A Passion for Progress

By Bill Newlands, President & Chief Executive Officer

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting with the global leaders of our Business Resource Groups (BRGs) who shared recommendations with our Executive Management Committee designed to build further momentum for our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) program at Constellation Brands. We remain committed to fostering a work environment where:

…ALL employees feel truly welcome, valued and respected;

…ALL employees feel they can reach their full potential; and

…ALL employees feel they can bring their full selves to work every day.

We’ve made significant strides over the past several years due in large part to the engagement and support of the talented, hard-working team members who comprise our BRGs. Their continued passion and dedication for D&I is truly inspiring and I’m extremely proud of the strides we’ve made as a result of their efforts. If any of you are reading this, let me once again say THANK YOU.

One thing I value about our team is their relentless focus on continuous improvement. We all acknowledge that while we’ve made substantial progress over the years, much work remains to achieve our D&I ambitions. As we look to the future, we have a tremendous opportunity to more fully leverage the diverse capabilities and perspectives within our organization to make meaningful and sustained progress along our journey. Ultimately, this process starts with ensuring the right level of focus and support for D&I efforts across our senior leadership team.

To that end, Mike McGrew (EVP, Chief Communications & CSR Officer, and a member of our Executive Management Committee) will assume expanded responsibilities as our Chief Diversity Officer. He succeeds Kris Carey, who will continue to lead HR for our Beer Division. We thank Kris for her dedication and excellent work in this very important area as she has pushed for the progress to get us to where we are today. Mike also has a true passion for diversity and inclusion and he has taken an active role through his support as an Executive Sponsor of AASCEND (our African American BRG), providing mentorship to a number of D&I leads across our business, and actively engaging in a variety of D&I initiatives.

For 75 years, we’ve proven to be a company made of passionate, talented people who relentlessly work together to raise the bar and deliver what’s next. I want to thank the thousands of Constellation Brands team members around the globe who have engaged in this process, made their voices heard, shared their experiences, and helped us turn words into meaningful action benefitting our company, business partners and communities. I look forward to working with Mike and the rest of the team to continuing building a culture and future that’s truly Worth Reaching For.