How would things change for women if we all made an active contribution? That’s the question that Jamila Diamonon, National Account Manager – On Premise (Events & Sponsorships), Diageo, and Katherine (Kitty) Johnstone, General Manager Northern and Eastern Region, Australian Liquor Marketers, explored at the Drinks Association’s 2026 International Women’s Day lunch.
With more than 400 people from across the industry in attendance, the premise was simple: the more we each give to the industry, the more we all gain as a result. Kitty and Jamila demonstrated this by sharing experiences from their own careers.
Reflecting on how the industry has changed
When Kitty first joined the industry more than 16 years ago, there weren’t any female sales directors, MDs or CEOs. She reflected that it was pleasing to see that the picture looks very different today. Women are increasingly represented in senior roles across the industry, with female CEOs, managing directors and sales leaders now visible across many organisations.
A key factor in Kitty’s own career progression was mentorship. Ten years ago, she joined the first cohort of the Women in Drinks mentoring program, now called the Inclusive Leadership Mentoring Program.
“I remember going to my manager at the time and saying that I wanted to be part of this program,” she shared. “At the time, I didn’t have any females in senior leadership roles that could mentor me.”
Through the program she gained access to networks, guidance and honest conversations about leadership. Her mentor challenged her to think about her next step and helped her prepare for future opportunities. It was an example, she said, of how powerful it can be when someone chooses to give their time, experience and belief to support someone else’s career.
The role of sponsorship and support
Jamila shared a similar experience, describing how both mentorship and sponsorship played an important role in her own journey.
When she first entered the industry, there were very few senior female leaders she could look to as role models. Building networks and finding advocates became essential as she navigated her early career.
“What really changed things for me and my career was having a true sponsor,” she explained. “This was somebody who would advocate for me, speak volumes about me when I wasn’t in a room, give me visibility and help me build my networks.”
Like many emerging leaders, she also faced moments of imposter syndrome when new opportunities arose. Mentors and colleagues encouraged her to step forward anyway, including when she was invited to take on the co-lead role of the Pride in Drinks Workstream. This support helped her recognise that leadership is not about having every answer. It is about being willing to show up, contribute and help others grow.
The leadership pipeline challenge
The industry has made progress. But challenges do remain, particularly when it comes to the pipeline of future leaders.
The most recent Diversity and Inclusion report shows that compared to 2019 the number of women being promoted within the industry has dropped by 8% and the number of women entering the industry has dropped by 2%.
“If we don't actually start nurturing our female talent pipeline, we're not going to see the statistics rise from women in senior leadership roles,” said Kitty.
Addressing this challenge requires collective responsibility. Creating opportunities for others is not something that sits solely with HR teams or executives. Every individual in the industry has the ability to support someone else through mentorship, advocacy, encouragement or simply sharing knowledge.
To bring that message to life, Kitty and Jamila invited everyone in the room to make a commitment about what they would give to others in the industry this year.
The results – captured through Mentimeter – showed that the most common responses were time, support, advocacy, encouragement, mentorship, sponsorship and visibility. Other important responses to call out include safety, allyship and respect.
“When we have 400 plus people in this room committing to this, we're actually going to make the change and create the actual commitment to action that we need to turn these statistics around,” said Kitty.
View the full image gallery of the Drinks Association's 2026 International Women's Day event.
Event photography by Belinda Rolland.