At Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Diageo North America Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Ed Pilkington, along with Diageo’s Pronghorn Lead, Malcolm Ellis, took part in a panel to discuss ‘disruptive thinking for companies as we look into the future.’

Pilkington and Ellis were joined by Entrepreneur and Founder CEO of Reach TV Lynwood Bibbens. The group examined a range of topics, from challenging established norms to exploring unconventional ideas.

Speaking to the disruptive thinking culture at Diageo, Pilkington and Ellis spotlighted Diageo’s partnership with, and investment in, Pronghorn. The session unpacked the partnership’s lofty ambitions to disrupt and bring meaningful change to the spirits Industry. Founded in 2021 with Diageo as the anchor investor, Pronghorn is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Black founders, executive leaders, and entrepreneurs in the spirits industry.

Through sustainable capital investments, incubation, and recruitment programs, Pronghorn removes barriers and grants access to critical resources that empowers untapped talent and emerging Black businesses to reach their full potential. 

Within just over one year of its launch, Pronghorn has created a significant buzz in the industry with 3.4 Billion impressions fueled by 19 closed deals, more than 50 employees placed, $100K provided to HBCU entrepreneurs, and several internships created. The investments and actions were followed by supercharging the brands with broad and deep capabilities, and customized expertise to drive growth.  

For anyone interested in learning more about Pronghorn’s innovative work, their newly-released impact report is available here.