Diageo ranks number two globally in Equileap’s 2023 Gender Equality Global Report

Diageo has been ranked as the number two company in Equileap’s global Report, reflecting our progress towards championing gender equality across the business.

Equileap’s Report is an in-depth analysis of gender equality in companies globally, presenting the top 100 companies which score the highest. This year, the research examined 3,787 publicly listed companies, representing 102 million employees across 23 countries.

Companies are scored based on 19 criteria, including Gender Balance in Leadership and Workforce; Equal Compensation & Work Life Balance; and Policies Promoting Gender Equality.

Featuring in the Report for the sixth time, Diageo has ranked second overall and first in the UK. Both represent a positive shift from our 2022 position, with this being the first year that Diageo has topped the UK rankings.

Within the Report, Equileap has also case-studied Diageo as a leading company for gender equality, specifically acknowledging our industry-leading Family Leave policy, high female representation across leadership positions, as well as the company’s transparency regarding our gender pay gap. You can read the full Report here.

Louise Prashad, Chief HR Officer, said: “I’m very proud of Diageo’s recognition within Equileap’s Report. Ranking second globally and first in the UK is a testament to our ongoing commitment to championing equality, and the hard work of all our employees to create a truly inclusive and diverse culture. With International Women’s Day around the corner, it is good to see that gender equality continues to be spotlighted, and I look forward to seeing how the global community uses the day to further bold progress."

Diageo was recently named as the top company for female representation at Board level in the FTSE Women Leaders Review with 64%, as well as being included in Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index for the sixth consecutive year. Our CEO Ivan Menezes and Chief HR Officer Louise Prashad were also featured in the 2022 HERoes Women Role Model Lists, which celebrate business leaders who act as role models to champion females.

Over the past 12 months, we have introduced a variety of policies and practices to assist our ambition of creating the most supportive and inclusive environment. This includes the introduction of Pregnancy Loss Guidelines and Disability Inclusion Guidelines globally, Fertility Support Guidelines in the UK, as well as rolling out the Balance+ app to support all employees experiencing menopause.

Female representation across leadership, including our Executive Committee, has also risen to 44%, with our ambition to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership roles and 45% from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2030, as part of our Spirit of Progress’ 10-year action plan.

However, we cannot be complacent. We are proud of our progress but are learning every day, and know that our work is far from done.