Championing Inclusion and Diversity is at the heart of everything Diageo does and is a crucial part of our purpose to “celebrate life every day, everywhere”. 

In 2020 we launched ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’, a 10-year ESG action plan that sets out how we will champion inclusion and diversity, as well as grain-to-glass sustainability and positive drinking, across our business and how we will achieve our goals. Our ambition is to achieve 50% women and 45% from ethnically diverse backgrounds in leadership roles by 2030, and this week we have received two UK-based recognitions on our progress.

Fertility Friendly Employer

Last Friday, Diageo was accredited as a ‘Fertility Friendly Employer’, an accolade that celebrates companies who are making organisational culture change involving education, awareness building, communication and support on the topic of fertility. The accolated is awarded by ‘Fertility Matters at Work’, an organisation that educates and inspires businesses with an awareness of how fertility issues affect both their employees and their organisation.

Diageo has been recognised following the launch of our Fertility Guidelines in the UK earlier in the year, as well as our Private Medical Insurance offering which entitles employees to a £10,000 lifetime limit to assist fertility treatment in addition to full cover for fertility investigations.

Our inclusion comes as the UK celebrates Fertility Awareness Week, an increasingly important topic as 74.2% of people didn’t feel that the topic of fertility was recognised in their organisation.

Change the Race Ratio

Separately, we’re proud to be a signatory of the 2023 Change the Race Ratio Progress Report. ‘Change the Race Ratio’ campaigns for increased racial and ethnic diversity across UK business, with its annual report based on the findings from data it has collected from signatories at the start of the year, highlighting the progress being made by signatories.

Key findings from the report found:

• Racial and ethnic minority representation at board level stands at an average of 14%
• 74% of respondents have set racial and ethnic minority targets for exco and exco minus one, with targets ranging from 10 – 20%. These are to be achieved on average by 2025
• Racial and ethnic minority representation at ExCo and ExCo minus one within FTSE350 respondents stands at an average of 10.2%, non FTSE350 9.1%
• The number of respondents to set Black representation targets for exco and exco minus one has doubled compared to the 12 months prior

The organisation is aligned to The Parker Review, which has set a target for each FTSE 350 company to set a percentage target for senior management positions that will be occupied by ethnic minority executives in December 2027.

Our Progress

Diageo’s ambition is clear: we must create the most inclusive and diverse culture that ensures all our people thrive.

We are proud of the strides we have made to advancing equality within our business, and the advancements we have made towards our bold Society 2030 goals. Today, 73% of Diageo’s board and 44% of our leadership population, including our Executive Committee, is female, and 36% of Diageo’s Board and 43% of our leadership population is ethnically diverse, showing our dedication to our goal of reaching 50% women and 45% from ethnically diverse backgrounds in leadership roles by 2030.

However, we know that change doesn’t happen overnight, and we’re constantly learning and striving to do more. ​

Read more about Diageo’s Society 2030 goals