As the world comes together this International Women’s Day on March 8th to celebrate #BalanceforBetter Diageo has released a new series of candid interviews with employees from across its business. In each short film interviewees share the experiences, achievements and the challenges they’ve faced both in their professional and personal lives.
Diageo employs 30,000 people working across 180 countries and in producing these films, uncovered a diverse range of powerful stories. Interviewees include Diane Farrell, Senior Site Manager at Talisker Distillery who discusses women in the whisky industry, James Ashall CEO of Movement to Work reflecting on how taking parental leave changed his outlook, Hina Nagarajan, Managing Director, Africa Emerging Markets on being fearless and Preeti Arora Razda, Finance Director for Asia-Pacific on why women shouldn’t shy away from asking for what they want.
The series also includes an interview with Diageo’s Chief HR Officer Mairéad Nayager discussing what inclusion and diversity means to her.
Commenting on the video series, Mairéad Nayager, Chief HR Officer said, “These videos shine a spotlight on a diverse group of individuals doing very different jobs from around the globe. I’m proud to hear our employees talking honestly and openly about their personal and professional lives and through this series we hope to contribute to the discussion on why inclusion, diversity and of course balance is always better.”
2018 saw the inaugural release of Diageo’s International Women’s Day video series. The films depicted the individual stories of eight female employees, including our CMO Syl Saller and our Baileys Global Brand Director Gráinne Wafer amongst others. The series received an overwhelming level of support from both within Diageo and externally and served as the inspiration for this year’s edition.
Commenting on the 2019 theme of #balanceforbetter, Mairéad Nayager, continued:
“Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of ‘celebrating life every day everywhere‘. For us, ‘Balance for Better’ is also about being a great place to work for people of every background, experience and capability – from supporting and celebrating our LGBTQ+ employees and those of every ethnicity, thinking style and more.”
Watch this year’s full collection here.
Diane Farrell, Senior Site Manager, Talisker Distillery
Meet our Senior Site Manager at the Talisker Distillery, Diane Farell.
Watch her video here.
“I think the biggest obstacle is self-doubt. But it’s about recognising those inner voices, stopping them and turning them on their head so you just see the positives.”
Watch Diane talk about how her ambition and work ethic combined with her family’s support have enabled her to overcome her self-doubt and run our Talisker distillery.
Preeti Arora Razdan, Finance Director for Asia Pacific (pictured)
Meet our Finance Director for Asia Pacific, Preeti Arora Razdan.
Watch her video here.
“My mentor once told me that you can’t be a perfect mum every day and you can’t be a perfect employee everyday – that gives me a lot of freedom.”
Watch Preeti talk about how she balances her work life with her family life and the importance of women in the workplace.
Mairéad Nayager, Chief Human Resources Officer
Meet our Chief HR Officer, Mairéad Nayager.
Watch her video here.
“There are a whole load of assumptions that people make about women or diverse groups when in fact we are all individual, we all have ambitions and we all have lives outside of work.”
Watch Mairéad talk about the variety her role offers and how she feels becoming a mother is her greatest achievement to date.
James Ashall, CEO Movement to Work
Meet our CEO of Movement to Work, James Ashall.
Watch his video here.
“I brought a different mindset into work after parental leave. When I came back social purpose was really important to me.”
Watch James talk about how he balanced his family life and his wife’s business venture with his work life, and how the experience ignited his desire to help young people develop their careers.
Sara De Pablos, Iberia Country Director
Meet our Country Director for Iberia, Sara De Pablos.
Watch her video here.
“Over time I have realised that the value I can bring is by being myself, by being a woman and by having a completely different way of thinking, a completely different mindset.”
Watch Sara talk about the experiences that have shaped who she is, both professionally and personally.
Claudia Schubert, President, US Spirits & Canada
Meet our President for US Spirits and Canada, Claudia Schubert.
Watch her video here.
“If you surround yourself with different perspectives and different people, then the questions that they will ask will be so much richer.”
Watch Claudia discuss how her upbringing in East Germany has influenced her life and how her grandmother was her biggest role model.
Melissa Yorke, On-Trade Sales Director, Diageo Great Britain
Meet our On-Trade Sales Director of Diageo GB, Melissa Yorke.
Watch her video here.
“Know what you bring, endorse your own strengths and don’t always focus on the stuff you’re not great at.”
Watch Melissa talk about how she got to where she is today and what she learned from her role models, her mum and her grandmother.
Francis Theuri, Data & Analytics and Commercial Transition Lead
Meet our Data & Analytics and Commercial Transition Lead, Francis Theuri.
Watch his video here.
“The fact that you are accepted – irrespective of what you look like, where you come from, how you sound, what you think – you’re included.”
Watch Francis discuss his journey from Nairobi to the UK, his experience of coming out and how his best piece of advice is to never deny who you are.
Hina Nagarajan, Managing Director, Africa Emerging Markets
Meet our Managing Director for Africa Emerging Markets, Hina Nagarajan.
Watch her video here.
“Believe in yourself and have the confidence to express yourself without fear. Don’t be hesitant to try; be fearless.”
Watch Hina talk about the importance of family and how she has balanced her family life with her professional ambitions.
Apurvi Sheth, Managing Director, South East Asia
Meet our Managing Director for South East Asia, Apurvi Sheth.
Watch her video here.
“The most powerful trait that any woman should have, the ones that anyone should have, is confidence in yourself, in who you are, in your own strengths and a self-awareness of what’s holding you back and how you can liberate yourself.”
Watch Apurvi talk about what it’s like being a female entrepreneur and how she overcame barriers to have confidence in her position.
Lavanya Chandrashekar, Chief Financial Officer, North America
Meet our CFO for North America, Lavanya Chandrashekar.
Watch her video here.
“The most important thing is to allow women to be women in the workplace.”
Watch Lavanya talk about the important role her grandfather played in her life, and how she balances work life with family life.
Catriona Mackie, HR Director, Global Supply & International Supple Centre
Meet our HR Director for Global Supply & ISC, Catriona Mackie.
Watch her video here.
“Encourage more women to come into different industries, different kinds of jobs, that’s something that I’ve really been inspired by over the years.”
Watch Catriona talk about how she got to where she is today and the people in her life who have inspired her.
Pamela Scott, Global Operational Excellence Strategy and Standards Director
Meet our Global Operational Excellence Strategy and Standards Director, Pamela Scott.
Watch her video here.
“One thing that I tried to do is learn from the attributes that I admired in everybody around me, the richness that you get from different thinking styles, different backgrounds, male and female, ethnicity.”
Watch Pamela talk about her journey as a single working mum and the lessons she’s learned along the way.