Dive Brief:​

• BetterUp will partner with Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) for a global pilot leadership development program built around diversity and inclusion, the pair announced April 9. ​Women in 18 countries, at various career levels, were nominated by managers at AB InBev, which owns brands such as Budweiser, to be among the first 150 participants. 
• Members of the program will have unlimited access to BetterUp's platform, which includes one-on-one personalized leadership coaching. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants will have access to specialists providing support on topics such as managing remote work, stress management and work-life balance. Each participant's coaching journey will be tailored according to individual preferences and learning styles, according to BetterUp.
• Inclusion enables "individuals to feel empowered to share their unique perspectives and ideas, which leads to better decision-making and superior results across the entire company," Laura Brady, global director of diversity and inclusion at AB InBev, said in a statement. 

Dive Insight:

Women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions, according to research. For every 100 men promoted and hired to management, only 72 women are promoted and hired, according to Women in the Workplace 2019, a LeanIn.org and McKinsey's report published in October. However, women-to-women mentorship may help the lack of gender diversity in leadership, Amy Roy, chief people officer at Namely, told HR Dive in November. 

In her career journey, Roy said she has seen learning and development and talent management teams act as strong conduits of mentorship. "Specifically, I've seen L&D teams create emerging or developing leadership programs with classroom training where a mentee/mentor relationship is an additional layer," she said. "This provides an opportunity for a new leader to make a connection with someone outside of their immediate network and learn another part of the business."

Along with mentoring programs, coaching may enhance leadership skills. A Human Capital Institute and International Coaching Federation report published in February found that more than 80% of organizations surveyed plan to expand coaching use among leaders and managers during the next five years. The report also found that 55% of organizations surveyed use coaching to train leadership.

By offering the BetterUp leadership coaching program "we continue to raise the bar to achieve an even more supportive, inclusive, and innovative workplace," Lyndsey Cochrun, global head of leadership development at AB InBev, said in a statement. The company said in its 2018 report that nearly half of U.S. breweries and a quarter of its breweries in Argentina, China and Europe are led by female head brewmasters. According to the AB InBev's 2019 annual report, 31% of its salaried workforce are women, with 22% female representation among its partners. In 2019, 36% of new hires among the salaried workforce were women.