Diageo North America Wins Corporate Equality Award From Human Rights Campaign

NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo North America, a global leader in beverage alcohol, announced that it will receive the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Award at the 2018 HRC Greater New York Gala on Saturday, February 3, 2018. Diageo will be honored for its work related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality.

Consistently recognized as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ employees, Diageo earned a perfect score on the HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality Index last November, for the tenth consecutive year.

"Core to Diageo's values is inclusion. For our business to thrive and realize its ambitions, we depend on diverse talent," said Deirdre Mahlan, President, Diageo, North America. "This range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries where we operate means we can better understand and serve the communities in which we live and work. At Diageo, we believe in celebrating life every day, everywhere and for everyone."

Diageo has been an early and active supporter of equal rights of all people, and was recently one of 76 major companies representing 1.1 million workers to sign the Human Rights Campaign's amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. Additionally, Diageo's individual brands continually advocate for the LGBTQ community, most prominently Smirnoff™ Vodka, which has supported equality and love in all its forms for several decades, and last year launched its limited edition "Love Wins" bottle packaging, which donated $1 per bottle made to the HRC.

At the Gala, Diageo products will be served, with Smirnoff specialty cocktails highlighted throughout the night. Bulleit® Frontier Whiskey will be serving specialty cocktails at the after party.

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

• Diageo included in the 2018 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index
• 100 percent score on HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality Index for 10^th consecutive year
• 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
• Working Mother Magazine's "100 Best Companies" for the ninth consecutive year
• Best Places to Work for New Dads Report by Fatherly (2016)
• Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by National Association of Female Executives (NAFE): (2010, 2012-2017)
• Great Place to Work® Top 25 Best Global Companies (2014-2017)

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.

Andrew Turner, Diageo
203.229.4339

SOURCE Diageo North America

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