Brown Forman : Named to the Seramount Inclusion Index; Recognized for Creating and Inclusive Workplace

Louisville, KY, August 11, 2021-Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media) unveiled its fifth annual Inclusion Index today. The Inclusion Index helps organizations understand trends and gaps in demographic representation, creates a road map to drive internal change, and identifies diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) solutions to close the gaps. Organizations provided data and were measured in three key areas: best practices in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of people from historically underrepresented groups-women, racial/ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people; inclusive corporate culture, including leadership accountability; and demographic diversity for women and racial/ethnic minorities. This year, questions on how organizations are addressing racism were included in the survey.

Brown-Forman Corporation was among the 44 organizations recognized for creating an inclusive workplace, receiving a 60 percent or higher score. This year, 193 organizations applied to participate in Seramount's 2021 Inclusion Index (formerly known as the Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index). Seven of those listed on the 2021 Inclusion Index are recognized for superior achievement as Pinnacle Inclusion Index companies, which is defined as those receiving an 80 percent or higher score. Twenty-seven of those listed on the 2021 Inclusion Index received a 70 percent or higher score, qualifying for a Leading Inclusion Index company. Completed applications were collected online from December 2020 through March 2021. Results reveal opportunities for all organizations to target their diversity and inclusion efforts for greater effectiveness.

'The need to address inclusion in the workplace continues to be a priority for corporate America,' says Katie Oertli Mooney, Vice President of Diversity Best Practices at Seramount. 'Progress has been made, but we must remain steadfast in our efforts. We are proud to recognize our Inclusion Index companies for their dedication and for putting in the necessary work to effect real, sustainable change.'

'When we create an inclusive culture - where we each take responsibility for the quality of our daily interactions - we can maximize our collective and individual potential and increase our productivity, creativity, and innovation,' says Ralph de Chabert, Brown-Forman's SVP, Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Global Community Relations Officer. 'I am grateful to work in a company where employees are actively engaged in building an environment where we can bring our best selves to work to do our best work. In the process, we are also doing our part, as global citizens, to create a better world.'

Key findings from the 2021 Seramount Inclusion Index are:

● Recruitment, retention and advancement: Eighty-one percent of index companies require diverse interview slates (compared with 45 percent of companies on the 2020 index), and 66 percent require diverse panels of interviewers. Ninety-two percent provide training for recruiters in cultural competency in interviewing. Seventy-five percent of index companies consider gender, race and ethnicity in succession planning (compared with 59 percent of the 2020 Index companies).

● Inclusive corporate culture: Ninety-five percent of companies conduct pay-equity audits (of those, 84 percent audit for both gender and race/ethnicity), and 88 percent set representation percentage goals (compared with 65 percent of the 2020 Index companies). Ninety-four percent hold managers accountable for DE&I during performance reviews. Fifty-seven percent of Inclusion Index companies compensate managers for DE&I results (compared with 42 percent of 2020 index companies). In the year since the murder of George Floyd, many companies across corporate America have pledged to address racism within their organization: Seventy-three percent of Index companies have conducted anti-racism training, 99 percent have had organized discussions on racism (and of those 99 percent, 97 percent involved senior leaders), and 86 percent held employee focus groups.

ABOUT SERAMOUNT
Seramount is a strategic professional-services firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Over four decades, partnering with some of the most iconic companies in the world, we've built a deep, data-driven understanding of the employee experience, which lays the groundwork for everything we do. Our comprehensive DE&I toolkit includes actionable research and insights, membership, strategic guidance and consulting, and inspiring events, meeting each client's needs no matter where they are on their journey, and guiding them along an ever-changing landscape. Seramount has empowered more than 450 organizations to realize the business benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion. Learn more at seramount.com.

ABOUT BROWN-FORMAN CORPORATION

For over 150 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Tennessee RTDs, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Apple, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire, Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, Finlandia, Korbel, el Jimador, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Coopers' Craft, Herradura, New Mix, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, Benriach, GlenDronach, Glenglassaugh, Slane, and Fords Gin. Brown-Forman's brands are supported by approximately 4,700 employees and sold in more than 170 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit https://www.brown-forman.com/.