We caught up with Lara, the European Diversity & Inclusion Manager for Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). She tells us about how Budweiser Brewing Group, a proud part of AB InBev, is creating an inclusive workplace, including the four key pillars set up by the D&I council, as well as offering her unique insights into how people are the drivers of change.
Tell us a bit about your role at Budweiser
I’m Lara, and I’m the Diversity and Inclusion Manager for Europe at AB InBev. My role is all about growing the D&I journey at the company and making sure it’s integrated into everything we do.
After graduating from Jacobs University Bremen with a degree in Integrated Social Sciences, I joined AB InBev through the Global Management Traineeship. Completing this, I moved functions to join the Trade Marketing team in Germany before moving to Brussels in 2019 to work in the Global HQ as the Talent & Development Manager. I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to move cross-functionally and also work in different regions, this experience has led me to my current role.
What does D&I look like at Budweiser?
At Budweiser Brewing Group, we aim to integrate D&I into the business strategy and ensure it’s evident in all aspects of the business. On our mission to do this, we set up a Diversity & Inclusion Council who focus on four key pillars, each led by a senior lead who’s passionate about driving positive change.
The four key pillars are:
- People and workplace – this workstream, led by our VP Finance, Alexandre Pouile, is dedicated to making sure our company reflects the diversity of our consumers and that there’s an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.
- Value chain – this workstream, led by VP Procurement & Sustainability, Erik Novaes, aims to ensure our D&I efforts are reflected throughout our full supplier value chain. We have a supplier diversity programme where we look to work with our suppliers and help them implement stronger D&I measures.
- Marketplace – this workstream is led by our Business Unit President for UK, Ireland, Spain & Canary Islands, Brian Perkins. It looks at making our world-leading brands agents of change in driving D&I through everything they do. We strive to create inclusive brands that have clear social causes that are highlighted through powerful consumer-facing campaigns.
- Communities – the final workstream focuses on engaging our communities and is about building strong strategic partnerships so we can build a positive presence. This is led by our VP of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Cybelle Buyck.
It’s our ambition to integrate D&I into our business strategy and ensure everybody takes ownership to champion an equitable workplace.
Do you have any specific initiatives focused on creating a more diverse workplace?
Yes, Budweiser has many ongoing initiatives attributed to each pillar so we can achieve a more diverse workplace. One of which is through forming strategic partnerships with organisations, like the one with Bright Network, to make sure we are throughout our value chain creating diverse routes into our workplace so that everyone can access a career at AB InBev. Activity here also includes a scholarship program for underprivileged students and apprenticeship opportunities.
Looking to the future, we have more plans to make the group a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Plans like our anti-harassment and anti-discrimination campaign aimed at ensuring our employees know we prioritise them and are here to support their needs.
One of the great things about our approach to D&I is that we listen to the voices of our employees and use their insights and needs to inform our direction. To do this, we have an annual ‘Engagement Survey’, in addition to a quarterly ‘Pulse Survey’ that measures specific indices including D&I. From this, we are able to measure, on an annual basis, where we are progressing, where our gaps are and how this varies between different demographics and locations. These insights are pivotal to driving our D&I plans as we can see which areas we must improve on and implement solutions to instil positive change.
Do you have any employee networks?
To drive forward our D&I agenda and help make our company a better place to work, we manage five Business Resource Groups (BRGs) at Budweiser Brewing Group that bring together employees from across the business:
- PROUD – Helping our LGBTQ+ colleagues to be themselves and feel supported by allies in the workplace
- D.U.E = Diversify. Unite. Empower – Driving equality throughout the business; providing a safe space for BAME colleagues
- Parents & Carers – To support those who have caring responsibilities
- Brew Crew – Celebrating the diversity of cultural identities within our teams; ensuring every person feels welcome and included at our company
- TogetHER – Supporting and celebrating women and those who identify as women at Budweiser Brewing Group; breaking the stereotype that women don’t belong in the beer
Each group has an executive sponsor from the management team which is brilliant as it allows them to not only work closely with the People Team but also with the business as a whole. The groups all work on initiatives they feel passionate about, for example, PROUD is motivated to educate people from across the business so one thing they encouraged was for people to include their pronouns in their email and Zoom names to create a more inclusive and open workplace.
Do you have plans, goals and objectives for D&I at Budweiser?
D&I is increasingly important not only to enable greater business performance but also to make sure we have a strong and engaged workforce. Our goal is to truly integrate D&I into our culture and business strategy - to achieve this our D&I council and our D&I statement are key. To accelerate change, our business leaders address D&I issues and take ownership for positive action within the group.
At Budweiser Brewing Group, we are on a journey. We don’t claim to be perfect but are positive that we are moving in the right direction towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce. Personally, I love seeing that people are demanding more equitable environments to work in where they can grow and feel valued. I think it’s imperative for people to know they have the power to change things, they are able to challenge the status quo and bring in new ideas to encourage progression in the D&I space.
Loved hearing from Lara about D&I at Budweiser Brewing Group? Find out more on their profile here.