Work for Diageo, an employer supporting supplier diversity

Diageo's North America Supplier Diversity Program is a very exciting initiative. It is proof that Diageo recognizes that diverse suppliers can often deliver greater agility, as well as access to fresh ideas, experiences and lower cost structures that can result in accelerated product and process innovations.

This mindset is one that is actively encouraged at Diageo – both with the company's own employees and with the partners and suppliers with whom Diageo works.

Work for an employer who encourages a diverse range of suppliers

When it comes to suppliers, Diageo has made great progress with women-owned businesses. Not only has Diageo doubled its spend with women-owned businesses since the Supplier Diversity Program's inception, but half of its diverse suppliers are owned and operated by women. Knowing that the company cares about female talent in the wider workforce is one of the many reasons why Diageo is a great place to work.

Two of Diageo's Woman Business Enterprises (WBEs) include: The Spearhead Group, headed by CEO Heather Fritzsche, and Enthuse Marketing Group, headed by Kim Lawton and Kristy Snyder.

The Spearhead Group is a supplier to Diageo North America providing its famous Crown Royal Purple bags. Diageo selected The Spearhead Group for their focus on superior quality, cost and service, as well as great leadership and aligned values. Heather herself has earned numerous distinctions working with some of the world’s best-known brands to re-imagine the visual identity for products across multiple market sectors.

Another Diageo WBE is Enthuse Marketing Group. Enthuse is an experiential marketing consultancy that places brand education at the center of its strategy. In 2016, Enthuse partnered with Diageo North America to reinvent the business-to-business strategy for Diageo's Reserve brand portfolio: developing a game-changing program to connect with stakeholders - through customized, hands-on experiential activation and educational brand content.

Enthuse was built on a foundation of philanthropy and also runs the Enthuse Foundation, a non-profit organization investing in a new generation of female entrepreneurs through educational content, mentorship, networking events, and monetary grants.

Continuing to seek out and celebrate women-led supplier partnerships

As Diageo North America continues to evolve its Supplier Diversity Program, the company will seek out and celebrate partners that exemplify and enable Diageo to live its values of diversity and inclusion, and deliver its Performance Ambition.

Erik Snyderkl, President North America Supply and Procurement, says: “As the sponsor of this critically important initiative, I see first-hand its impact on our bottom line, by increasing the diversity of our supplier base, we generate more choices in supplier sourcing, increased capacity, innovation, agility and deliver savings. This initiative, working hand-in-hand with our focus on diverse talent, is one of our priorities in delivering an efficient and effective supply chain, allowing us to create high quality products, at the best cost for our consumers.”