The Drinks Association's Pride in Drinks Industry Resource Group, established in 2022, continues to champion inclusion and diversity within the drinks industry. This group was created by a passionate team determined to drive awareness and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Image (back L-R): Celest Kenny (Pernod Ricard); Victoria Thyssing (TWE); Jamila Diamonon (Campari); Jac Rifkin (Coles Liquor); Claudio Spahiu (Campari); Zane Gibbs (Campari); Ruben Da Silva (CCEP); Allan Dib (Lion). Image (front L-R): Shanshan Liu (Brown-Forman); Sam Szwed (Asahi Beverages); Renee Hanick (Australian Vintage).
Pride In Drinks’ purpose is to be the leading body in the drinks industry for the Rainbow Community. The group strives to champion inclusion and diversity through education, advocacy, and awareness so that everyone can be their best and most authentic selves.
Last week, the Pride in Drinks Workstream gathered for their annual Strategy Workshop at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ (CCEP) office in North Sydney. The day was spent reflecting on a year of impactful achievements and setting priorities for the next three years, with the session facilitated by Co-Leads Ruben Da Silva from CCEP and Jamila Diamonon from Campari Group.
Following the workshop, Da Silva and Diamonon thanked the team, saying, “What a fantastic session! Thank you all for your hard work, passion, and energy. There were lots of great discussions, inputs, and ideas that will help shape our strategy for 2025–27. We are so excited about what we will achieve together in the future!”
The day began with a presentation from Stephanie Shedden, Insights Workstream Lead for the Drinks Association’s Embrace Difference Council. Shedden discussed how the Embrace Difference Council’s structure has evolved, enhancing engagement across the liquor industry and providing more connection opportunities. With its latest restructure, Pride in Drinks now has its own dedicated Workstream.
The session also featured guest speaker Susan Duffy, Head of Fundraising from the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (Australia’s longest-running HIV charity), who highlighted the foundation’s work in providing practical support for people living with HIV, enabling them to lead healthier lives thanks to modern treatments. Susan also highlighted the ongoing need for awareness, particularly among migrant communities, Western Sydney residents, First Nations people, and heterosexual women, as HIV transmission remains a pressing issue. The Pride in Drinks team participated in creating red ribbons in support of World AIDS Day on December 1.
Pictured above (L-R): Ruben Da Silva (CCEP and Pride in Drinks Co-Lead), Susan Duffy (Bobby Goldsmith), Jamila Diamonon (Campari and Pride in Drinks Co-Lead)
Other highlights of the day included Renee Hanick from Australian Vintage showing the team the newly created Pride in Drinks Governance document that will serve as a comprehensive guide for the group and also help to shape future Drinks Association Industry Resource Groups. The team also discussed a three-year plan that factored in events, communications and training.
Pride in Drinks - Key achievements for 2024
Pride in Drinks Virtual Event - February 2024
In this webinar hosted at Campari’s office in North Sydney, Sandra Gibbs, Group Chief Supply Chain Officer at Asahi Beverages; Amanda Lampe, Director of Corporate Relations at Diageo; and Sarah Abbott, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at Lion; shared their insights on the past, present, and future of Pride in Drinks.
Pride in Drinks Pride Month Networking Event - June 2024
Hosted at Diageo’s Sydney HQ Bar, the ‘Growing Together with Pride’ event fostered meaningful conversations, celebrated Pride in Drinks’ milestones, and acknowledged industry progress in inclusivity.
Pride in Drinks Virtual Event - September 2024
This special training session titled ‘How to be an active ally’ was led by guest speaker Nita Mannering, Relationship Manager at Pride in Diversity, who discussed the significance of being an active ally and offering insights on how the drinks industry can authentically support its Pride community.
The following companies are currently represented in the Pride In Drinks Industry Resource Group: Asahi Beverages, Australian Vintage, Brown-Forman, Campari, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Coles Liquor, Lion, Pernod Ricard and Treasury Wine Estates.
For more information on how you can establish your own Pride Employee Resource Group within your workplace, contact Kylie Le Lievre.
Pride in Drinks is the Embrace Difference Council's first Industry Resource Group.