Red Stripe has selected two of its female employees for participation in HEINEKEN’s global Women Interactive Network (WIN) Programme.

WIN is a 10-month-long global leadership development initiative to promote gender equity in leadership roles at HEINEKEN. It delivers structured development support and sponsorship for top-talent women by blending awareness of gender dynamics, authentic leadership, networking, coaching, influencing skills, honest conversations, buddying with male colleagues, and one-day shadowing an executive, as well as building and increasing confidence in our leaders to have positive conversations about career progression.

Building on the success of two initial pilot editions, where 40 per cent of participants achieved promotions, HEINEKEN has joined forces with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), to expand the programme to now encompass 100 participants from 36 nationalities.

The most recent staging commenced in September 2023 and will close in June 2024. 

Sherry Perrier, strategic business controller at Red Stripe and one of the two Jamaican participants, said: “The WIN programme has been truly transformative and inspiring for me. It’s an amazing experience connecting with other powerful leaders across HEINEKEN. I truly appreciated the one-week face-to-face training and coaching experience in Switzerland last year. Through the mentorship, coaching, and powerful content from the sessions, I believe I’m well equipped to be even more challenged to progress further within the company.”

“From the session, I’ve learned that leadership is the harmonious blend of direction and energy, a guiding principle that now shapes my approach. I’ve embraced more self-reflection on my purpose, contemplating my presence, acknowledging fears, and addressing concerns in my day-to-day journey. Additionally, I’ve adopted a commitment to excellence over perfectionism, recognising that perfectionism often leaves no room for imperfections and lacks compassion for mistakes. This shift has become a pivotal aspect of my ongoing development and daily approach,” she added. 

Perrier aspires to attain a position on the senior leadership team through her ongoing dedication and pursuit of professional growth.

Anjelica Holmes, trade marketing manager and second participant, said: “The programme has introduced more practical examples of people management – how to motivate and influence teams and manage difficult conversations. As a leader within the business, these skill sets are essential as trade marketing collaborates across different departments and stakeholders to deliver the commercial plans that drive business performance.”

“It has been the best leadership session I’ve participated in.  Seeing women worldwide in management positions experiencing similar challenges and how relatable our stories were was amazing. We bonded, learned from each other’s struggles, and became stronger and wiser than we went in. I look forward to Sherry and I continuing to grow in the programme as we embrace each lesson and continue striving to achieve our goals,” added Holmes. 

Homes has been an employee with the company for 13 years and desires to be in a more senior commercial leadership role.