What other steps are we taking?
I know that we are just scratching the surface, but I’m extremely inspired and encouraged by what we’ve done so far to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Here are just a few more initiatives across Publicis Sapient and our parent company, Publicis Groupe:
- Proudly engaged in the 11th annual Multicultural Talent Pipeline event developed in-house by Publicis Groupe. With an attendance of 400 diverse college students from 70 university and industry partners, the event offered three days of programming targeted towards finding potential career opportunities. I was thrilled to be able to personally facilitate a session on effective habits, actions, and skills in today’s virtual world.
- Launched a virtual apprenticeship on our AI-empowered enterprise platform, Marcel, that serves minority youth. In its first year, the Marcel Apprenticeship will be accessible to 1,000 young people in the UK and US, with a commitment to hire 50 people each year.
- Participated in our More Than Wishes Virtual Seminar where keynote speaker Michelle Obama discussed diversity, inclusion, and the importance of mentorship.
- Designed a mentorship program and career development program to champion Black talent.
- Hosted Inclusive Hiring Training for all employees in the United States (including hiring managers and interviewers).
- Held Inclusive Recruiting Training for everyone on the Talent Acquisition team.
- Launched a program, Project Mosaic, for our Executive and Management Consulting groups that will enable the continued development of our diversity recruitment strategy - beyond gender - across leadership.
- Partnered with organizations including Bottom Line, Evanston Scholars and Diverse Influencers to bring in BIPOC/First-Generation College talent to serve as student workers and participate in our Discovery Marketing internship.
- Engaged with HBCU’s and Diverse Student Organizations on collegiate campuses across the nation to host informational sessions, Q&A panels and participate in career fairs.
The work is far from over, but I feel pride and hope towards the actions we’ve taken as an organization to deliver on our commitment to inclusion.
My goal is to share what I’ve learned and give back in a way that will help others in their professional lives. I have two daughters – I think about them and their trajectory. Opening the doors so their generation is setup for success, will allow them to continue to pave it forward. I see it as a domino effect, and if everyone picks up the pieces from generation to generation, collectively we can continue to make a positive impact.