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Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman scraps DEI policies
A leaked email suggests Brown-Forman has abandoned its corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Screenshots of an email on X (formerly Twitter), shared by right-wing commentator Robby Starbuck, show Brown-Forman wrote to employees on 21 August informing them the company was going to stop linking executive compensation to progress on DEI.
Brown-Forman launched its diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019. However, the DEI page on the Brown-Forman website no longer exists.
The Spirits Business has contacted Brown-Forman for a statement.
The company also said it would end its participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index survey.
In its email, Brown-Forman said: “We also believe that to better reach consumers from Louisville to London, from São Paulo to Sydney, and everywhere in between, we must include different perspectives and experiences in our decisions and ways of working.
“For these reasons, and more, we launched our diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019. Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States. With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognising the current environment in which we find ourselves.”
On Thursday (22 August), Eric Bloem, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s vice-president of programmes and corporate advocacy, issued a statement: “Robby Starbuck is so radical the Tennessee Republican party kicked him off the ballot. Companies should not be cowering to a random guy with zero business experience who is a political bully and election denier.
“These short-sighted decisions also have long-term consequences. Hastily abandoning efforts that ensure fair, safe and inclusive work environments for LGBTQ+ people based on manufactured outrage from MAGA bullies is bad business and leaves their employees and millions of LGBTQ+ allied customers behind.
“With nearly 30% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ+ and the community wielding US$1.4 trillion in spending power, retreating from these principles undermines both consumer trust and employee success.”
Inclusive work environment to continue at Brown-Forman
Brown-Forman’s email stated it launched a new strategic framework in January this year, which included “ensuring executive incentives and employee goals are tied to business performance”, and “removing our quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions”. Brown-Forman also said it would review “training programmes for consistency with an evolved strategy”.
The email continued: “More important, however, is what will not change. We will continue to foster an inclusive work environment where everyone is welcomed, respected, and able to bring their best self to work.
“We will continue to offer employee resource groups to all employees as a place for professional development, education, mentorship, and networking. And we will continue to reinforce our shared responsibility for building a global Brown-Forman team that reflects the many customers and geographies we serve.
“We know it will not be easy to navigate the road ahead, but please know our deep belief in, and respect for, each of you remains constant.”
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