Bacardi Ltd has climbed to No 32 on Forbes’s World’s Top Companies for Women 2026 list, up from No 60 last year.

The Bermudian-headquartered spirits company was the highest-ranked pure spirits business on the list and placed second in Forbes’s food, soft beverages, alcohol and tobacco category.

Bacardi said women now hold 45 per cent of its leadership positions, defined as manager level and above. It also reported gender equity across recruitment, turnover, pay and employee engagement.

Nicole Zukowski, Bacardi’s chief supply chain officer and executive sponsor of its Good Spirited corporate sustainability initiative, said: “The most meaningful measure of our progress is seeing talented women choose to join Bacardi, build their careers here and advance into leadership roles.

“At Bacardi, we’re committed to providing opportunities, championing development and fostering a culture where people feel they belong, because when our people flourish, so does our business.”

The company pointed to development programmes with balanced representation, as well as partnerships with industry groups including Women of the Vine and Spirits, Women Leading Rum and Spirits, the OurWhisky Foundation and the Leading Executives Advancing Diversity Network.

Bacardi also supports initiatives that expand employment opportunities for women. They include a women-only cohort of its Shake Your Future bartending programme in India and support for Dress for Success Miami, which provides job-seeking support, professional clothing and skills training.

Forbes compiled the ranking with market research firm Statista, based on surveys of about 140,000 women working for multinational companies in 61 countries.

The recognition is Bacardi’s fifth consecutive appearance on the list. The company was also recently named the top pure spirits company in Forbes’s World’s Best Employers 2026 ranking.