Diageo celebrates International Age Pioneers Week: Our Commitment to Fostering 50+ Talent

This week, Diageo has joined the global movement of International Age Pioneers, a celebration of professionals aged over 50 and the organisations that champion age-inclusive workplaces.

In our Scotland Supply Chain alone, 33% of our workforce is aged over 50; a testament to the depth of experience and expertise within our teams.

Our Age Diversity Ambition:

We’re proud to be building a culture where:

• Talent is nurtured at every career stage.
• Employees of all ages feel valued, rewarded, and supported.
• Wellbeing is prioritised across life stages.
• We evolve from a multigenerational to an intergenerational workforce.

Listening and Learning: Our Four-Step Exploration

To better understand the experiences of our 50+ colleagues, we undertook a thoughtful and inclusive process:

1. Hypothesis Development – Using internal data to shape key questions.
2. Employee Survey – Gathering insights from those over 50.
3. Focus Groups – Facilitating open conversations about lived experiences.
4. Me/Redefined Pilot – Supporting 60 employees in planning their next life chapter with confidence.

During the Age Pioneers Summit in June this year, Kirstie Kelly and Chris Palmer shared how Diageo is leading the way in supporting employees aged 50 and above, ensuring they feel empowered, valued, and equipped for fulfilling careers.

Kirstie Kelly, HR Business Partner, Diageo said, “One of the most surprising and encouraging insights from the data we gathered from Diageo employees was the level of appetite for continued growth among colleagues over 50. Contrary to the common societal assumption that people in this age group are primarily focused on winding down or preparing for retirement, many expressed a strong desire to reskill, gain new experiences, and explore different roles. This finding not only challenged existing perceptions but also highlighted valuable opportunity areas for how we support and develop this important talent segment.”

Chris Palmer, Learning Performance Lead, Diageo, commented, “At Diageo we want to create a culture where people can thrive regardless of their age, background or gender. Age is something that we had not really explored before and with careers projected to last longer, we need to ensure that we support all ages of employees. This project was a way for us to gain deeper knowledge of what the needs of our over 50 workforce are.”

What’s Next?

Diageo used these insights to identify a range of initiatives to further support employees over 50, across HR, recruitment, and business teams. These were also fed into our Inclusion and Diversity strategy, building on existing policies such as Thriving Through Menopause guidelines and our Carer’s Leave policy.

ABOUT DIAGEO

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in nearly 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.