Diversity and inclusion
We believe a workforce composed of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and experiences is a competitive advantage. At Diageo, we have found that having a diverse workforce increases our scope, speed and effectiveness in seizing growth and performance opportunities, as well as providing a rewarding environment within which to work.
Increasing the diversity of our people at all levels, and creating an environment that is inclusive for all, are therefore critical priorities for us – especially as we continue to grow in emerging markets. Our commitment to fairness and equality is articulated in all our human resources policies, from the recruitment stage onwards.
Employee resource groups
At Diageo we have well-established, cross-border employee resource groups that help drive our inclusion and diversity agenda forward as well as grow our business with our consumers. These include:
- Spirited Women, for North America, Latin America and UK/Ireland, comprises around 1,000 members (and growing) whose mission is that ‘everyone in Diageo is celebrated for their uniqueness and the value that creates’. From networking events, to supporting local charities and facilitating mentoring and coaching relationships, the group offers extensive opportunities to get involved in shaping our inclusion and diversity agenda, creating possibilities and the conditions for all people to succeed (not just women).
- The Rainbow Network in the US and UK advances awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. It not only fosters our culture of inclusiveness internally, but helps to identify ways to promote our brands to LGBT consumers.
- Originate in the UK is a local network that has focuses exclusively on cultural diversity, education, understanding and creating a sense of belonging to enable us to challenge stereotypes, inspire people and make Diageo the best place to be. Their aspiration is to make a difference to the business and all individuals in Diageo by driving awareness and understanding of cultural differences.
- The Latin Connection celebrates Latin heritage in North America.
- A.H.E.A.D (African Heritage Employees at Diageo) celebrates African heritage in North America and the UK
- The Pan-Asian Network celebrates Asian Pacific heritage in North America.
Women in senior management positions
Our target was to have 30% of senior management positions occupied by women by 2011.
However we reached only 27%. We are disappointed not to have achieved our target, and will continue to focus on this goal in the coming year. Below is the breakdown by level.
| | % women |
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
| 33 |
27 |
30 |
20 |
| 27 |
26 |
27 |
25 |
| 35 |
35 |
35 |
35 |
| 35 |
34 |
34 |
34 |
As part of our approach to addressing this issue and our broader inclusion and diversity agenda, this year for the first time we engaged the whole company around International Women’s Day on March 8th to recognise and celebrate the women who make up about one-third of our workforce and one- quarter of our senior teams. We shared a video showcasing several of our executive colleagues discussing our commitment to inclusion and diversity, and distributed posters, while our Spirited Women network orchestrated local events.
Diversity in our talent pipeline
Despite falling short of our target for women in senior management, other signs point to progress in creating a diverse and inclusive environment. In this year’s values survey, 87% of our people agreed that 'In my team, people can be themselves regardless of their ethnic background, gender or style'. While this score puts Diageo above external benchmarks, we aim to raise our positive response rate even further.