Three Ireland continues commitment to inclusive workplaces through BITC Elevate Pledge
Dublin, Thursday 30 April 2026 – Three Ireland has reaffirmed its commitment to workplace inclusion and inclusive leadership by continuing its participation in Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) Elevate: The Inclusive Workplace Pledge, as senior leaders across Irish business gather this week to mark five years of the initiative. The pledge brings together more than 60 organisations, representing a combined workforce of over 150,000 people, and aims to move businesses from statements of intent to measurable action by embedding inclusion across recruitment, progression, workplace culture and leadership. As part of the Elevate Pledge Annual Report launch, Sinéad Brennan, Chief People Officer at Three Ireland, took part in a senior business panel discussion on Inclusive Leadership in a More Complex Ireland, alongside representatives from industry and public bodies.
Ms. Brennan said:
“Inclusion is not a programme or a moment in time – it is an ongoing leadership responsibility. Continuing our commitment to the Elevate Pledge reflects the deliberate choices we’re making at Three to ensure inclusion is embedded into how we lead, how we recruit and how we create opportunity across our organisation.”
Three Ireland employs over 1,200 people across Ireland, with operations spanning its headquarters in Dublin, an award-winning Customer Experience Centre in Limerick, and more than 60 retail stores nationwide. The company has made steady progress on gender balance, particularly at leadership level. Three’s CEO, Elaine Carey, appointed within the past year, is female, and the Senior Leadership Team is now close to a 50/50 gender balance. Across the organisation overall, the workforce is 47% female and 53% male.
Ms. Brennan added:
“We want our workforce – and especially our leadership – to reflect the customers and communities we serve. One of the simplest proof points for me is what you see day to day — if you look around our offices and stores, you see diversity in action across gender, nationality and background, not as an aspiration but as lived reality. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, the real work is sustaining it and building stronger pipelines of diverse talent for the future. Initiatives like Elevate provide both challenge and accountability, which are essential if inclusion is to deliver real outcomes.”
As part of its inclusion strategy, Three Ireland has continued to invest in fair recruitment practices, inclusive leadership development, and partnerships that widen access to education and opportunity, particularly through STEM pathways for women and under-represented groups. This includes collaboration with Trinity College Dublin on initiatives such as the Three STEM Connects Scholarship, which supports women studying STEM subjects through financial support and mentoring, and an Access Maths programme working with DEIS schools, empowering teachers to develop more engaging approaches to maths and helping more secondary school students to remain in education and progress to third-level study.
The company also tracks progress against its commitments to ensure inclusion remains a core part of how the business operates, rather than a standalone initiative.
BITCI’s most recent Elevate report highlights progress made by signatory companies across several areas of representation, while also warning of the fragility of gains without sustained leadership attention and accountability.
Ms. Brennan concluded:
“What Elevate does particularly well is keep the focus on evidence, impact and lived experience. That’s where inclusion moves from aspiration to action – and why this work remains so important for business and society alike.”
