PRWeek's newly crowned Agency of the Year won the account after a three-way shoot-out against Hill & Knowlton and Portland.
The pitch process was revealed in PRWeek last month (11 September). Edelman's appointment ends Cohn & Wolfe's hold on the account. The agency will support Diageo's corporate team, reporting to director of comms Stephen Doherty.
'Edelman proved it had the capacity to provide an external challenge to our thinking,' said Dohery.
Diageo also retains Brunswick for financial support and Hanover for public affairs.