Women play a critical role in shaping Diageo's success

Diageo is featured on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for a fifth consecutive year, demonstrating its commitment to inclusion in the workplace. The GEI expanded in 2022 to represent 45 countries and regions, and companies represent a variety of sectors, including financials, technology, and utilities.

Committed to a fair and unbiased culture

This year’s overall score, which has once again seen a positive shift, demonstrates the hard work Diageo has undertaken to improve gender equality through industry leading policies, carefully considered employee support schemes, partnerships with inclusion charities and organisations, and wider initiatives to ensure women throughout its business feel empowered.

Diageo is particularly proud to enhance its scores in the categories of ‘Pro Women Brand’ and ‘Inclusive Culture’, standing at +37.84% and +20.13% above the overall total average for the category.

“We’re proud to be included in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. From the female whisky entrepreneurs of the eighteenth century to the appointment of our first female Johnnie Walker Master Blender this year, women continue to play a critical role in shaping the success of Diageo. Inclusion in this year’s Index highlights our absolute commitment to creating a fair, unbiased culture in which everyone can thrive," commented Louise Prashad, Diageo's Chief Human Resources Officer.

Industry-leading policies

Diageo's global parental leave policy, giving all new mothers 26 weeks’ fully paid maternity and new fathers a minimum standard of four weeks’ paternity, is a particular strong point.

From July 2019 to June 2021, Diageo's people took more than 180,000 days of parental leave, with the average number of days taken by men being 99.

In March 2021, Diageo launched its Menopause Guidelines, which offer enhanced support and flexibility to employees going through the menopause and helps all employees to improve understanding of how the menopause can impact colleagues.

The Guidelines have now launched in 20 countries including Diageo's total North America and Latin America & Caribbean businesses, as well as the UK, Ireland, Turkey, Australia, and Indonesia, with additional markets to follow. Diageo's Spirited Women Network Employee Resource Group was instrumental in developing and launching these Guidelines.

Improving the talent pipeline

Diageo is always seeking the best talent for a role, whether male or female; but the company believes that more action is needed to attract entry level women into the drinks industry and STEM roles. Diageo is working hard to achieve this through apprenticeships, returnships and scholarships, and its annual graduate intake recruits 50% women.

Partnerships and targets

By partnering with key organisations such as CARE International, Diageo supports women in smallholder farming, improves safety and inclusivity in the hospitality industry and provides skills training to female entrepreneurs. In March 2021, Diageo announced that it would continue to extend its partnership for a further five years to help tackle barriers to gender equality where it lives, works, sources and sells.

Diageo has also set goals to increase the percentage of its suppliers from female and minority-owned businesses year-on-year and has committed to spending 10% with diverse owned and operated suppliers by 2025.