Walsh's record at Diageo, charted Usually, when a chief executive of note retires after an extended tenure, the valedictories talk about corporate growth. Think, for example, of Mick the Miner turning a $500m coal asset called Xstrata into a global miner worth $50bn or more. Or Chris Gent producing similar magic in the field of mobile telecoms at Vodafone. What's rarely mentioned is the amount of stock issued in the process; rather than executive graft, the growth in size typically reflects equity financing of acquisitions. Xstrata investors never saw a 100-fold increase in their investment; at Vodafone, investors are still nursing burnt fingers from backing Gent's extraordinary land grab. Now consider the record of Paul Walsh, who on Tuesday announced his departure from Diageo after 13 years as chief executive. That's some record for a Footsie chief executive. And all too rare. Related link: Walsh to step down after 13 years as Diageo's chief executive - FT.com