The Embrace Difference Council, under the leadership of new Chair, Sarah Abbott from Lion, has set out a reinvigorated three-year roadmap. It promises to move beyond awareness and into meaningful, measurable action across the drinks industry. At a recent all-member strategy session, workstream leads from across the council shared their plans for the next three years, outlining a coordinated effort to make the drinks industry a more respectful, inclusive and equitable place to work.
One goal, four streams
The council's overarching purpose remains constant – to position the drinks industry as a career destination of choice by raising awareness, challenging perceptions, and implementing strategies to attract, develop and retain diverse talent. This is done by fostering a respectful drinks industry where all members, suppliers, and customers are treated with dignity, equality, and fairness. That work is delivered through four distinct but connected workstreams: Insights, Gender Equity, Pride in Drinks and Inclusion.
Insights
The Insights workstream underpins the credibility of everything the council does. Led by Vinarchy’s Alicia Partridge, the team is responsible for the annual Diversity and Inclusion Report, expanding the reach of the Respect in Drinks Charter and providing the evidence base that shapes decisions across all four streams.
This year, the team is also expanding its survey to incorporate new data points, including questions providing greater insights into DEI commitment and external benchmarking tools such as the Australian Workplace Equality Index. The goal is a report that not only reflects member progress, but gives the broader industry something to measure itself against.
Gender Equity
The Gender Equity workstream has re-energised around a clear purpose: improving the attraction, retention and progression of women in the drinks industry, particularly in underrepresented roles like commercial sales and manufacturing.
With new Chair, Bacardi’s Jade Hunter, at the helm, their 2026 plan is structured around three pillars. The first focuses on awareness and education, including a 'Women in Drinks: Back to Basics' content series that tackles the why behind gender equity and highlights non-linear career paths into the industry. The second centres on flagship moments, including International Women's Day and International Men's Day, with the latter evolving to offer member companies practical, lift-and-shift toolkits for internal events focused on men's health and wellbeing. The third pillar addresses enabling member action: a women-focused recruitment best-practice kit covering inclusive job advertising, interview guidance, and candidate attraction strategies.
Pride in Drinks
Now entering its fourth year, Pride in Drinks is a workstream that clearly knows who it is and where it's going. Co-led by Jamila Diamanon from Diageo and Ruben Da Silva from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, the group has restructured around three focused pillars – Connect, Educate, and Inspire – each drawing on the genuine passions and expertise of its members.
In 2026, the network is building on a strong foundation of events, including Mardi Gras activations, a national Pride Month celebration and virtual webinars that invite broader participation across Australia. The focus ahead is on expanding beyond Sydney and Melbourne, growing the education toolkit for member companies without established rainbow networks and amplifying the personal stories that spark real change.
Inclusion
The Inclusion workstream is venturing into new and important terrain. Under the leadership of James Kelly from Coles Liquor, the team is focusing on two emerging topics: neurodiversity in the workplace and multi-generational engagement. These are areas that matter deeply to people across the industry but don't yet get the airtime they deserve.
A national webinar series and state-based activation strategy will ensure these conversations reach beyond head offices and into production facilities, supply chain teams and regional locations.
What comes next
The 2026–2028 strategy is ambitious but it's built on real momentum. Key to progress is that people are committed, the work is connected and the drinks industry is moving, together, toward something better.