Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

A two-year DE&I strategy was launched in January 2024 underpinned by three priorities:

Priority 1: Champion gender diversity with an ambition to achieve 30% representation of women in senior leadership roles by 2026

This has been achieved within the first year with 44% of senior leaders being female at the end of FY2025. We have introduced more diverse hiring panels, gender-balanced shortlists where possible and have implemented training for more than 60 hiring managers with a focus on unconscious bias to ensure a fair and objective valuation of candidates.

Priority 2: Champion employment opportunities for people with underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds by providing employment opportunities at C&C by the end of 2026

Through partnering with the Big Issue, by the end of FY2025 we had hired 19 colleagues across our depot network. Further Big Issue recruitment will be rolled out across other depots in FY2026.

Priority 3: Create opportunities for all employees to fulfil their potential and take responsibility for their careers

We had a successful year in the talent development space, and recognise there is still more to do.

Human Rights

C&C is committed to doing business with respect for human rights and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to guarantee that human rights are not being breached.

The Group has in place the following policies and procedures in respect of this commitment:

• An Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy which outlines our zero-tolerance approach to bribery.

• A Sustainable and Ethical Procurement Policy which the Group is in the process of refreshing.

• The Group’s overall commitment to safeguarding human rights is set out in the C&C Group plc Code of Conduct, which all employees and business units are required to apply. The Code states that C&C Group does not tolerate forced, bonded or involuntary labour.

• During this financial year, the Group introduced a Human Rights Policy which complements the Code, which again outlines that we categorically reject forced and compulsory labour in any form.

• We also have in place a Whistleblowing Policy and associated app which allows individuals to speak up about any concerns they may have on a confidential basis.

The Group is committed to ensuring that:

• We supply high quality products that are sourced and manufactured in a fair, ethical and environmentally responsible way.

• We have a zero-tolerance approach towards modern slavery and human trafficking within our business, including our manufacturing and supply chain.

• Our workers are encouraged to report any concerns they may have, and management is required to act upon them.

Employee Engagement Tracking

We received an excellent response rate to our Employee Engagement survey in November 2024 at 82% (an increase from 78% in FY2024), which demonstrates how keen our colleagues are to share their views with us. We received over 14,070 free text comments and saw improvements in five out of 17 drivers of engagement. As a result of colleague feedback, we set up action planning initiatives focusing on the areas most important to our colleagues within each function and are monitoring progress and feedback on an ongoing basis.

During the year we held 17 Executive-led listening sessions with 480 colleagues to capture feedback and insights from colleagues around our business to inform the Executive and Board strategy sessions in the autumn. The less formal nature of the sessions and use of an audience interaction platform, Slido, provided an additional lens on employee engagement, and was very well-received by colleagues. We were particularly pleased to hear colleagues are proud of C&C’s unique People, Brands and Heritage.

Our Designated Employee Non-Executive Directors, Chris Browne and Sarah Newbitt, hosted eight listening sessions to bring colleagues’ voices into the Boardroom. These have been valuable sessions highlighting where the action planning and improvements are making a difference, as well as areas where there is still further to do.