Since the formation of the first Women in drinks Board earlier in March, Board members have been working closely to build an agreed Charter for the body. The newly formalised Charter will set the Women in drinks’ Purpose, Vision, Objectives and annual calendar.

The Women in drinks community was founded in 2012 by the drinks association (publisher of drinks bulletin) to create a community among women working within the industry to help with personal and professional development.

In the last few years, the annual Women in drinks lunch has helped bring together the community, attracting over 300 women each year, as well as a growing database of 4,200 women. In response to the growth of the community, the new annual calendar, part of the Charter, looks to bring together Women in drinks at a number of additional small dinners over the year. The dinners, named Dinner for 8, will create several opportunities each year for Women in drinks to network and discuss key subject areas in addition and outside of the Women in drinks lunch. Invitees to Dinner for 8 will be nominated from the 27 participating organisations within the drinks association and selected by nominated organisation representatives/Women in drinks Board members.

The Women in drinks Board is aiming to host eight Dinner for 8 events by the end of 2015, one of the objectives set by the Charter for the year. The second Objective of the Charter includes developing the Dinner for 8 events into bi-monthly working groups. The working groups will also look to provide further networking opportunities, as well as opportunity for Women in drinks to discuss key subjects as set by the Board. The Board is aiming to engage 12 working groups prior to the Women in drinks lunch in March 2016.

The final Objective of the Charter will be to develop the communication between the Board and Women in drinks community. The Women in drinks Board will begin working on content that will be sent to the Women in drinks database each month and shared on Linkedin, in addition to posting from Women in drinks working groups and continuing to develop the community’s calendar.

In addition to the above Objectives, the Charter also outlines Women in drinks’ Purpose, identifying three key areas that the community aims to deliver: 1) to create an environment where women achieve a positive impact in the drinks industry; 2) to attract, retain and engage talent within the drinks industry; and 3) to create a community that drives support and collaboration for each other. While the Vision of Women in drinks will aim to embody – “Inspire, Support and Educate.”

The Board will be working closely together over the coming months to meet the Objectives of the Charter in 2015 and to align the community with the Women in drinks Purpose and Vision, which it says it believes will continue to grow more attraction from women in the industry and an environment in which women can achieve a positive impact.

 

To view the full Women in drinks Charter, click here.