British American Tobacco - Diversity initiatives

A brief snapshot of some of the initiatives that help BAT stand out from the rest.

B United – our LGBT+ network

B United is a self-governed global community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT+) employees, and their allies, working across the BAT world.

The community strives to develop and nurture an even more inclusive and welcoming culture for all LGBT+ employees. This means fostering an environment in which all employees are comfortable being themselves and can realise their full potential at work.

B United provides emotional support for its worldwide network by offering mentoring and support and providing a safe forum to share experiences. On a practical level the network provides advice to the business around international assignments, as well as offering help to line managers who may have queries around sensitive matters concerning LGBT+ employees.

You can read more about B United in our stories and features section, as well as an interview with one of the community's members, Jay. 

Its members volunteer time and energy in numerous ways to support the WiB community, with particular focus on the following pillars: Networking & Professional Development, Awareness & Empowerment, Allyship, External Engagements and Global Women’s Network.

WiB continues to drive awareness and encourages active participation in fostering gender equality.  Promoting a more inclusive workplace and culture will truly deliver on our “A Better Tomorrow” purpose.

Women in STEM

Our Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) initiative uses external partnerships and internal learning and development platforms, aiming to attract, develop and retain more women across our Research & Development, Operations and Digital & Business Solutions  functions.

In the UK, we have joined WISE , an organisation that enables people in business, industry and education to increase the participation, contribution and success of women in STEM roles by organising knowledge-sharing and networking events, training and webinars. We are official signatories to its 10-step framework, which provides evidence-based action, knowledge, and tools for achieving gender balance in the STEM workforce. These types of partnerships, which we are looking to implement in key hubs across the business, will also provide female employees with the opportunity to widen their network and interact with peers from other companies.

Read more about our Women in STEM initiative.

Celebrating our female scientists

We marked International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021 by celebrating the achievements of our female scientists and shining a spotlight on their world-class research. Our pioneering women were also showcased in a national Women in STEM campaign in 2020.

Our video below shines a light on some of our brilliant women scientists.