About Us
Our Businesses
Investors
Responsibility
Media
About Us
Our Businesses
Investors
Responsibility
Media
We thrive as a group through the breadth of perspectives, opinions and ideas that diversity brings, and inclusion is intrinsic to our values.
We believe everyone has the right to belong and to be heard, respected and supported, free to develop their careers subject only to their ambition and talent.
We focus on equity because not everyone starts with the same advantages when it comes to maximising their workplace potential.
We aim to break down barriers to talent. Welcoming and developing people whatever their unique characteristics and irrespective of their ethnicity or race, religion, gender, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability or socioeconomic background.
Our businesses benefit by embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). We want to attract a wide pool of talent and be an employer that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
DEI activities across the Group are underpinned by the ethos ‘no barriers to talent’. We bring together people to share knowledge, best practices and ideas to develop and maintain inclusive cultures.
Given our diversified operating model, networks amongst employees play a crucial role in our peoples’ development and performance. Over the years we have raised awareness, trained and educated our people about the power of networks. We want to ensure everyone can access the network they need.
The starting point for creating more inclusive workplaces is giving leaders and line managers the skills they need to set the tone, act as role models for appropriate behaviour and put in place targeted campaigns relevant to local circumstances. This training and support is in place across our businesses.
Our Group DEI network brings together our people to share knowledge and understand internal and external best practice, with the aim of accelerating local plans, harnessing synergies and actions. This network approach has been taken up across the Group, with local networks up and running in George Weston Foods, British Sugar and our UK Grocery businesses to drive local strategies, plans and actions.
We provide tailored support for our DEI advocates across the Group. Offering a series of masterclasses and self-study kits across a range of relevant DEI topics to deepen understanding, provoke thinking and stimulate curiosity to learn more. We also highlight the importance of diversity in the workplace and actions that could help to remove potential barriers.
Many of our businesses have been collaborating with each other or external partners and charities to ensure that a diverse range of people know ABF is a place they can succeed. With initiatives such as providing workplace experience for those with learning difficulties or providing educational support programmes or apprenticeships to promote social mobility.
Our Early Careers Network has developed organically over the last few years supporting those in their first decade of work. With the aim of building wider business understanding, sharing career advice and developing new skills this network has heard from a variety of speakers and senior leaders across the Group on topics such as networks, sustainability, and international careers.
Our well-established ‘Women in ABF’ network runs international events and delivers tailored support through its global and regional groups. Aiming to support women's professional and career development in their current business for roles across the Group.
Many of our businesses have improved understanding of the menopause and its impact on women at work. We provide all our businesses with access to a range of resources and support materials to educate our people and managers, to support their careers through this time.
We have work to do to remove all barriers to talent. We continue to look for and act on opportunities to improve the way we work and support all our colleagues’ development and progression.
Our businesses are driving change through targeted programmes including for women, for those with disabilities, for those from ethnic minorities and for those who identify as LGBTQIA+.
