A quick, skimmable timeline of who ran Guinness from 1759 to today, from the early family generations at St. James’s Gate through Guinness plc and the Diageo era, plus why leadership titles change after 1886.
If you’ve ever wondered who actually “ran Guinness” over the last 250+ years, you’re not alone. The short answer is: it depends on the era. Guinness begins as a family-run partnership, becomes a public company in 1886, evolves into Guinness plc, and then becomes part of Diageo in 1997. After corporatization, leadership often becomes a dual-track story: a chairman/president (governance) alongside a managing director/CEO (day-to-day operations).
Quick answer: Guinness leaders at a glance
- 1759–1803: Arthur Guinness (Founder)
- 1803–1855: Arthur Guinness II (Family successor / senior partner)
- 1855–1868: Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness (Family head)
- 1868–1889 (then Chairman for life): Edward Cecil Guinness (later 1st Earl of Iveagh) (Managing director; later chairman)
- 1946 onward (professional executive era becomes more visible): Sir Hugh Beaver (Managing Director, appointed Nov 1946)
- 1962–1986 (then President to 1992): Arthur Francis Benjamin Guinness (3rd Earl of Iveagh) (Chairman)
- 1981–1986: Ernest Saunders (Chief Executive, Guinness plc)
- 1997–present: Guinness operates under Diageo leadership (parent company)
The structural turning point: 1886
In 1886, Guinness becomes a public company. That matters because “who ran Guinness” stops being a simple family succession story. From this point on, you’ll often see a split between:
- Chairman / President: governance, board leadership, public stewardship
- Managing Director / Chief Executive (CEO): operational leadership and strategy execution
Era 1: Family partnership (1759–1886)
1759–1803: Arthur Guinness (Founder)
Role: Founder (St. James’s Gate leaseholder and brewer)
Why he matters: Establishes the St. James’s Gate base and the commercial foundation of Guinness in Dublin.
Highlights:
- Signed the famous 9,000-year lease at St. James’s Gate in 1759.
1803–1855: Arthur Guinness II (Second generation)
Role: Family successor / senior partner (family partnership running the brewery)
Why he matters: Drives scale and export growth as Guinness becomes Ireland’s dominant brewery.
Highlights:
- Took over and expanded the business and export trade.
- Developed export trade and brewed a new beer described as “Extra Superior Porter.”
1855–1868: Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness (Third generation)
Role: Family head of the brewery
Why he matters: Consolidates growth and formalizes early brand identity.
Highlights:
- Took over in 1855.
- Introduction of the first trademark label for Guinness stout (1862).
1868–1889 (then Chairman for life): Edward Cecil Guinness (later 1st Earl of Iveagh)
Role: Managing director (post-1868); later chairman
Why he matters: Turns Guinness into a global-scale industrial powerhouse and takes it public.
Highlights:
- Took over after Benjamin’s death in 1868 and led major expansion.
- Bought out his brother’s share in 1876.
- Floated Guinness on the London Stock Exchange in 1886.
Era 2: Public company and modern governance (1886–1997)
1927-era onward: Guinness family chairmanship continues
Even after Guinness becomes a public company, the Guinness family continues to hold major leadership influence well into the 1900s.
Rupert Guinness (2nd Earl of Iveagh)
Role: Senior Guinness family figure in the company’s leadership orbit (and prominent public face)
Why he matters: Represents the “family stewardship” thread that continues into the corporate era.
Highlights:
- Launches first advertising campaign - “Guinness is good for you”
- Hires John Gilroy of S. H. Benson who creates the Guinness zoo campaigns
1946 onward: Professional executive leadership becomes more visible
Sir Hugh Beaver
Role: Managing Director (appointed November 1946)
Why he matters: Modernization and diversification; associated with the origin story of Guinness World Records.
Highlights:
- Joined Guinness in 1945 and became managing director in November 1946.
1962–1986 (then President to 1992): Arthur Francis Benjamin Guinness (3rd Earl of Iveagh)
Role: Chairman (1962–1986), then President (1986–1992)
Why he matters: Long chairmanship during major modern-era shifts leading up to late-20th-century turbulence.
Highlights:
- Chairman 1962–1986 and President 1986–1992.
1981–1986: Ernest Saunders
Role: Chief Executive of Guinness plc
Why he matters: The Distillers bid era and the share-trading scandal aftermath.
Highlights:
- Chief executive of Guinness plc 1981–1986.
Post-scandal transition leadership (late 1980s into 1990s)
Sir Norman Macfarlane
Role: Chairman (successor after Saunders)
Why he matters: Stabilization and governance reset after the scandal era.
Anthony Tennant
Role: Group chief executive (verifiably, at least by June 1987)
Why he matters: Operational leadership during the transition period.
Sir Anthony Greener
Role: Chairman & Chief Executive of Guinness plc (early/mid 1990s); later Diageo Chair
Why he matters: Bridges the Guinness plc era into the creation of Diageo.
Era 3: Diageo (1997–present)
In 1997, Guinness becomes part of Diageo, created via the merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan.
December 1997: John McGrath
Role: First Chief Executive of Diageo (appointed at formation)
Highlights:
- Appointed Group Chief Executive when Diageo was created (Dec 1997).
- CEO, Diageo 1997–2000.
2000–2013: Paul Walsh
Role: CEO of Diageo
July 2013–June 2023: Sir Ivan Menezes
Role: CEO of Diageo
June 2023–July 2025: Debra Crew
Role: CEO of Diageo
July 2025–December 2025: Nik Jhangiani
Role: Interim CEO (while CFO)
From January 1, 2026: Sir Dave Lewis
Role: CEO of Diageo
Table: Guinness leadership timeline (reference format)
| Era | Leader | Years | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family partnership | Arthur Guinness | 1759–1803 | Founder | 9,000-year lease at St. James’s Gate |
| Family partnership | Arthur Guinness II | 1803–1855 | Senior partner | Export growth; “Extra Superior Porter” |
| Family partnership | Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness | 1855–1868 | Family head | First trademark label (1862) |
| Public company transition | Edward Cecil Guinness (1st Earl of Iveagh) | 1868–1889 | Managing director; later chairman | Expansion; 1886 flotation |
| Corporate era | Sir Hugh Beaver | 1946– | Managing Director | Modernization; World Records origin story |
| Guinness plc era | Arthur F. B. Guinness (3rd Earl of Iveagh) | 1962–1986 | Chairman | Long chairmanship |
| Guinness plc era | Ernest Saunders | 1981–1986 | Chief Executive | Distillers bid era |
| Transition | Anthony Tennant | 1987– | Group chief executive | Verifiable by June 1987 |
| Diageo | John McGrath | 1997–2000 | CEO | First Diageo CEO |
| Diageo | Paul Walsh | 2000–2013 | CEO | |
| Diageo | Sir Ivan Menezes | 2013–2023 | CEO | |
| Diageo | Debra Crew | 2023–2025 | CEO | |
| Diageo | Nik Jhangiani | 2025 | Interim CEO | |
| Diageo | Sir Dave Lewis | 2026– | CEO | Effective Jan 1, 2026 |
Why this timeline gets complicated (and why that’s the point)
If you’re looking for a single “Guinness leader list,” you’ll keep running into a problem: Guinness becomes a modern corporation. After 1886, leadership is often split between board governance (chair/president) and operational leadership (managing director/CEO). That dual-track structure is not a footnote. It’s the story of how a family brewery becomes a global brand inside a multinational portfolio.
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