Diageo North America Named Among Top Companies for Executive Women
Beverage Leader Honored by National Association for Female Executives for Sixth Time
NORWALK, Conn., March 6, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, has been named one of the 2017 “Top 60 Companies for Executive Women” by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). As one of the country’s largest associations for female professionals, NAFE releases the list annually to recognize American corporations where women have significant clout to make the decisions that affect their company’s future and its bottom line. This is the sixth year NAFE has named Diageo to its Top Companies list.
“At Diageo, we believe fostering an inclusive culture is key to retaining and growing a diverse workforce and driving business performance,” said Deirdre Mahlan, President, Diageo North America. “We are focused on ensuring we have diversity in our leadership, and we are proud to say that more than 35 percent of our Board is female and our Executive Committee is 38 percent women. Diageo congratulates all of the NAFE Top 60 Companies for Executive Women, and we are honored to be among such an esteemed group.”
Diageo offers a variety of flexible working arrangements including job share, flextime, compressed hours and opportunities to work from home. The company subsidizes back-up daycare and adult/elder care, matches employees’ flexible spending accounts for dependent care, reimburses a percentage of the cost for in vitro and fertility treatments and provides financial assistance and family leave for employees who have completed the legal process of adoption. Pregnant women and new moms can take advantage of nutritional education, smoking cessation programs and access to private pumping rooms for nursing mothers. Programs for employees with tweens/teens include college preparation and placement assistance as well as counseling for family issues, substance abuse and emotional support.
Many Diageo office locations offer on-site timesaving services such as a health club and dry cleaning drop-off/pickup, and all employees have access to a concierge service. Diageo values its employees’ commitments outside the office and, consequently, grants employees up to five days per year of paid time off to volunteer. The company also supports new ideas and encourages feedback from employees, particularly parents who face unique challenges.
Additionally, to attract and retain a diverse workforce, Diageo offers career development programs at every level. These programs provide coaching initiatives to help employees succeed in their careers. To supplement the efforts of such programs, Diageo’s Spirited Women’s Network business resource group hosts regular networking events and career talks by female Diageo executives to inspire other employees and promote diversity efforts within the company.
“The NAFE Top 60 Companies for Executive Women are the leaders in the U.S. that have moved women into top executive positions and created a culture where talented women are nurtured, promoted and thrive,” says Betty Spence, President of NAFE. “We are very proud to honor their contributions to the advancement of women in the workplace.”
The 2017 NAFE Top Companies application includes some 200 questions on female representation at all levels, especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks. The vetting process includes tracking access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. In order to be eligible for the NAFE Top Companies survey, entrants must have a minimum of 1,000 employees, two women on the Board of Directors and be a public or private company.
“NAFE emphasizes women with bottom-line and top-line responsibility—the positions that lead to the corner office—and we’re pleased to report an eight percent increase in women running billion-dollar divisions at the NAFE Top Companies this year,” says Subha V. Barry, Vice President and General Manager of Working Mother Media (WMM). “In addition, now nearly a third of these companies have five or more women on the board, with many simply increasing the number of board seats to add a woman.” NAFE is a division of WMM.
The full list of this year’s winners is featured in the February/March issue of Working Mother magazine, and is posted on http://www.workingmother.com/2017-nafe-top-companies-for-executive-women.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is proud that we have focused on achieving greater diversity at the most senior level, with 38% of our Executive being women, one of the highest in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
