Diageo named top company for executive women

Diageo North America has been named one of the 2017 “Top 60 Companies for Executive Women” by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE).

NAFE is one of the country’s largest associations for female professionals and releases the list annually to recognise 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 (pictured right). “We are focused on ensuring we have diversity in our leadership, and we are proud to say that more than 35% of our Board is female and our Executive Committee is 38% 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 subsidises 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 mums 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 counselling 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 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 US 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 1000 employees, two women on the Board of Directors and be a public or private company.

“NAFE emphasises women with bottom-line and top-line responsibility—the positions that lead to the corner office—and we’re pleased to report an *% 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.