As a creative brand with teams in 32 countries and territories across the globe comprised of more than 120 nationalities, we believe that our people’s diversity of skills, backgrounds and life experiences help us to drive innovation within our business and be more creative in everything we do.
We have set out global standards for how we can foster an inclusive environment in our Global Diversity and Inclusion Policy, ensuring we are creating a culture that will minimise barriers and create more moments for colleagues to feel represented, listened to and celebrated throughout our business. We review our Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy annually and continue to work with external organisations to ensure inclusive practices and procedures are upheld across Burberry, that we exercise fairness and that people with disabilities are equally considered.
Our policy is supported by our global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy, which underscores our commitment to living Burberry’s values and is underpinned by our belief that everyone at Burberry is responsible for bringing this commitment to life.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion also extends beyond Burberry. We champion and advocate for changemakers, organisations and initiatives that have a meaningful impact on underrepresented communities. We believe it is important to celebrate diversity in our campaigns and shows, and we have measures in place to ensure we assemble casts that are representative of our customers and communities.
The principles of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy are woven into our global colleague journey, from fostering an open and inclusive culture, to investing in global education programmes which encourage our people to be curious and challenge behaviours. In 2024 we launched the next iteration of our DE&I strategy with a renewed focus on three key areas, including:
As we continue to enact our strategy, we recognise the importance of continually listening to colleagues and ensuring that we are aware of both their views and those of the world around us. By listening to, valuing and amplifying the voices of colleagues around the world, we ensure Burberry reflects the rich diversity of our people, our customers and our communities, and fosters a culture of true inclusion and belonging.
To support this, in FY 2024/25 we launched our B:Heard Listening Strategy to offer multiple avenues for our leaders and colleagues to engage in open and honest dialogue. With a prominent colleague and customer base in Asia, we also launched a dedicated Asia Council, comprising 17 colleagues from across the continent. The Council’s focus has been to share the scope and insights of what matters most in the region from a diversity, equity and inclusion perspective, and to explore how we can evolve our strategy to better support local needs, with cultural nuances in mind.
Further to this, we also continued to work closely with our global network of Employee Resource Groups to raise awareness and champion inclusion.
Alongside our colleagues, we ensure that we also garner insights and have an external lens on both our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy and wider Burberry initiatives by consulting our Cultural Advisory Council.
The council comprises thought leaders from a range of backgrounds across the globe and meets with the Burberry team throughout the year to challenge our way of thinking and play an active role in advising on how we can best activate and evolve our approach to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The council’s involvement includes roundtable discussions with members of the Executive Committee, providing external advice and context for individual policies as well as engaging with our internal teams on set initiatives. To date, the members have helped to advise on a range of initiatives, from helping us to embed a global education strategy to raising awareness of psychological safety and the connection between mental health and inclusive environments.
