Global beverage giant Diageo has set the standard for gender equality in the workplace. With 44% of the board comprising women, and with the aim of creating a senior leadership team of 40% women by 2025, Diageo has taken the lead in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling.
The certificate for the Diageo’s stellar work in this regard comes from the Equileap 2019 Global Gender Equality Report and Ranking, which ranks the company as No 1 globally. Diageo has improved its Equileap ranking from 11th last year. It has been ranked as the best company in the United Kingdom in terms of gender equality for the second consecutive year.
The Equileap report is a detailed measurement of gender equality in 3,519 companies across various sectors in 23 developed economies. It covers 98 million employees and ranks businesses on the basis of 19 criteria for gender equality. These criteria include gender balance across the workforce, the gender pay gap, paid parental leave and anti-sexual harassment policies among others.
Women occupy key leadership positions in departments ranging from legal, finance, marketing, communications, human resources and sales (23%) in the company at present, and taking up specialised roles in research and development, innovation and public policy teams. In India, 17% of the company’s employees consist of women as compared to only 7.5% in 2015.
Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes expressed pride at the company’s work to build an inclusive culture and diverse employee base. He said that the company’s objective is to create a culture that ensures all people thrive while shaping market-leading policies and practices.
Mairéad Nayager, Chief HR Officer, Diageo, termed gender equality as a moral imperative and a driver of business performance.
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