Heineken USA has announced the launch of Behind the Label initiative designed to foster greater inclusion and diversity, and examine the lack of gender diversity across the alcoholic beverage industry.
While women have made gains in the beer, wine and spirits over the past decades, there is still opportunity to further level the playing field when it comes to gender diversity, particularly at the leadership levels. So the Heineken team in the US is kicking off the initiative with the release of Behind the Label: Gender Diversity and the Alcoholic Beverage Industry; a report examining how the industry has progressed on gender diversity to-date; as well as explore opportunities to improve and evolve.
CREATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The report leverages external diversity research and insights from women working across the three-tier system – from suppliers and distributors to retailers and associations – to identify the opportunities and challenges for greater inclusion. While these women are in different roles and at different levels of their careers, they all pointed to three distinct areas for improving gender diversity in the field: elevating recruitment efforts, diversifying work options and encouraging allyship.
“The beverage industry has always been focused on connecting people, but we often know very little about the different people and skillsets that must come together to bring us our favourite drinks,” stated Maggie Timoney, Chief Executive Officer of Heineken USA. “I’m very passionate about uniting as an industry to continue to celebrate the hard-working, creative minds in this field and ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. By doing so, we not only create a more innovative and inclusive industry; we also ensure that we’re connecting with the best and brightest of our future leaders.”
ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO ENTRY
Across the majority of interviews, recruitment stood out as a way to connect with a broader pool of talent than the field traditionally has in the past. Many of the women interviewed noted that while the beverage industry has done an excellent job advancing diversity when it comes to marketing its products, it has lagged in marketing career opportunities to top talent (and women) outside the industry. To do this, industry organisations must consider starting discussions with potential recruits earlier in their careers, and address the barriers to entry and growth that have traditionally kept women from advancing in the field.
The past year-and-a-half showed that even in a relationship-heavy industry like beverage, technology and other tools can be used to diversify work options and level the playing field for women. While assumptions about their ability to travel for work or after-hours networking may have played a role in hampering advancements in the past, now there is a better understanding of all the different ways people in the field can still connect and succeed.
MORE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Through the multi-year Behind the Label initiative, Heineken USA intends to both celebrate the myriad of talents that come together every day to bring consumers their favourite beverages and challenge the idea that the alcoholic beverage industry is only for certain types of people. By identifying the areas that will have the most impact on diversity in the industry – whether it be gender, race or ethnicity – the organisation aims to make it a more inclusive environment for its own workers and others.
The launch of Behind the Label: Gender Diversity and the Alcoholic Beverage Industry also supports Heineken’s global Brew a Better World framework, which raises the bar with a new set of commitments aimed at creating a positive impact on the environment, social sustainability, and the responsible consumption of alcohol by 2030. Globally, Heineken is aiming to improve gender balance across senior management roles to achieve 30% of female representation by 2025 and 40% by 2030.
Sign up for our newsletter
