On Wednesday, The ADVERTISING Club of New York, the U.S. industry’s leading trade organisation representing the vision and mission of the global advertising community across crafts, rang the NASDAQ Opening Bell in honour of diversity.
Partners and supporters of i’mPART, The AD Club’s diversity initiative, joined AD Club President & CEO Gina Grillo for this special event. Representing the larger i’mPART committee were Discovery; Google; Havas; iHeartMedia; IPG; Omnicom; Prudential Financial, Inc.; PwC, Stillwell Partners, Unilever and WPP.
The advertising industry continues to make inroads for a more diverse workforce, yet it remains behind the national aggregate; 22% of employees and 11% of executives are diverse. Launched in 2012, i’mPART aims to raise awareness of the benefits of diversity in business and rally the industry around a shared movement to make diversity a priority in the advertising, marketing and media workplace.
“We are excited to participate in this iconic moment to raise awareness of this important issue, which continues to affect our culture and business. To be joined by our esteemed partners and diversity champions makes this event that much more powerful,” said Gina Grillo, President & CEO of The ADVERTISING Club of New York. “This demonstration of support from our industry and the city of New York symbolizes how we can harness diversity as an engine of innovation and change.”
The name i’mPART employs an acronym to represent the pillars of the initiative: to Promote, Attract, Retain and Train diverse employees. This unprecedented fundraising effort, coupled with a benchmarking survey by PwC, helps to support the nation’s leading diversity programs and build a more diverse industry.
“It is so exciting to work side-by-side with dedicated executives that have made a diversity movement like i’mPART a priority. Working together, we can’t help but impact a positive change,” said Tiffany Edwards, The AD Club’s Foundation & Inclusion Manager.
In the photo are (from Left) Kristin Harold, Stillwell; Lisa Feigen Dugal, PriceWaterhouse Coopers; Kash Dobbins, Powell Communications; Tiffany Edwards, The ADVERTISING Club of New York; Lance Pillersdorf, Stillwell; Dorinda Walker, Prudential; Kris Earley, The ADVERTISING Club of New York; Sarah Hrusovsky, Powell Communications; Valerie Graves, Freelance; Ian Parmiter, Discovery; Laurel Rossi, Havas Worldwide Strat Farm, Havas Health & Wellness; Roland Hamilton, Daily Motion; Gina Grillo, The ADVERTISING Club of New York; Cullen Malley, Unilever; Tiffany R. Warren, Omnicom Group; Kris Magel, Initiative; Rosa Nunez, Omnicom Media Group; Jaime Crespo, Unilever; Scott Falzon, Google; Lukeisha Paul, GroupM; Ilana Buterman, GroupM; and Cammy Grusd, iHeartMedia.
