SAB Miller's Sue Clark: Beer industry ‘no longer a boys’ club’

Writing in a blog post on International Women’s Day​, Clark pointed to a Campaign for Real Ale survey (whose membership is now 22% female) which showed the number of women trying real ale jumped from 14% to 34% in the three years leading up to 2015.

She also said figures show in the USA 21 to 34 year-old women account for 15% of craft consumers.

“Let me point out that gender diversity is about more than the quota of women we employ. It extends to the market we want to address, the products we offer and how we present our industry to the outside world- important issues to all of us concerned with the success of the beer category.”

However, Clark said there was still more work to be done, especially in the technical disciplines of brewing which ‘still lag behind commercial and support functions in their gender diversity.’

Pub companies used International Women’s Day to celebrate their female employees.

On Twitter, JDW Wetherspoon said: “Over half our work force is female and today we’re recognising and thanking the 19,000 women who work for us.”