Inclusive & Diverse Workplace Gender Equity and Corporate Social Responsibility Awards

Diageo celebrates double Contribution to Industry win

DIAGEO HAS FOLLOWED UP LAST YEAR’S GENDER EQUITY WIN AT THE AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS BY TAKING OUT THIS YEAR’S INCLUSIVE & DIVERSE WORKPLACE TROPHY.

The Drinks Association added a Contribution to Industry category to the Australian Drinks Awards in 2018, featuring Gender Equity, Inclusive & Diverse Workplace and the Corporate Social Responsibility awards.

The Inclusive & Diverse Workplace Award celebrates organisations that prioritise diversity and recognise the value of an inclusive workplace for individuals and their organisations.

Last year, Diageo won the inaugural Gender Equity trophy for its initiatives around making inclusion key to its business and it has continued and expanded on that agenda this year.

The company launched an engagement framework that better signposted and embedded its inclusive culture right across its business. It invested in a coaching program for its leaders that helps harness the diversity of its people and adapt its leadership style to be truly inclusive.

It also launched a progressive Flex Philosophy that recognises that “everyone has a different story, with different needs”. Diageo noted that it trusts its people with the freedom to choose where, when or how they can best achieve and help the company grow.

Other activities included mindfulness sessions, internal recognition of R U OK Day, and celebrations of inclusive occasions such as the Mardi Gras Festival and International Women’s Day.

Diageo HR Director Geraldine Joanes said: “Inclusion and diversity is core to Diageo’s purpose - celebrating life, every day,

everywhere. Diageo is known for its highperformance culture and when we harness the power of our individual differences, capabilities and experiences we create an amazing place for our people to work, contribute and achieve on a personal level as well as drive even greater business outcomes.

“We know this to be true because that’s what our people increasingly tell us in our employee surveys and listening sessions. Without a doubt, our inclusive and diverse culture gives us a distinct competitive advantage that contributes to achieving our ambition to be the best performing, most trusted and respected CPG business in Australia.”

The Inclusive & Diverse Workplace award was sponsored for the second year in a row by Coles Liquor.

“I couldn’t be happier to have awarded the Diversity and Inclusion trophy to Diageo,” said Cathi Scarce, Coles Acting Chief Executive – Liquor. “After seeing the high quality of entrants it was just such a wonderful way to recognise their incredible efforts.” THE SMASHED PROJECT WINS THE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TROPHY Diageo also took out the Corporate Social Responsibility award at the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards for The Smashed Project.

Earlier this year, Diageo announced it was funding a third tour of The Smashed Project in Australia. The theatre-in-education program aims to address the dangers of underage drinking and reduce alcohol-related harm in young people through an interactive dramatisation and workshop that resonates with young audiences.

The program first launched in Australia in May 2018 and its first two tours visited more than 135 high schools, reaching more than 27,000 students in Australia across the ACT, NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

MD David Smith said: “I am incredibly proud of Diageo’s industry-leading and relentless commitment to reducing alcoholrelated harm in our community.

“Our local partner Gibber, that delivers The Smashed Project in Australia has done a fantastic job in creating a localised program that hits the right notes to reach Australian Year 8, 9 and 10 students. The Smashed Project has already given tens of thousands of local high school students a safe forum to better understand the dangers of alcohol and the long-term negative impacts of underage drinking.”

The Smashed Project is being delivered at a time when the latest government survey findings from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that overall Australians are drinking less, that more underage Australians abstain from alcohol than ever before (82% up from 54% in 2004) and that drinking culture in Australia is generally improving.

Audience evaluation from the first tour of more than 100 schools and 20,000 students demonstrated marked increases among teens across a range of key learning objectives after witnessing a Smashed performance:

The Smashed Project is funded by Diageo Australia as part of its commitment to reducing underage drinking and alcoholrelated harm in the community. There is

no reference to Diageo Australia or any of its brands in the performance or any of the materials shared with students and there is no visual branding of Diageo Australia or any of its brands in the set production.

The Corporate Social Responsibility category was hotly contested at the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards, with the impact of the Smashed Project rating the highest with judges.

Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon noted: “We received an impressive number of submissions for the category and the high calibre of entries has made choosing the winners a daunting task. The Smashed Project stood out as a program that serves an important role in the drinks industry’s continued commitment to fostering responsible attitudes to alcohol consumption in Australia.”

Endeavour Drinks Group returned as the sponsor of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for the second year.

Adam Fry, General Manager - Buying and Merchandising at Endeavour Drinks added: Congratulations to Diageo on their win, among a very high standard of entries. We are very excited to be celebrating this tremendous achievement with them. Their entry really stood out in demonstrating the innovative ways in which our industry can continue to contribute positively to society. Endeavour Drinks is proud to support what was a welldeserved win.” PERNOD RICARD WINEMAKERS TAKES OUT 2019 GENDER EQUITY AWARD Pernod Ricard Winemakers won the Gender Equity Award at the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards for its Better Balance strategy.

Entries to the 2019 Gender Equity award were hotly contended once again, with Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon noting: “We received an impressive number of submissions for the category and the high calibre of entries has made choosing the winners a daunting task.”

Pernod Ricard Winemakers Better Balance strategy diversity aimed to open minds and the workplace to “foster a balanced business that values and embraces differences”.

To support the vision, Pernod Ricard has an ambition was identified to “achieve a minimum of 40% female representation within leadership roles by 2020 and continue to improve our nationality profile to better target key battlegrounds”.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers has exceeded its initial ambition of a minimum 40% female representation within leadership roles by 2020, reporting 45% female representation in Australian leadership positions in 2019.

Among steps the company took included its management team attending a Gender Diversity Awareness Session, a dedicated diversity website being established for staff, and new flexible working and parental leave policies being introduced.

Overall, Pernod Ricard Winemakers has a focus on recruiting, developing and retaining a high performing workforce to provide a diverse talent pipeline for the future and grow diverse teams.

Christian Campanella, Human Resources Director, Pernod Ricard Winemakers said: “We are exceptionally proud to be recognised as the industry leader for gender equity in the workplace.

“Two years ago we launched a new diversity strategy to continue to build a better balanced business that values and embraces differences. We have been working hard to ensure that we can achieve balance and diversity throughout our organisation by removing bias, and appointing the right people in the right roles.

“We’ve now exceeded our initial 2020 goal and we’re working towards ensuring that we maintain the momentum and mindset into the future. Our aim is to unlock the potential of our teams by ensuring everyone in the business has the opportunity to grow and develop, continuing to foster a culture of inclusiveness.”

“It’s been another outstanding year of progress and achievement by our industry,” said Lennon. “I’m so proud to celebrate the amazing work drinks companies such as Pernod Ricard Winemakers are doing to drive change.”

Thank you to Coles Liquor for sponsoring the award and supporting excellence in gender equity initiatives and programs in the workplace.

“I’d like to offer my congratulations to Pernod Ricard Winemakers as the winner of the Gender Equity award at the 2019 Australians Drinks Awards,” said Cathi Scarce, Coles Acting Chief Executive – Liquor. “It’s wonderful to see the great efforts being made by Pernod Ricard Winemakers to ensure that our industry is equitable and supportive of building long term careers for everyone.”