We're a global leader in premium drinks, the exciting consumer products space. 200 brands. 180 countries. Diageo
There is power in diversity. When people of different genders, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, social backgrounds, educations and experiences come together, it's better for our business and society.
We're committed to shaping broader societal change, reflective of our consumers. We look to champion this across our entire business – with our people, through our value chain, across our brands, and within the communities in which we operate.
It’s important we attract and retain the best and most diverse talent while developing our teams. Listening to regular feedback tells us our people are proud to work for us, of our focus on inclusion and diversity, and our commitment to Spirit of Progress.
Gender equality
We’re proud of the strides we have made to accelerate gender equality within our business. We have 70% female Board representation and 46% Executive Committee representation and have been regularly recognised externally for our achievements in this area.
We focus on strengthening our female leadership pipeline and investing in the next generation of female leaders, particularly across areas where women have historically been underrepresented, including commercial and supply roles. We are working hard to achieve this through apprenticeships, returnships and scholarships and our annual graduate intake recruits 50% women.
Our policies and practices help us to foster a gender-inclusive environment, providing support at varying stages including our ‘Parental Leave’ policy, ‘Thriving Through Menopause' guidelines, ‘Pregnancy loss' guidelines and ‘Fertility’ guidelines. Our 20 Spirited Women Network chapters are key in creating and nurturing an inclusive environment.
Ethnic diversity
Today, 40% of our Board and 46% of our leadership population, including our Executive Committee, is ethnically diverse and we are proud to have reached our 45% ethnicity leadership representation ambition ahead of 2023. We want to maintain the momentum achieved to date, while embedding the actions and enhancing our culture that has led to such positive outcomes.
Disclosure is key to this, and we are proud that 96% of our leadership population and 71% overall - in the markets where legislation allows - have confidentially shared this information voluntarily. We remain committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents the communities we serve.
Policies and practices that support our inclusive culture
Our market-leading policies and practices are shaped by and for our people and allow us to continue to provide an environment where they are supported and cared for.
Our industry-leading global parental leave policy gives all new mothers 26 weeks’ fully paid maternity and new fathers a minimum standard of four weeks’ paternity leave, regardless of how they become parents. In many markets, including in the United Kingdom, North America, Thailand, Philippines, Spain, Columbia, Venezuela and Australia, we also introduced 26 weeks fully paid paternity leave.
We work with our ERGs to embed and scale our existing policies and guidelines, including ‘Thriving Through Menopause’, ‘Domestic and Family Abuse’, ‘Gender Expression & Identity’, ‘Fertility’ and ‘Disability Inclusion guidelines. We also support our employees’ individual circumstances and needs through our ‘Flexible Working’ and ‘Wellbeing’ Policies. In 2024, we launched our Carers Leave policy in the UK, which gives our people up to 10 days paid leave to care, or arrange care, for a dependent. We plan to extend this policy to our other markets.
Our annual global INC Week is a key calendar moment to drive change across the business. Created by employees for employees, INC encourages our people to champion inclusion, celebrate diversity, have open conversations, and step out of their comfort zone.
Awards and rankings
- In the 2024 FTSE Women Leaders Review, we ranked number two for female representation at board level, and beyond the board we ranked 8th overall for female representation across leadership.
- Diageo ranked number three globally in this year’s Equileap Global Report, and number one in the UK. We’re recognised for our gender equality work by several other prestigious rankings, including Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, The Cranfield Female FTSE Board Report and Involve Heroes Women Role Model Lists.
- In March 2024 Tom Shropshire, General Counsel & Company Secretary, was ranked number one in the Involve Empower Executive list, which names those breaking down barriers for people of colour and driving inclusion in business. Louise Prashad, Chief HR Officer, Samori Gabrah, Global Brand Director for Captain Morgan, and Kristel Travis, Director - Procurement Improve & Transform, were also recognised on the list.
- For the ninth consecutive year, Diageo employees, including our Chief HR and Chief Marketing Officers, were recognised on the “Outstanding LGBT+ Role Model List 2023”. Andre Bogues, Senior Culture and Entertainment Manager in GB, ranked #1 in the Top 100 Future Leaders LGBTQIA+ list.
- In May 2023, Diageo was recognised as a Platinum Global Champion for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion.
- Our We Are All Able (WAAA) Resource Group supports the employment and development of people with a disability at Diageo while driving the understanding of disability across the business. In 2021, one of our manufacturing sites, Shieldhall in Scotland, was awarded an Inclusive Workplace Award through SUSE, for its provision of career opportunities to registered disabled workers
Alongside our global awards and rankings, across Diageo we have been recognised at a local level for our efforts towards inclusion and diversity.
Employee Resources Groups
Creating a sense of belonging is at the heart of everything we do. Across the 180 countries in which we operate, our 60+ Business and Employee Resource Groups champion key moments that represent the voice of our consumers and promote inclusivity.
Our Spirit of Progress goals
- 50% representation of women in leadership roles by 2030*
- 45% of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2030.*
* Statements on representation are a goal for Diageo and should not be considered a target. Those marked with a * are priority ambitions as part of our Spirit of Progress strategy.