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Invest in women, accelerate progress
This International Women’s Day, Diageo is proudly supporting the UN’s theme of "Invest in women, accelerate progress”, a theme that signals a shift towards proactive investments in women and the acceleration of progress within our business and communities. We recognise the global variations in challenges to gender equality and equity, yet our commitment remains unwavering – to foster an environment where every woman has the resources, opportunities, and support needed to thrive.
Achieving gender equality
How exactly are we investing in women and accelerating progress toward achieving gender equality for women inside and outside of work? Read more about the impact of recent initiatives below:
Sports
We’re making significant investments in leveling the playing field when it comes to women’s sport. Diageo owns Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise that puts gender inclusivity at its core. Guinness is now the title sponsor of the Women’s Six Nations, Johnnie Walker is the lead sponsor of both Angel City and Gotham City FC, and Bundaberg Rum has even created the World's First Mixed Gender NRL Fantasy game.
The list goes on, with our brands committed to investing in women’s sport to ensure that women see themselves represented across the world.
Communities
We’re committed to the transformative power of investing in women, and beyond our employees, this commitment extends to the diverse communities in which we source.
‘Learning for Life’, Diageo’s business and hospitality skills programme, helps us create shared value for the communities where we live, work, source and sell, and last year, 59% of the 31,600 people we reached through the programme were women. Elsewhere, we have a long-standing partnership with WaterAid, developing gender inclusive design principles to ensure women in our communities have access to clean water, decent sanitation, and hygiene programmes, and we also work with smallholder farmers, aiming to enhance environmental and economic resilience and support farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Suppliers
As part of our commitment to break down barriers for women in the wider society, we invest in our suppliers to advance positive, sustainable economic impact in the diverse communities where we source.
Last year, Diageo partnered on a first of its kind Sustainable Supply Chain Management training course for diverse-owned businesses to help these companies learn more about business and sustainability, with 85% of graduates so far being women. We work with a women-owned supplier in Jalisco, Mexico, to decorate bottles of Don Julio, as well as with over 500 women in Guatemala who make the handcrafted ’petate’ bands that adorn every bottle of our Zacapa 23 Rum. Our investment not only provides an income for these women, it also allows them to work from home and spend time on their other responsibilities.
What does investing in women mean to you?
Monique Baskin
Carryn Gabriels
Floribel Loreto-Lao
Zoé Teyssier
Abena Asaa Duah
Bhavya Mandanna
Daniela Cuomo
Roselyn Awotwi Pratt
Saraswathi Rangegowda
Tuğba Doğru Barutçuoğlu
Anchal Kaushal
Monique Baskin
Regional Architecture & Innovation Lead, Canada
Carryn Gabriels
Head of E-Commerce, South Africa
Floribel Loreto-Lao
Commercial Director, Philippines
Zoé Teyssier
Corporate Strategy Manager, UK
Abena Asaa Duah
HRBP, Ghana
Bhavya Mandanna
Technology Director, UK
Daniela Cuomo
Site Director, Italy
Roselyn Awotwi Pratt
Head of Packaging Operations, Ghana
Saraswathi Rangegowda
Senior Manager, India
Tuğba Doğru Barutçuoğlu
General Counsel, Türkiye
Anchal Kaushal
VP Customer Marketing, India
"Caoimhe McCabe, played a key role in my journey to successfully developing and launching the Spirited Women mentoring programme. She provided the right balance of trust and advice. She created a safe space to experiment and the freedom to build something new, while also providing guidance and sharing advice on some key questions. Caoimhe's coaching is what gave me the confidence to pursue this project."
"My late boss Maggie Rowley profoundly shaped my trajectory. Her investment in me extended beyond professional development. Her most profound lesson was to embody my feminine leadership qualities. She challenged stereotypes, showing me that women in leadership need not conform to traditional moulds. Instead, she emphasized the importance of embracing our innate qualities of nurture and instinct, inspiring teams through empathy and collaboration."
"The times I have felt most invested in is when I have shared career concern with my family and had honest conversations about what this means for us. After many discussions – including emotional ones, my husband and I have worked out how to support our family as a dual-career couple. Now, my family is invested that I am investing my time to start up a Spirited Women Network in Japan, and I am excited to grow both personally and professionally with my Diageo colleagues."
"After having suppressed that I was a member of the LGBTQ+ community for almost 14 years working in construction, I joined Diageo in 2017. Diageo supported me as a female fulfilling my role and more importantly allowed me to share my personal experiences within the workplace, empowering me to help others from the LGBTQ+ community. From this, the ERG Stout Out & Co. evolved, with a desire for us to all work as allies in ensuring our workplace is the safest and most supportive environment for anyone."
"8 years ago my life coach said: “Great power comes with great responsibilities. Especially when you are a woman.” Beyond being coached on understanding better who I wanted to be as a leader, it was an eye opener on the mission ahead. What I learnt is that it was my role to create a safe environment for women to just be human. It seems normal when you think about it, but it is something that was not common at the time. My coach helped me reconnect with myself and drive my growth since then."
"Plunging into a role where I lacked experience, I found myself immersed in a sea of uncertainty and possibility. It was the mentorship of my Director that became the compass guiding me through uncharted waters. With steadfast support and insightful guidance, I not only navigated the challenges but flourished beyond expectation."
"Diageo invests in my future every day by providing me with the flexibility I require as a mother with a career. It’s a true investment and this supportive environment plays a critical role for all employees and allows Diageo to truly embrace diversity and to create a future where women are included."
"After my most recent miscarriage I received lovely messages, gifts and flowers from my team and from friends and colleagues across the company. My manager had regular wellbeing calls with me, she was always flexible to ensure that these were at times that suited me. The support I received from my team throughout the entirety of my pregnancy loss journey is above and beyond what I ever could have expected."
"I was given the opportunity to study at a facility that I worked really hard to get into, but it took my mom emptying her entire savings, every penny she had, to pay the entrance fee. I resolved at that point to find a way to show my mom how grateful I was for that sacrifice. That experience has stayed with me now and shaped the person I am today. Now I live my life actively seeking opportunities to pass on that ‘investment’ in whatever capacity I can."
"Throughout my journey, I've encountered challenges and biases against gender and the status of being a woman or a mother. Yet with each obstacle, I've gleaned invaluable lessons in emotional intelligence, empathy, and the transformative power of listening. I've witnessed first-hand the impact of leadership galvanizing teams and the perils of demotivating them. My experiences have fortified my resolve to advocate tirelessly for the marginalized, particularly women."
"In 2019, I was proud to be Diageo Türkiye's "first female blue-collar employee." After the fresh grapes and raisins department, I moved on to the alcohol stock department. With the self-confidence and strength of having shown my female colleagues that women can do any job, I took on the role of "Union Workplace Representative" in 2023 in order to be the "voice of women." As a woman, I am proud of the work I do and the company I work for."
"When I started my career 28 years ago I couldn't imagine a global company led by a woman. Here, I share many firsts with female colleagues; the first woman to sit on an industry association board, the first woman on the executive committee of a company, the first female bartender... I value the progress gender equity has made - we live in a different world because organizations like Diageo keep investing in women to build this story every day."
"In Africa there’s a famous saying: ‘children are not only brought up by their parents, but by the community.’ I look back at my career achievements with appreciation to the many individuals who have invested in my growth. Jane Karuku accelerated my leadership journey, consistently challenging me to raise the bar and stretch my leadership; enabling me to face my fears, strengthen my capabilities and grow my confidence. Her leadership, guidance and investment in me has contributed to the individual that I am today."