The Vibes Sports Club at Red Stripe’s Spanish Town Road brewery was filled to capacity as female and male employees gathered to celebrate the launch of the the company’s first employee resource group (ERG) called Women Empowerment Through Collaboration Allyship and Networking (WE CAN). 

In an impassioned speech, Red Stripe Managing Director Luis Prata explained: “It is important we all understand why we are here. It’s not because it is fashionable or because of external pressure. We are here first because it is the right thing to do; everyone at Red Stripe must have the same chance at success regardless of gender. We want to create an equitable environment so every team member can achieve their full potential.”

Prata continued: “Secondly, providing equal opportunities for everyone at Red Stripe makes good business sense. A diverse group that accommodates differences of opinion ultimately leads to better decision-making and stronger business performance. The WE CAN ERG launch aligns with Red Stripe and HEINEKEN’s diversity and gender equality objectives. This initiative is not about arbitrarily filling predetermined quotas but creating an environment where women can organically ascend to any position without having to overcome additional obstacles.”

The ERG concept was created in the 1960s as employee-led initiatives that provide opportunities for diverse groups to engage personally and professionally and support each other. WE CAN will empower, develop and support female employees and allies of Red Stripe through initiatives, mentorship, advocacy and networking by creating a community for women to create a professional support group, broaden leadership skills and share ideas to promote an inclusive workplace.

As she addressed the audience, Simpson shared: “WE CAN will offer support and foster a sense of inclusion, which ties into HEINEKEN’s goal of championing a culture of belonging. Throughout this journey, we have been asked why we started a group specifically for women. Last year we conducted a survey which revealed that female employees experienced the business differently from their male counterparts. They had lower levels of engagement, reduced views on equal opportunities for promotions, and lower scores for respect and trust. These findings led us to focus on the key drivers of these sentiments and work towards an environment where all employees feel equally valued. WE CAN chose the symbol of the lotus flower, which represents strength, resilience and rebirth in many cultures; those are the characteristics that we want to ensure that Red Stripe can embody as a company.”

Red Stripe’s parent company, HEINEKEN began its global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) journey in 2018, which was fully implemented by Red Stripe in 2021. The group’s DEI goals include a global ambition for women in leadership to reach 30 per cent of women among senior managers in 2025 and 40 per cent by 2030. HEINEKEN has also committed to the goal of equal pay for equal work by 2023.

Attorney-at-Law and Transformational Coach Rochelle Cameron delivered a stirring and thought-provoking presentation as the event’s guest speaker.

Through inspiring personal stories and anecdotes, Cameron highlighted the need for women to show up, own their confidence, and take up space in the workplace. 

Cameron remarked: “My vision board has a section called sisterhood. As I studied how we grow as women in organisations, there is a necessity for sisterhood to have conversations and advocate together. No one woman can be everything; we often rely on our relationships and networks for opportunities and support; that is the importance of groups like WE CAN, which give us a space to be vulnerable and get the encouragement we need to keep going.

“When you consider growth and success, much of it does not have to do with how many degrees we acquire; it’s the relationships we build.”

She added: “When you think about your life and future, do you think about how phenomenal you want to be? Many of us are concerned with the views and opinions of others, so much so that it holds us back. We often fear stepping into our light, doing what our hearts want, and going after what we should because we fear what other people say.”

Cameron concluded: “People are entitled to their opinions, but their views are of no concern to you, and soon you realise that they don’t think about you much as they live their lives. Just like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, you need to be laser-focused on your goal and not on what is happening on the periphery. Sometimes we are afraid of being comfortable in our skin when it’s the only skin we have. We have to look these fears in the face and roar back. We must also examine the things that hold us back from stepping forward and the monsters we have made real. I am encouraging you to always be the best version of yourself.”