Ingrid Hobbs is currently the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Global Brand House and Corporate Functions at Beam Suntory, Inc., the third largest producer of distilled beverages worldwide. Since 2017, her career has been focused on the DE&I space. Prior to joining Beam Suntory in early 2022, she led DE&I for William Grant & Sons, a global spirits company, where she initiated the Americas DE&I practice, laying the groundwork for teams in the US, Canada, and Latin America (Bogotá, Mexico City, and Santiago). She currently serves on the DE&I Committees of DISCUS (DISCUS Distilled Spirits Council of the US) and Women of the Vine & Spirits.
Ingrid is a DEI thought leader and subject matter expert and holds Diversity & Inclusion certifications from Stanford Business School, Cornell University, INSEAD Global Business School, and the Society for Human Resource Management. She is also a PMP-certified Project Management Professional, writer, graphic designer, and a veteran of the US Army. Her approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is focused on shared accountability, education, and communication, while creating effective concepts for leadership teams and employee-led networks, helping to create equitable playing fields to give everyone a chance at attaining their professional goals.
Coming from humble beginnings in the Mission District of San Francisco, Ingrid values her family’s wealth of diversity, which includes several races, religions, sexual orientations, and genders. That rich background has provided her with a strong foundational understanding of the societal and professional challenges that so many of us face with regularity.
Holding to the truth that most things are possible with perseverance and an open mind, Ingrid takes pride in the fact that her default answer to most questions is “YES!” Don’t we all need more yes in our lives? That attitude stems from her free-spirit Californian roots and the experience of being a New Yorker for half her life, which has exposed her to many people with big dreams who work hard to make them come true. She thrives in the city’s inclusive culture, vivid rainbow of people and varied lifestyles, driving her passionate focus in DE&I as an ever-evolving ally, advocate, and amplifier.