Diageo North America's Perry Jones Named To The 2018 EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive List

NORWALK, Conn., May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EMpower, a professional membership organization dedicated to promoting ethnic minority inclusion, has named Perry Jones, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Distillation at Diageo North America, to its 2018 EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive List. Presented by the Financial Times (FT), The EMpower list celebrates senior level professionals who work actively to create an inclusive environment for ethnic minority employees.

Mr. Jones has extensive food and beverage industry experience in supply chain management, change management, procurement, supply planning, commercialization, and contract manufacturing. In addition to leading a significant increase in ethnic minority recruitment over the past year within his 1,000+ manufacturing workforce, Mr. Jones also promotes diversity and inclusion through involvement in the African Heritage Employees at Diageo (AHEAD) business resource group, and by serving on the Alabama Agriculture and Mechanical University Board of Trustees, Grambling State University School of Personal Development Board and the Grambling State National Alumni Board. Mr. Jones also volunteers his time as a mentor for women and ethnic minorities. 

"We are honored that EMpower has recognized Perry for his leadership and his commitment to working with our employees to develop a robust and diverse group of future leaders," said Alessandra Ginante, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Diageo North America. "Celebrating diversity and fostering an inclusive environment for everyone is at the core of Diageo's values."

Suki Sandhu, EMpower's CEO and Founder, said, "Our lists exist to drive the empowerment of ethnic minorities within business. Role modeling is fundamental to ensuring equality of opportunity and more inclusive workplace cultures. Those who have achieved personal success have a responsibility to inspire the next generation of ethnic minority leaders, and those featured on our lists are more than living up to it."

In March, Mr. Jones was recognized by Savoy magazine, a leading African-American business and lifestyle publication, as one of its 2018 "Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America."

Diageo has been an early and active supporter of equal rights of all people. Earlier this year, Diageo North America CEO Deirdre Mahlan joined more than 350 of her peers in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ Pledge for Diageo.  

The EMpower recognition is part of a growing list of honors Diageo has earned for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Additional recent honors include:

• 2018 – Diageo earned 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's Annual Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ Workplace Equality for the 10th consecutive year.
• 2018 – Diageo received the HRC Corporate Equality Award.
• 2018 – Diageo listed as a Top Company for Executive Women by National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) for the eighth time.
• 2017 – Diageo named on Diversity MBA's 2017 "50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership" list of the best places for women and diverse managers to work for the sixth consecutive year. 
• 2017 – Diageo named one of Working Mother Magazine's "100 Best Companies" for the ninth consecutive year.
• 2017 – Diageo listed on Great Place to Work® Top 25 Best Global Companies for fourth consecutive year.
• 2016 – Diageo named as one of the Best Places to Work for New Dads Report by Fatherly.

About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About EMpower
EMpower is a professional membership organization, helping corporate members drive greater ethnic minority inclusion at all levels of their organizations. Founded in 2017, it provides powerful network connections, helping businesses create diverse and representative workplace environments where everyone can succeed. EMpower is part of INvolve, an organization championing diversity and inclusion in business. The full 2018 EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive List can be found by clicking here.

For more information, visit https://www.out-standing.org/empower/.

Caroline Dennis, Diageo
203.247.3598

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SOURCE Diageo North America