In the first in a series of 'Meet the Advisory Council' we are delighted to introduce Gary Keller, Founder & Director of Keller's Cellar, on trade drinks consultancy and DEI champion for disability across the Drinks Industry.
What was it that made you want to join the Drinks United Advisory Council?
"I have a hidden disability, one that I have always been open to talk about and through my career, my previous employer had been very supportive to me with this. When the opportunity came to join and set up an employee resource group for people with disabilities I leapt at this opportunity. I have met and worked with some fantastic people in this space. The opportunity to be part of the groundbreaking Drinks United advisory board was perfect for me to share my experiences and hopefully help out more people to speak up safely in their work places."
What experience do you bring to the Advisory Council?
"Through leading and setting up the ENABLE Disability ERG at Molson Coors, I have listened to many great stories from people with physical disabilities, hidden disabilities and neurodiversity, hearing both their successes and challenges, enabling me to challenge the business to improve policy, people management practise and processes. I also started a piece of work to be accredited by Lexxic to see how Neurodiversity Smart the business was and work through the detail to improve experiences of each employee. I therefore bring a wealth of knowledge in this space and I would love to hear from anyone whom has good and challenging experiences to share to bring these into the spotlight."
What are your hopes for the future of the drinks industry when it comes to ED&I?
"My hopes are quite simple - we respect every person for who they are, no matter their background, ability, age or gender and give them the equity they deserve so they are treated how they wish to be treated across the drinks industry and making a safe environment to challenge and speak up where this is not being achieved. Watch this space for a new podcast that will discuss this in more detail."
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