Diageo celebrates International Women’s Day around the world

Within a video that aired across our internal and external channels, Diageo spoke to several inspirational employees about how equity has presented itself at work and in society. From Aarti Calvin, who has broken barriers in a stereotypically male-dominated industry, to Alia Seraj, whose support of female refugees is shaped by her own experiences, each story was a personal reflection of how equity has helped them and women across their markets achieve opportunities and success.

Spirited Women, our Employer Resource Group that provides women across the company with a platform to thrive, was integral to this year’s IWD celebrations, and hosted several engaging events across our markets. On the 9th of March, the group hosted a fireside chat with several senior colleagues including our President of Europe Soraya Benchikh, with a guest appearance from Monic Galetti, the world-renowned Chef & Restaurateur.

Diageo employees in Ghana engaged in an open discussion around the concept of equity across two sessions at our breweries in Accra and Kumasi. The sessions were run by Esther Cobbah, the founder and CEO of Strategic Communications Africa, and Dr. Gifty Anti, the CEO of GDA Media Ltd and TV host of The Standpoint, encouraging employees to be true champions of Inclusion & Diversity at work, home, and across society.

Our team in APAC organized a host of exciting activations over March, including panel sessions in Thailand and a learning café in Taiwan. The team in China held an IWD ‘Happy Hour’ in Shanghai, where participants were asked to tap into their creativity and use art to illustrate their perspective on this year’s theme of equity.

Over 80 Diageo Ireland employees gathered at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin to celebrate IWD, with an additional 140 employees joining virtually. As part of a panel, former Irish international rugby player, Sene Naoupu, shared her personal experiences of challenging stereotypes and leveraging equity to inspire a cultural shift, especially concerning women’s rugby.

Diageo North America kicked off its Black Heritage Month engagements in February with an inspirational edition of its Supplier Diversity series ‘Fireside with Founders’, featuring Rikki Kelly, the founder of Ego Tequila. It is the first Black woman-owned tequila brand to originate out of the state of Texas, with the event also leading into North America’s IWD celebrations. The edition was hosted by Ursula Dunn from Pronghorn, the Diageo-backed incubator for Black-owned spirits brands in North America.

On World Water Day (22nd March), Diageo shone a light on its investment in water projects around the globe, which are empowering women and putting them at the heart of their community. Women and girls are disproportionately affected when communities don't have clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), but through our partnership with CARE International and WaterAid, we are determined to make a meaningful impact and promote gender equality.

Learn more about how we are building gender equality and community resilience in Kenya.