Diageo Score Perfect Rating for Diversity and Inclusion for 12th Consecutive Year

Feb. 14, 2020

Diageo has once again earned a perfect 100 on the Corporate Equality Index for its commitment to embracing diversity, inclusion, and gender parity. This is the 12th consecutive 100 rating for the global spirits leader and the latest reminder of why we are so proud of our long running, international partnership with Diageo.

As we have reported in the past, Diageo has a well-earned reputation for respecting and celebrating its diverse workforce, and for striving to promote gender parity throughout the company. This year, the company is touting its new, groundbreaking parental leave policy as one more example of how they are pursuing gender parity, and one more reason why they earned a rating of 100—again—on the Corporate Equality Index for 2020.

Committed to Positive Change

According to a statement from the company, Diageo is committed to efforts to create a work environment where “employees with common backgrounds, interests, heritage, or orientation can connect to support each other and engage with business and brand leadership on creating a great place to work through inclusion and diversity.”

The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is not only a national benchmarking survey of top companies, it is also a report on current corporate policies and practices as they related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality. The survey is administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.

"We are very proud of our long-standing partnership with the Human Rights Campaign in our efforts to celebrate LGBTQIA+ equality in the office and in the communities in which we live and work," said Deirdre Mahlan, President, Diageo North America. "Every day we look to champion inclusion and diversity in our workplace and in our marketplace. This honor, coupled with the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, is a source of great pride, not only for our employees but also for our consumers."

Working to Create a Better Environment

Diageo North America has long been recognized as one of the best work places for LGBTQ associates, with 12 consecutive years of perfect ratings from the CEI and HRC. The CEI looks at more than 1,000 businesses from around the world, and Diageo has long been a fixture at the top of the list, thanks to the company’s support for their LGBTQ associates.

In addition to this honor from the Human Rights Campaign, Diageo was also recently recognized among 325 companies across 50 industries included in the 2020 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index(GEI) for its commitment to equality and advancing women in the workplace. This year was the second consecutive year for the company to be honored on this esteemed index of companies, which now represents 42 countries and regions, worldwide, and a diverse range of industries, such as automotive, banking, consumer services, engineering and construction, and retail, to name a few.

A Portfolio of Progress

Awards are nothing new for our friends at Diageo, but there is still something inspiring about seeing the litany of awards our friends have earned in recent years for championing the rights and respect of all. The list continues to grow, providing a positive, winning story for consumers to engage with and share amongst their peers. Consumers today are driven in large part to find and support brands with which they share common values, and Diageo continues to tell that story.

In recent years, they have added to that story with these achievements:

2019 – Diageo ranked as the #1 business globally for gender equality in the Equileap Global Gender Equality Report and Ranking.

2019 – National Association of Female Executives recognized Diageo North America as a Top Company for Executive Women for the ninth consecutive year.

2019 – Diageo North America was named to Diversity MBA's "50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership for the eighth consecutive year.

2019 – Diageo ranked second in the Refinitiv Top 100 Company Diversity & Inclusion Index.

2019 – Diageo named one of Working Mother Magazine's "100 Best Companies" for the eleventh consecutive year.

2019 – A division of Working Mother Media, Diversity Best Practices recognized Diageo North America as a "Leading Organization" having scored higher than 75% in its third annual index.

2019 – Diageo North America, in partnership with the Paradigm for Parity® coalition, announced its commitment to achieving gender parity.

2018 – Diageo received the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Award.

2018 – Diageo was the first beverage alcohol company to sign the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.

Congratulations to our friends at Diageo!

Call your Breakthru Sales Consultant today to learn more about how to leverage Diageo’s work behind the scenes into bigger wins for your business.