Diageo leaders recognised for championing women at work

09 Sep 2021 ESG
Ivan Menezes, our CEO and Mairéad Nayager, Chief HR Officer, have been named in the Yahoo Finance and HERoes Women Role Model Lists 2021.
Ivan Menezes, our CEO and Mairéad Nayager, Chief HR Officer, have been named in the Yahoo Finance and HERoes Women Role Model Lists 2021.

We are delighted that for the 5th time, Diageo leaders have been recognised in the HERoes Women Role Model Lists. This year two members of our Executive Committee are included in the prestigious ranking, which celebrates business leaders who act as role models to improve gender equality and champion women in business.

Mairéad Nayager features in the HERoes 100 Women Executives List which is made up of women who are leading by example to drive change, while Ivan Menezes is named in the HERoes Advocates List, who are dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive business environment for women. This is the 4th consecutive year Ivan and Mairéad have featured.

To be recognised in the HERoes Women Role Model Lists reflects our ongoing commitment to inclusion and diversity. At Diageo, we understand that the most successful businesses are those that embrace a diverse workforce with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities.

In November 2020, we announced our Spirit of Progress ten-year sustainability plan which included the goal to have 50% female representation across leadership positions by 2030. We are proud that today, 60% of our board and 38% of our Executive Committee are women, and we are amongst the first companies to create a clear link and direct accountability for ESG commitments with our senior management community.

We are committed to gender equality as demonstrated through our Family Leave policy, which entitles all women and men in the majority of our markets to 6 months fully paid leave, and supporting resources such as our Flex Philosophy which enables employees to manage when and where they work. Earlier this year, we introduced global Menopause Guidelines which offer strengthened support and flexibility to employees going through the menopause. All employees, female and male, are encouraged to build their understanding of how the menopause impacts individuals. Female representation is vital across our entire business with 42% of leadership roles and 50% of our graduate intake being female last year.