Diageo celebrates Pride 2019
To celebrate London Pride 2019 Diageo’s Rainbow Network, our dedicated LGBT+ employee group, returned to the dedicated DRINKiQ stand in Trafalgar Square following the success of last year. A total of 30 volunteers from across the business provided information on responsible drinking and handed out sustainable cans of water over the course of the day.
Commenting on the day, Lucy Ann Burke, Co – Lead of the Rainbow Network said:
“London pride is a great opportunity for the Diageo Rainbow network to come together with support, not only from Diageo, but our colleagues, friends and family.
“Everyone pulls together to make a contribution to the LGBT+ community, support our DRINKiQ agenda and have fun! It’s a fantastic day and being there with a purpose makes it even more so.
"Seeing so many people across Pride enjoying our water, posing for photos and engaging with our responsible drinking agenda, makes us proud to work for a company that supports not only who we are but also our ideas and actions.”
In addition to our employees, our brands have been celebrating Pride, with Smirnoff partnering with the LGBT Foundation and Stonegate Pub Company as Pride takes place across the UK. The collaboration sees a donation of 50p from every Smirnoff Soda Smash sold at participating Stonegate venues during London Pride (6th July), Brighton Pride (3rd August), Leeds Pride (4th August) and Manchester Pride (24th August) donated to LGBT Foundation.
LGBT Foundation’s Village Angels and Soho Angels will also be out on the streets in all four cities on Pride days, proudly supported by Smirnoff.
To mark World Pride Month in June Diageo North America saw a whole host of celebrations take place over the course of the month to champion LGBTQ+ inclusivity. As part of this Smirnoff celebrated the brand's "Welcome Home" campaign and the ongoing fight for equality at the "House of Pride" pop-up event in Manhattan. The brand also took part in the NYC Pride March in June with a New York themed Smirnoff float.
At Diageo we are committed to championing inclusion throughout our business and beyond. We are proud members of Open for Business, an alliance of leading companies committed to supporting LGBT+ inclusion and are signatories of the UN Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business.