Colin Shenoy has been recognized by CIO Applications Europe as the recipient of “Top 10 CTOs in Europe - 2026,” based on a defined selection methodology reflecting their leadership, professional impact, and standing within the industry. This profile has been developed by the CIO Applications Europe research and editorial team based on insights from an interview with Colin Shenoy, .

Colin Shenoy

Building Technology That Scales Across Markets

Colin Shenoy is Chief Technology Officer at Diageo, where he leads the technology agenda for one of the world's largest beverage companies. His career spans senior technology leadership roles across consumer goods, healthcare, financial services and retail-related businesses, including leadership positions at Natura &Co, Avon, Bupa Global and Global Blue. His work consistently centers on aligning technology decisions with business priorities at global scale.

Making Global Complexity Easier to Manage

Technology leadership within a multinational consumer company is not usually a matter of rolling out a new tool. Instead, the issue at hand is achieving consistency in the use of technology in markets operating under varied regulation and commercial considerations.

This is where Shenoy's expertise will prove to be valuable. As Diageo's CTO since 2021, he has been working on ensuring that the company achieves modernization of its technology capabilities despite the fact that Diageo operates in several countries and deals with several brands.

Prior to Diageo, Shenoy was also responsible for implementing technological transformation within his organizations, especially after major reorganization within the company he led. This experience will definitely stand him in good stead as he navigates through this complex environment that requires coordination amidst significant technological investment.

Turning Digital Ambition into Everyday Execution

Large organizations often struggle not with strategy but with implementation. Technology programs can become disconnected from the teams expected to use them, creating friction between ambition and delivery.

Shenoy's leadership approach appears grounded in execution discipline. He has been in many jobs which involved both the role of technology control and broader business responsibilities. Previous jobs entailed both operational management along with technical roles. Through these experiences, he came to know the actual challenges of delivery and management of costs.

That experience matters in a company where technology increasingly influences customer engagement, supply networks and employee productivity. Public references from former colleagues frequently describe his focus on transformation programs that improve delivery performance while simplifying technology environments. The emphasis is less about technology for its own sake and more about creating systems that support measurable business outcomes.

The challenge for any CTO at this scale is maintaining momentum once major initiatives move beyond planning stages. Shenoy's career history suggests sustained attention to that transition point where strategy becomes day-to-day execution.

Keeping Technology Connected to Business Decisions

Sometimes, the biggest problem that faces large organizations does not lie in strategy, but rather in execution. There are examples of technology initiatives that become detached from the groups that are meant to utilize them, thus creating a gap between aspiration and reality.

Based on past experience, it seems like the leadership style of Shenoy is strongly focused on execution. Over time, he took on positions which incorporated both aspects of overseeing technology projects and business as a whole, gaining exposure to operational issues related to the efficient delivery of services, cost reduction and managing organizational changes.

This type of experience becomes very valuable in an organization where technology is used to enhance the interaction with customers, optimize supply chains and increase productivity. As shown by public references made by previous coworkers, the key focus of Shenoy's work always lies in transformation projects, which not only enhance delivery efficiency but also make technological processes simpler.

One of the most difficult parts of being a CTO at such an organization is keeping the momentum after the plans have been realized.

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