Introduction: Diageo Global Travel, Commercial Director APAC, MENA and India Sandra Tassilly is no stranger to breaking glass ceilings, particularly in the traditionally male dominated world of spirits. In this column, Tassilly talks about the dual themes of International Women’s Day — #EmbraceEquity and #DigitALL — and how the spirits category can transform to become more inclusive, diverse and empowering for women from all walks of life.
This year’s International Women’s Day has dual themes, #EmbraceEquity and #DigitALL. The one building ownership and share of voice, the other innovation and technology for gender equality. Both resonate strongly with the global Diageo business, where, as employees and through our brands we want to champion change that will build a more inclusive and diverse world – representative of all those who buy our brands.
If I was to focus on one theme which has real power and which is pertinent to travel retail just now, it would be digital progression. Increased digitisation across all our activations is (and has been) a driver of connectivity and reach, and something we believe can be an engine for transformation within the travel industry.
Embracing innovation in digital technology facilitates gender equality in sales and marketing, in career progression, in access, reach and information. I also hope that it is creating new scope in roles and leadership development for women in travel retail.
At Diageo we believe that supporting employees to bring their best selves to work, supporting them through bereavement, loss, illness and key moments in life like parenthood makes for more engaged, empowered and inspired employees. This ultimately translates to incredible campaigns and activations for our brands worldwide.
This diversity within our work and workforce ensures that women from all walks of life are included in the conversation, in our planning and marketing. Women from different ethnic, racial, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds face unique challenges and obstacles in their daily lives, and it’s essential to acknowledge and address these differences to promote true equality. In travel retail, we are not one market but the whole world in transit and so diversity is inherent to us and has to drive and shape us. We are not one country or brand.
In many parts of the world, women from minority groups face obstacles in accessing education, healthcare, job opportunities let alone travel. By celebrating diversity and recognising the unique experiences of women in our work, our campaigns and recruitment we strive to overcome these obstacles and promote a more inclusive society.
Change and digital power
Through my ten years with Diageo, I’ve seen significant change. When I started, women were simply not considered a target audience for Scotch. None of the marketing campaigns targeted women.
Today, we are empowering women to explore Scotch of all kinds and this change has been supercharged through social media. Our recent Johnnie Walker partnership with Angel Chen (Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition Design 2023) is a great example of how we want to continue to empower women but also tangibly demonstrate the inclusivity of our brands working with female designers, artists, and influencers. And then amplifying all of this on digital platforms with far greater reach than a billboard or screen in one location.
There is no doubt there is much to do still, we don’t have all the solutions but can be spurred on by a body of more inclusive work and the digital tools which deliver scale and access.
Travel retail is all about exploring, discovering and this is why we have the scope and opportunity to do more.
Diageo’s global goal is to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership roles and increase representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to 45% by 2030. The Global Travel team is already just over 60% female and I am proud to have played a role in boosting the diversity of my teams.
At Diageo we empower every employee to take their own path creating a career for them. Giving women the power to step out of their comfort zone or to follow the road less travelled – not only does this enhance our business and the employee but it demonstrates to colleagues what can be achieved if we all work together as a truly diverse group.
Shaping the future of global travel retail
As a leader in travel retail, we have a role to also inspire our customers and peers to go on the same journey. I have seen numerous changes over the past ten years not only at Diageo but with our customers, with brand ambassadors, with product design and flavour, in marketing and more.
Our industry provides an opportunity to connect with consumers in depth – we have a unique retail space. Engaging with diverse audiences – helps us to grow as a business and establish a relationship with our customers that delivers profound engagement with our brands and the category. By doing so, we establish trust and open dialogue.
A platform like ‘What’s your whisky?’, available in store or online, opens Scotch up to all. The platform asks simple flavour questions to make a sometimes-inaccessible liquid with such heritage and myth more understandable and relatable, with the bespoke angle of finding your flavour profile. Our Johnnie Walker gifting studios are not designed to be ultra-exclusive and foreboding, but welcoming, open, inclusive and enticing to bring greater information and engagement around a luxurious liquid which does not have one type of drinker.
Embracing innovation and technology is all part of this journey to inclusivity. Creating omnichannel campaigns such as the Johnnie Walker Blue Label work for Lunar New Year 2023, makes our brands more accessible. Consumers are engaged throughout their journey, in a way that suits them – be it online or in person. This begins pre-travel with the opportunity to pre-order the bottle before their flight all the way to the point of purchase/collection where consumers can discover the flavours of the whisky at a product discovery area, sampling bar or gifting station.
I am energised by the progress we are making as a team, as a business and through our brands and campaigning. Digital technology is facilitating and enhancing our work and should be called out as an enabler. This International Women’s Day is a moment to recognise this as we strive towards gender balance. But, we need to think year-round about our work, attitudes, tone and approach.
Global travel is retail for the travelling world and should therefore be more reflective of that travelling consumer – which includes people from every background, colour and gender. Let’s do more with the many tools and strong ambition we have.✈
