Diageo chair plans board shake-up, FT reports

July 21 (Reuters) - Diageo chair John Manzoni is looking to reshape the board by adding directors with experience in the drinks or drinks distribution sectors, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Manzoni "isn't happy with the board he inherited," the report said, citing one of the people.

He is keen to hire non-executive directors able to challenge new CEO Dave Lewis as he tries to overhaul the business, the report said, adding that Manzoni was concerned that the present board did not have enough industry knowledge to steer him or stop him from going too far.

A spokesperson for Diageo said the board has relevant consumer experience and that Manzoni "is supportive of the current board, but like any chair, he is always looking to strengthen the appropriate mix of backgrounds and skill sets, in order to drive returns for shareholders.”

Lewis, nicknamed "Drastic Dave" for his aggressive cost cuts at Tesco and Unilever, has set in motion a restructuring of the struggling spirits group, the FT had earlier reported.

Lewis said in May that the company would start tackling weak sales in North America, its largest market, which he called its "biggest challenge", with steps including price cuts on some tequila brands such as Casamigos.

(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sonia Cheema and Subhranshu Sahu)