By Stephanie Childs
When I think about our purpose at Diageo, two words come to mind: celebration and culture. We have the privilege of being part of memorable moments in people’s lives. With that privilege, it’s essential that they see themselves — and their communities — reflected in our products, our business and our work.
As a beverage alcohol company, we have placed positive societal impact at the heart of our business strategy through our Society 2030: Spirit of Progress action plan. Executing against these priorities make our business stronger and requires inclusive, collaborative and consumer-focused strategies across all functions. We believe that this makes Diageo more competitive in the long term. That is why our community programs prioritize three areas: educating communities on responsible consumption, providing hospitality training and investing in education to create a talent pipeline.
The plan sets ambitious, but measurable goals, and puts in place programs that add value to our business, employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where we operate.
Diverse collaborators lead to meaningful impact
Our success in reaching these goals is dependent upon the support and engagement of our stakeholders. As we move along our journey to meet our social impact goals, we are constantly engaging with suppliers, distributors, retailers and NGO partners about opportunities to collaborate while authentically reflecting our diverse consumers of today and of tomorrow.
One approach we’ve taken to reach distinct demographic groups in the U.S. and increase awareness of the risks of alcohol-related harm is through the creation of one of the programs I am most proud of at Diageo, the Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking. Research shows that socioeconomic factors, diverse cultural views, and alcohol use disorders are just some of the reasons why drinking affects diverse communities differently, so we’ve fostered a strong network of influential members of the Black, Latino and Native American communities to educate them about responsible consumption.
Through this hyperlocal community-focused effort we provided educational resources to over 1.6 million people in the last year. Looking ahead, we plan to expand our partners in key markets and participate in events and gatherings to meet these communities where they are.
Our consumers know us best through our brands and we are constantly looking to enhance that connection and build brand equity through partnerships that are unique and culturally relevant.
In the U.S., we have leveraged the influence of our sports partners — Major League Soccer and the National Football League — and doubled the number of brands running responsible drinking campaigns, reaching millions of people. Last year, Diageo’s marketing team at Captain Morgan partnered with multi-award-winning singer, songwriter and rapper Bree Runway to launch one of the largest global responsible drinking campaigns to date, encouraging consumers to “Enjoy Slow” and be mindful of their consumption.
By leveraging meaningful marketing and innovation, our brands have helped Diageo make moderation the norm and achieved one of our 2030 goals early, having reached over 1.4 billion people in total with messages of responsible drinking.
Investing in training and education to help communities thrive
Some of our most important partners are those who work in the hospitality industry, and we are committed to helping our industry thrive and continue to build economic opportunity for individuals entering the sector.
Launched in 2008 in Latin America, our Learning Skills for Life program has since expanded to North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, and is free to those seeking employment in the hospitality industry, especially people who may have faced barriers to education and employment such as veterans, those with disabilities and homeless individuals. Participants receive hands-on training that covers basic spirits and industry skills, food safety, and other bartending fundamentals, along with job readiness training to improve skills like interview preparation and conflict resolution.
In North America, the Learning Skills for Life program recently expanded and now operates in many locations including Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Toronto, U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. In the past two years, over 3,000 individuals have graduated and the majority of the classes have included women and people of color. Notably, we have seen an 89 percent job placement rate among our graduates and are excited to see further success in 2024. I’m proud that graduates have called the program “life-changing.”
We also recognize that we need to go further up the workforce pipeline to attract and educate the next generation of leaders. In 2021, we established permanent endowments with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions. In 2023, those endowments helped over 300 students tackle the financial costs of higher education. Altogether, we’ve invested nearly $12 million in 29 institutions to address educational inequities and support career pipeline opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. Going forward, we are working to help create educational pathways for young graduates and professionals that lead to entrepreneurship, creative and dynamic careers.
We are not going to achieve our societal ambitions alone. These strategies and practices ensure that we invest in culturally relevant and impactful programs, building capacity to support the long-term success of our communities, our consumers, and our business. We know that there will always be an opportunity for improvement, and we won’t always get it right the first time, but we are committed to learning and growing on the path to excellence.
Stephanie Childs
Stephanie Childs is Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations, Diageo North America, a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer. In her role, she is part of the executive leadership team of Diageo’s market-leading North America business and supports a committed group of communications, government relations and social impact program professionals dedicated to making the world a better place. She sits on the Boards of the American Distilled Spirits Association, the British American Business Council and the Public Affairs Council, the leading professional development organization for corporate affairs experts. She is the executive sponsor of Diageo’s African American employee business resource group.
