Throughout Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting women employees who have helped strengthen our culture, push our business forward and help Molson Coors thrive. Tara Philpott is a human resources manager at our brewery in St. John’s, Canada.
What would you say to women who are interested in pursuing a career at Molson Coors/beverage industry?
Go for it! Prior to joining Molson Coors, I worked in another industry and my team consisted of mostly women, so this is a complete 180 in terms of demographics, mainly because I'm now working in a production environment. The past couple of years have been eye-opening and rewarding to say the least, as no two days are the same. I was a little apprehensive prior to joining Molson Coors because it was such a big change for me. But the teams in St. John’s and Moncton have been awesome to work with. In addition, my experience working within the HR team has been nothing short of positive. Leaders are always available and open to discussion, and they'll often reach out for an informal check-in. Regardless of their level within the organization, they take the time get to know individuals.
Molson Coors has several women in senior leadership roles, including its chief financial officer, chief marketing officer and chief legal and government affairs officer. Has that influenced your career development at Molson Coors? If so, how?
I attended a panel featuring female leaders and others during Molson Coors’ Month of Inclusion, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about their experiences within the company and how they’ve forged their career paths as women leaders. I would not have compared myself to these leaders in the past, but after attending the discussion I realized we are all facing the same opportunities and struggles at different levels of the organization. For instance, we've all faced scenarios in which we're one of few women in meetings, where we're not always confident in ourselves and struggle with juggling family and work life. They are all great role models in terms of career development and how hard work and perseverance can lead to great opportunities.
How do resources such as our employee resource group, BREW, strengthen our first value of putting people first? How do they strengthen all of our values?
Employee resource groups help foster a culture of inclusion by allowing employees to partake in events and discussions that are meaningful to them both personally and professionally, which is definitely in line with our value of putting people first. Through our ERGs, members are able to find allies and friends with whom they otherwise may not have had an opportunity to interact in their day-to-day work environment. All ERGs are bringing important topics to the forefront, and they really do align with each of our values in some regard because they are bringing people together and bringing awareness to important topics. The ERGs are offering employees an avenue to learn every day and celebrate together.
Celebrating diverse voices shouldn’t be limited to one month. How can people be strong allies throughout the entire year?
I feel that as a company, we are on the right track, whether it is organizing Month of Inclusion activities, recognizing International Women’s Day, or encouraging a diverse slate of candidates for all job opportunities. The ERGs also are playing an important role in ensuring that important issues and current events are highlighted and not ignored. We all have a role to play as individual employees in continuing to support each other, as well as learning more about and celebrating our differences.