Vend it like Beckham

Formerfootballstarhelpssellwhiskygiant’sdrinkingmessage

David Beckham is helping Scotch whisky giant Diageo to get its responsible drinking message across to a global audience.

The former England, Manchester United and Real Madrid football star appears in a new film, Leave As You Arrived, aimed at highlighting the benefits of drinking in moderation on a night out.

Diageo said yesterday its 60-second short – directed by Grammy Award-winning Swedish director, Jonas Akerlund – marked the next step in its determination to “bring responsible drinking to the forefront of consumer thinking in innovative and authentic ways”.

Beckham is one of two celebrity business partners who helped launch Diageo’s Haig Club whisky brand in 2015, alongside music mogul Simon Fuller.

The new film plays out in reverse, with the former footballer and his friends shown leaving a bar as stylishly and well-behaved as they arrived. Beckham said: “There are many reasons why I wanted to partner with Diageo on Haig Club and one of them is their commitment to responsible drinking. Jonas did a very nice job bringing our idea to life.”

“Weare pleasedwiththe progressmade ondiversityand inclusion”

Diageo yesterday published a report showing an average gender pay gap of just 0.6% in favour of men in its UK worforce. “We are pleased with the progress made on diversity and inclusion . . . and are clear on our ambition to go further and close the gap,” it said, adding: “Our goal is to make Diageo the company women want to join.”