Spirits giant Diageo has announced two new scholarships, in partnership with Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, to encourage female students to take up careers in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The scholarships will be provided to two female candidates pursuing a BSc in brewing and distilling, and one mechanical engineering student.
It will include paid internships, mentoring from senior women in Diageo's manufacturing business, and funding for the duration of the degrees.
The spirits company aims to run the scholarship program for the next three years.
Building Future Workforce
Chief human resources officer at Diageo, Mairéad Nayager, said, “We aim to be the best employer for women in the UK and are actively working to ensure we have a strong pipeline of female talent, across the broad variety of roles in our business.”
Overall, women make up 40% of Diageo’s global executive committee, and currently, hold 34% of leadership roles in the organisation.
Diageo was recently ranked first in the UK in Equileap’s Gender Equality Ranking, and the fourth most diverse and Inclusive workplace globally by the Thomson Reuters Diversity & Inclusion Index 2018.
Gender Pay Gap Report
According to Diageo’s gender pay gap report, the median pay gap for Diageo employees across all legal entities in Great Britain and Scotland improved to +5.4% this year from +8.6% in 2017.
In Diageo Great Britain, a median gender pay gap of -12.6% was recorded this year.
According to the company, it reflects the progress made in developing, promoting and recruiting female talent into more senior roles within the organisation.
In Diageo Scotland’s 24/7 manufacturing business, a median pay gap of +18.0% (2017: +16.7%) was observed for the year.
It has been attributed to a reduction in the number of women opting for shift allowances for odd hours, and the roles being subsequently filled by men.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
