan. Menezes helped drive the company’s growth and oversaw many acquisitions over the years.
He was born in Pune and was the son of Manuel Menezes, the chairman of the Indian Railway Board. He is an alumnus of St Stephen’s College, Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad.