Why having a diversity agenda is vital for modern companies

If you had asked me six months ago that I would be sitting in a cinema in the Channel 4 building feeling extra positive about the media industry I have worked in for many years, I probably would have given you a smile and wondered how much you had been drinking! Experience brings many things but it can bring a natural cynicism.

Equally if I had told you that I was feeling the most positive about the industry as I have for a long time, you would have wondered the same thing about my sobriety, particularly after the recent savaging of the marketing industry , especially around digital media.

But here I was in the small room surrounded by a 100 or so people actively discussing diversity in marketing. This was the Diversity in Marketing and Advertising Summit, energetically created by Azadeh Akbari, who had managed to get a fantastic collection of speakers and panelists together to discuss one of the key challenges for our industry - how do we champion and develop diverse workforces?

I am a white male - no longer a young person by age or looks - and a CEO of a tech company iotec. This classification does not do well in diversification discussions and several commentators (not incidentally at this event) would love to pin “my group” down as the problem that needs to be removed.

However, here I disagree, and remain keen to prove that men can play a positive part in the change this industry needs ( a point made very eloquently at the event by Daniel Fiandaca )

There is something else too - you have to wonder if the recent crises in advertising would have occurred if we had embraced diversity earlier? Would all the debates about transparency have happened if more diverse and experienced management teams had been at the helm?

Here are some of my learnings from the event and why I think companies embracing diversity will help shape the future of marketing and specifically, in digital.

Talking is great, doing is better

What was clear from listening to the great variety of speakers was that there are many initiatives that are driving change and this was the exciting part.

These actions ranged from the Government's initiatives which were ably explained by Helen Reardon Bond from the Government Equalities Office to Jo Coombs from OgilvyOne explaining how they are driving diverse and talented teams via their “The Pipe” initiative.

Then there was my panel, which despite the fact there I was one of two white males on the panel, we seemed to cover the key elements of actually getting change to happen as we were ably chaired by Nishma Robb. My fellow panelists included Kirk McDonald from PubMatic, Alex Kozloff from the IAB, Ali Hanan from Creative Equals and Daniele Fiandaca from Token Man, discussing what needs to happen to make diversity a reality.

I hope Kirk and myself managed to demonstrate that even hard core tech companies like ours could take diversity seriously. It is a key pillar for both of our businesses and one I will continue to champion. iotec has a 55:45 percentage split male:female on our leadership team, that’s 21% above the European average* but a number we commit to improving.

Equality is everyone’s responsibility

We covered several other subjects, most notably calling out negative behaviour and the need for mentoring and support systems to address equality. HR processes must be constantly reviewed and refreshed in an organisation to ensure you are attracting a diverse group of candidates but also fostering a culture that encourages people to bring the best of themselves to the workplace.

Plus it was agreed, in the case of the gender debate, that men should be included to address the issue and not excluded from the conversation.

This positive and wide ranging debate was welcome but, importantly, it was practical and action orientated.

If this can happen on a relatively complex subject like diversity, then I remain hopeful the same is true for the marketing industry as a whole. Interestingly one of the key points about the event was the desire for transparency and leadership.

Isn’t this exactly what the ad community needs right now too?

We have a long way to go, but we need to follow that path to better our businesses. Greater diversity of thinking will fuel the innovation of the future.

*Source: Grant Thornton UK LLP London March 8, 2016