Celebrating Pride Month 2024 at Diageo

At Diageo, we want to help create a world where everyone can be themselves and believe there is power in diversity and when people of different genders, ethnicities, ages, disabilities, sexual orientations, social backgrounds, educations, and experiences come together.

As part of this, we are committed to making sure Diageo is a great place to work for LGBTQIA+ talent and that we support LGBTQIA+ inclusion and rights around the world. And while conversations and progress must be sought year-round, Pride month is a wonderful way to celebrate the community as well as recognising the steps still required to ensure that acceptance is everywhere.

Pride at Diageo will once again be led by the Rainbow Networks around the world, our incredible Employee Resource Groups that ensure the talents and contributions of all Diageo LGBTQIA+ employees are respected, valued, and embraced.

This began today with our global flag-raising, where sites across the globe raise the Progress Pride flag. From Panama to Thailand, the 94 sites that took part this year represent Diageo’s biggest flag-raising event to date. Take a look at some images below:

The global flag-raise marks the beginning of a calendar of activities for 2024 Pride, including:

• In North America, Smirnoff and 21 Seeds are leading the celebrations by sponsoring the Chicago Pride Parade, with the NAM Rainbow Network creating the first-ever Rainbow Network Guinness Open Gate brewery partnership, which includes a unique pineapple and passionfruit kölsch-style ale that is available exclusively at our Baltimore Open Gate Breweriy during June.
• Our Global HQ in London will host a variety of Pride events for employees and guests, including a cross-company festival with PepsiCo and a special Pride Brunch in the office.
• In Latin America, Diageo and Smirnoff has partnered with Pride Panama, with the ambition of making celebrating Pride more open and accessible for those who feel they have no one to go with or don't feel safe being themselves.
• Our South-East Asia Rainbow Network is hosting a month-long campaign that seeks to educate employees about the history of Pride across the region, including learnings about the first Queer Miss Universe in the Philippines.
• Our team in the Philippines conducted a photo shoot and video to celebrate inclusion, with members of the Thailand team participating in this year’s 2024 Bangkok Pride Parade.
• Johnnie Walker Princes Street is proudly sponsoring Pride Edinburgh once again, Scotland’s largest celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, with The Singleton Distillery in the Muir of Ord, Scotland, hosting a variety of LGBTQIA+ artists to perform to guests.

Diageo is committed to championing inclusion and diversity across everything we do. We have Gender Identity and Expression Guidelines live in over 30 countries, with our industry-leading parental leave policy also giving UK employees 26 weeks’ paid leave, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or whether they become parents biologically, via surrogacy, or adoption.

For the ninth consecutive year, Diageo employees, including our Chief HR and Chief Marketing Officers, were recognised on the “Outstanding LGBT+ Role Model List 2023”, which highlights leaders and allies who make significant contributions to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace. Andre Bogues, Senior Culture and Entertainment Manager in GB, ranked #1 in the Top 100 Future Leaders List for his commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusive marketing and work with the GB Rainbow Network.

Our brands are leading advocates of Diageo’s inclusive culture, challenging stereotypes and championing diversity. Last year, Baileys announced a three-year partnership with the Eurovision Song Contest, continuing its inclusive brand commitment. Johnnie Walker and Casamigos led our partnership with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2023-24 and World Pride 2023, Johnnie Walker sponsored Edinburgh Pride 2023, and Smirnoff supported several Pride parades across the U.S. last year.

We also spotlight inspiring LGBTQIA+ people through our Progressive Marketing Framework, with J&B’s 2022 Christmas advert ‘She’ giving further visibility to the LGBTQIA+ community, and The Baileys ‘Witches’ campaign for Halloween 2021 and 2022 a celebration of how enjoying treats spans generations, ethnicities, and sexualities.

We’re proud of our commitment, but we know there is more to be done. We will keep learning and pushing for progress, and ensure this conversation continues beyond June.