Almost 1000 colleagues from 166 organisations gathered for GroceryAid’s flagship diversity and inclusion event, with partnerships and tickets for next year’s event
10th September 2027 – now available.
D&I in Grocery LIVE! 2026 brought together a breadth of voices and perspectives from across the grocery industry, from CEOs and senior leaders to colleagues in operations, HR, D&I and employee resource groups (ERGs). United by a shared ambition to accelerate diversity and inclusion, the industry’s leading event challenged businesses to turn ambition into meaningful action and harness inclusion as a competitive advantage.
Run by GroceryAid and held on 9th October at InterContinental London The O2, this year’s event was built around the theme Evolve to Thrive: Make inclusion your competitive advantage. A unique, build-your-own agenda allowed delegates to personalise their day, with teams able to divide and conquer so colleagues could attend the sessions most relevant to their interests and business needs.
Journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern hosted the event for a second year, leading attendees through an interactive day. Caroline Cater, VP of People and Culture at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), opened proceedings with a welcome speech about how the 93 organisations who are part of the D&I in Grocery Programmecollaborate and share strategies to ensure inclusion is a focal point in their businesses; driving performance and retaining talent through giving the workforce resilience and a voice. She said, “people do their best work when they can be themselves and feel safe, seen and supported.”
Senior leaders on the commercial power of inclusion
A Senior Leader Conversation, facilitated by D&I expert Annisha Taylor, brought together An Vermeulen, VP and General Manager, Great Britain at CCEP; Charlotte Exell, Group Online Director at Morrisons; Imran Rasul, Chief Commercial Officer at Co-op; and John Brassington, Managing Director UK at Dr. Oetker. The leaders discussed the practical and commercial power of inclusive organisations, how to embed D&I into culture and leadership, and the actions that businesses are taking to make a difference. A key takeaway from the panel was that in an increasingly technical AI world, phycological safety, human voices and listening to and understanding colleagues has never been more important. Imran Rasul said “everyone has good intentions but there’s often different ideas on how to make it land. Don’t take too long debating it.”
Lessons from the past, lessons for the future
British-Nigerian historian, author, presenter and BAFTA-winning film-maker David Olusoga delivered a fascinating keynote on the grocery sector demonstrating the ultimate story of diversity: “history tells us the hours spent grocery shopping are the most global hours of our lives, with (grocery) supply chains linking millions of people”. The history of food is interlinked with the global movement of people and culture, and in turn has helped create a United Kingdom with an “incredible global story” and the “diverse nation we are today”. David encouraged brands to be “culturally fluent and recognise the nation for what it is today: one third of all British communities will be mixed or diverse race by 2040.” He also pointed out that younger generations – “global magpies” – are uniquely positioned to be open minded to global influences, growing up in a digital, cross-cultural world. David challenged grocery leaders to learn from the lessons of the past, think differently and put ideas into action to build future success.
In the day’s Story to Inspire, Carrie Ruddock, Head of Healthcare Sales – Adult Nutrition Category, at Danone shared her personal experience of being diagnosed with cancer and her journey since. Carrie’s heartfelt story showed how “life can change in a moment”, and the supportive culture of her company and work team gave her the “breathing space” to fully recover. Speaking at the event, Carrie said “sometimes you need someone to know what you need, before you know yourself. This speaks volumes for a company. And this culture gave me time to process my diagnosis and focus on myself as a project. The most inclusive thing a leader can do is give a colleague permission to put themselves first.” Danone has joined the Working with Cancer Pledge and Carrie was able to access private health care. However, for Carrie, it was how her company handled her diagnosis, treatment and return to work that also “helped save her life.”
Practical insight across more than 20 breakout sessions
More than 20 breakout sessions ran throughout the day, providing insight and inspiration. Partner-led Live Labs and Action Workshops sat alongside Topic Hacks, interactive working sessions that bring people together to solve shared problems through peer insight and practical ideation. This year’s Topic Hacks explored why a gap remains between D&I strategy and frontline experience, and how, in a world of AI and automation, the industry can evolve jobs without leaving people behind.
New for 2026, the Inclusion & Innovation Hub brought together 9 carefully selected organisations to create a curated community of businesses to help attendees discover practical ideas, trusted expertise and innovative solutions. Additionally, the Networking Zones gave attendees fresh ways to discover new ideas and connect with the right people.
Christina Murdock,, Head of Programme at GroceryAid, said: “Thank you to every colleague, speaker and partner who joined us at D&I in Grocery LIVE! this year. The energy in the room showed how seriously our industry takes inclusion, not just for its people, but for business performance too. Our theme, ‘Evolve to Thrive’, reflects the need to move beyond conversations and turn ambition into meaningful action. The challenge now is to embed inclusion into everyday business practices. We look forward to seeing that progress continue and welcoming even more organisations in 2027.”
Turning ambition into action all year round
D&I learning and progress do not stop when the day ends. GroceryAid offers a 12-month D&I in Grocery Programme that helps organisations turn D&I ambition into action, no matter their size or where they are on their D&I journey.
The Programme helps Partners turn their D&I ambitions into measurable progress. Its Maturity Model enables organisations to benchmark their current performance, identify areas for improvement and track progress over time, providing tangible evidence of the value and return on investment of their D&I strategy.
Partners also gain access to expert advice, practical tools and frameworks to help embed inclusion into everyday business practices, opportunities to share knowledge and best practice with a network of more than 3,500 allies and industry leaders, and a nine-month mentoring programme to nurture future talent. Ongoing support helps organisations maintainmomentum and translate their commitments into lasting workplace change.
Money raised from the D&I in Grocery Programme, including D&I in Grocery LIVE!, support GroceryAid’s vital work helping grocery colleagues through challenging times. In 2025, the Programme contributed around £1m to the charity, helping fund essential financial, emotional and practical support for colleagues across the industry.
To become a partner and join 93 businesses on the D&I in Grocery Programme, email hello@diversityingrocery.co.uk. Tickets for D&I in Grocery LIVE! 2027, taking place on Friday 10th September 2027, are available now at groceryaid.org.uk/events/di-in-grocery-live/
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