Alcoholic beverage company, Diageo Australia, has made several new appointments to its executive leadership team, including Sarah Shimmons to the marketing & innovation director role, Carolina Puerta to the supply chain director role, Dan Timmins to the HR director role and Wilson Del Socorro, who will take on leadership of the Diageo Australia corporate relations function in addition to his existing APAC regional CR director responsibilities.
Diageo Australia managing director, Dan Hamilton, said the calibre of talent joining the executive leadership team is second to none.
“There’s incredible growth opportunity in the Australian drinks industry and I’m delighted to be able to draw on the deep expertise from leaders who have been working across Diageo in other markets,” said Hamilton.
“They all bring a global lens to how we leverage our blend of iconic brands like local star Bundaberg Rum as well as our global giants like Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff in the Australian market and how we continue to build strong partnerships with our customers and other important trade partners.”
Sarah Shimmons | marketing & innovation director
Shimmons is a seasoned marketing leader with more than 16 years FMCG marketing experience, and has been in the Diageo business for seven years working in Ireland, Great Britain, North America and global travel where she’s held several key roles including global marketing director on Smirnoff, category marketing director for vodka, rum and tequila, and most recently global travel’s marketing and innovation director, based in London.
Carolina Puerta | supply chain director
Puerta was most recently operations director – Tequila and Mezcal for Diageo Mexico. Based in Guadalajara, she held this role for four years, and brings almost two decades of supply operations experience across other multinationals in FMCG, health and the telecommunications industries. She’s built a reputation for leading high-performance teams, and for fostering a culture of breakthrough thinking, innovation and collaboration.
Dan Timmins | HR director
Timmins has worked across several roles in Diageo throughout his eight-year tenure, most recently as head of HR South LAC, based in Santiago. During his time in Chile, Timmins has played a key role in the business’ transformation journey, growing and developing local talent, being a champion for I&D and bringing energy and passion to the critical people and culture strategy that fuels Diageo’s performance.
Wilson Del Socorro | APAC corporate relations director expanded remit
Del Socorro first joined Diageo in 2010 and has held several roles across Asia and the UK including global government affairs director, international trade and tax director and Southeast Asia CR director. He has held the APAC corporate relations director role since February 2022 and having recently relocated to Brisbane, will now expand his role to include leadership of the Australian corporate relations function, and joining the Diageo Australia executive team in addition to his position on the Diageo APAC executive leadership team.
Sarah, Del Socorro and Puerta are now in role, and Timmins will relocate to Sydney to commence his new role as HR director in June.
