Ketchum Appoints Lindsay Wagner Head of DE&I, North America
Ketchum has appointed Lindsay Wagner as the new Senior Vice President and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) for North America. Reporting to Mike Doyle, Ketchum's president and CEO, Wagner will lead the firm's DE&I strategy, focusing on enhancing recruitment and retention of diverse talent. She aims to hold the organization accountable for systemic change in DE&I efforts, collaborating closely with Omnicom's leadership. Wagner brings extensive experience in DE&I initiatives and social justice advocacy, having previously led client work across various sectors.
- Lindsay Wagner's appointment as head of DE&I may enhance Ketchum's overall diversity strategy.
- Wagner's extensive experience in DE&I can lead to better recruitment and retention of diverse talent.
- Transition to a new leadership role might create temporary disruptions in DE&I initiatives.
NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global communications consultancy Ketchum promoted Lindsay Wagner to the role of SVP and head of diversity, equity and inclusion for North America. She joins the firm's North America leadership team and will report to Mike Doyle, president and CEO of Ketchum.
In this role, Wagner will be responsible for developing and executing Ketchum's diversity and belonging strategy in North America, which includes auditing and amplifying the firm's existing DE&I programs, developing new programs that support the recruitment, retention and engagement of diverse talent, and establishing metrics to set objectives and track progress throughout all levels of the firm. She will partner closely with Soon Mee Kim, chief DE&I officer for Omnicom Public Relations Group, and Tiffany R. Warren, Omnicom Group's chief diversity officer, on critical DE&I strategies at the holding company level. In addition to driving internal actions for diversity, equity and inclusion, Wagner will continue to counsel clients on strategic business and marketing decisions related to their own DE&I efforts.
"This mission needs a dedicated, passionate and irrefutably qualified senior leader to drive DE&I in our largest region – and Lindsay is undoubtedly the right person for this job," Doyle said. "We've made a long-term commitment to making systemic change that will require many dialogues, decisions, actions, and a willingness to be comfortable with being uncomfortable at times, and I'm thrilled that Lindsay will help guide us and hold us to the high standard we must set for ourselves."
Prior to assuming this role, Wagner served as a VP leading client work across luxury, lifestyle, transportation and consumer brands. For five years, she has served as a leader in Ketchum's North America DE&I Council and in her local New York and Los Angeles marketplace DE&I councils. In that time, she has worked hand-in-hand with council members, North America business leaders and DE&I leaders across the network, including Michele Lanza, partner, global recruitment and retention strategies, and Giannina Seaman, VP and director, HR & DEI, to create programming, training and engagement efforts dedicated to making Ketchum a more inclusive and diverse community.
"My commitment is to focus on progress and transformation," said Wagner. "We are all on this revolutionary road together, which means that DE&I is not one person's job – it is incumbent on all of us to take ownership and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels by first prioritizing people, because it's good for them and it's good for business. My role will be to hold the organization accountable to take action, to be transparent, to amplify diverse voices and engage in corporate activism."
Wagner's DE&I and social justice work includes serving on the ADCOLOR jury for three years, previously leading ColorComm's New York chapter as executive director, and organizing multiple large-scale direct actions on behalf of Justice League NYC and Justice League CA. Her Justice League actions include a nine-day, 250-mile march to bring three pieces of federal legislation for criminal justice reform from New York to Washington, D.C. which garnered support from various industries and media coverage along the way. In addition, she served as a supportive organizer for the national co-chairs at the 2017 Women's March in D.C. and continues to serve on a task force of The Gathering For Justice, a nonprofit founded by Civil Rights icon Harry Belafonte and led by globally recognized social justice and Civil Rights leader Carmen Perez. The organization is dedicated to ending racial inequality in the criminal justice system and building a movement to end child incarceration.
Wagner's efforts have earned her the Pat Tobin Award from the Black Public Relations Society of Los Angeles and the distinguished Chairman's Award from the NAACP Image Awards, as part of Justice League NYC.
About Ketchum
The winner of 105 Cannes Lions and PRovoke's Global Creative Agency of the Year, Ketchum is the most creatively awarded firm in our industry. We're equal parts human-centered and business-focused, empathetic and intelligent. As a global communications consultancy, we combine the deep industry and specialty expertise of boutique firms with global reach to find unexpected connections that lead to lasting relationships and work that matters. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, visit www.ketchum.com.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
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SOURCE Ketchum
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