D&I with impact: Australian Vintage, Pernod Ricard and Moët Hennessy share their industry-leading initiatives
The Drinks Association’s Embrace Difference Council hosted an exclusive member-only webinar on Wednesday, 21 February, focusing on diversity and inclusion within the drinks industry.
Leaders from member companies of the Drinks Association, including
Natasha Dale, People and Culture Director, Australian Vintage; Christina Bridgeland, Human Resources Director, Moët Hennessy; and Samantha Clarke, Head of Talent and Capability, Pernod Ricard Winemakers, shared their insights into their acclaimed Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, particularly regarding encouraging parental leave, fostering an inclusive workplace culture, and promoting talented female leaders.
The session was moderated by
Rachel Wolfe, Director of Group Business Partnering at Treasury Wine Estates.
In her introduction to the audience, Wolfe said: “When it comes to inclusion, equity and diversity, we are all learners. There's no one who's really an expert in this space. Everyone is an expert in their own lived experience, but in a lot of instances, we're actually in organisations doing things for the first time or trying things out and testing to see things how they work.”
“Today is a great opportunity for us to share and learn because it's the one area where we actually don't need to compete. That sense of a high tide can float all boats. Any advancement that we can make and share with everybody else will actually make things better for everyone,” she added.
Following Wolfe's introduction,
Sarah Abbott, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at Lion, emphasised the importance of the Contribution to Industry Awards that are celebrated every year at the Australian Drinks Awards. She explained how they symbolised the industry’s commitment to fairness, continuous improvement, and dedication to shaping a bright and promising future as a career destination of choice.
Abbott said: “Today, we are fortunate to hear from three fantastic leaders from Australian Vintage, Moët Hennessy, and Pernod Ricard Winemakers. All of these companies were recognised for their outstanding award submissions, and I can’t wait for them to share more about the transformative initiatives they have implemented.”
Before hearing about the industry-leading initiatives,
Alicia Partridge, Talent and Capability Partner at Pernod Ricard Winemakers took the opportunity to provide a brief overview of the Drinks Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Report that would be available to member companies following the webinar.
“Members will find top tips, real-life member examples and links to additional resources to help you develop your own documents and strategies which are focused on generating energy and commitment for diversity and inclusion in the drinks industry,” said Partridge.
Natasha Dale on Australian Vintage’s approach to promoting gender equity
The webinar’s first presenter, Natasha Dale, outlined the steps taken by Australian Vintage to foster inclusion, starting with leadership buy-in and the development of an ambitious people strategy.
The company has implemented policies and benefits, including generous parental leave, flexible work arrangements e.g. ‘work from anywhere’, and even ‘Summer Fridays’, to support employees in managing work-life balance and reducing stress.
“What has really allowed these policies to work and thrive, is not only autonomy and trust within teams, but being really outputs driven. We've seen a shift over the years from our leaders to focus much more on the outputs and performance of employees, rather than the time that employees are actually at their desks,” said Dale.
She believes that having these benefits and policies in place has helped the company drive gender diversity in the workplace and helped attract and retain senior females within the business.
Australian Vintage was the winner of the Most Improved Gender Equity Award at the 2023 Australian Drinks Awards.
Samantha Clarke on Pernod Ricard encouraging men to embrace active fatherhood
In her address to the audience, Samantha Clarke discussed how Pernod Ricard recognised the need to support both males and females with flexible work and parental leave opportunities. The journey began with an analysis revealing only 4% of males taking primary parental leave, leading to policy improvements.
She shared the company’s "The Conversation Doesn't Stop at Congratulations" campaign, which was designed to encourage deeper discussions around parental leave and challenging assumptions. This initiative, coupled with efforts like an International Men's Day panel and a podcast, aimed to destigmatise male parental leave. Pernod also implemented a comprehensive parental leave support guide and established a centralised hub for parenting information.
“What we found through all of this, was an uplift and increase in the number of males taking parental leave of 25%. So we went from 4% to that 25%. In addition to the parental leave piece, flexibility is also a key component. It's about providing flexible working options that can suit the different situations that people are facing, and that really underpins our D&! strategy as well.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers was presented with the Inclusive & Diverse Workplace Award at the 2023 Australian Drinks Awards.
Christina Bridgeland on Moët Hennessey’s commitment to supporting female talent
Christina Bridgeland shared details about Moët Hennessy's MH Elevate program, launched three years ago. The program is a female leadership initiative focused on executive advocacy and confidence-building. Incorporating learning labs, coaching clinics, and mentoring sessions, the program enhances personal branding and influencing skills.
“MH Elevate is a female leadership program that was created because we wanted to build a female leadership pipeline and move some of our female leaders into managerial and executive positions,” said Bridgeland.
She highlighted the program’s success in fostering connections, achieving high retention, and promoting nine out of 16 participants. Positive feedback underscores the program's impact on vulnerability, connection, and authenticity.
The success of the MH Elevate program has led to its expansion across Asia Pacific.
“This program will continue to run across Australia and New Zealand, but we're really excited that as of next week for International Women's Day, we’ll be running a separate program in Asia because of the success that we've seen in Australia in New Zealand. We're just about to kick off the 2024 program, and we know it will be a huge success as the previous three years have been.”
Moët Hennessy was a finalist for the Most Improved Gender Equity Award at the 2023 Australian Drinks Awards.
You can access the recording of the webinar to share with your colleagues.
Member companies of the Drinks Association can access the 2023 Diversity & Inclusion Report here.