Billionaire Castel’s Guinness Deal Shows Succession Taking Hold

Castel Group’s deal to buy a Guinness operation in West Africa is a clear signal that succession is taking hold within French billionaire Pierre Castel’s secretive, family-controlled conglomerate.

The agreement, which will see the firm acquire a majority stake in Guinness Ghana Breweries from Diageo Plc, marks the first major deal for Castel Chief Executive Officer Gregory Clerc, 40, who took over in 2023. He became the first person from outside the family to oversee the company’s sprawling beverage and agricultural operations after representing 98-year-old Pierre Castel in a tax dispute with Swiss authorities.

Pierre Castel in Bordeaux in 2019.

Photographer: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images

The ...