The Omnicom family of agencies strives to provide exceptional creativity and quality client service – while maintaining a firm commitment to socially, fiscally and environmentally responsible business practices.
It is a balancing act that, in the best of times, requires focus and commitment. In today's challenging business environment, this approach helps us prioritize investments and better manage costs for long-term success. Equally important, it helps us make a meaningful impact in the communities where we do business.
In 2009, we harnessed the innovative spirit of our agencies – more than 1,500 of them – to address a broad spectrum of issues that make our global enterprise strong. Among them: reducing energy consumption, recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce and giving back to communities around the globe.
In the coming year, we are committed to a strategy that focuses on four key areas:
Diversity. Under the guidance of our Chief Diversity Officer, appointed in 2009, and the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee, we are working to implement plans for maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are developing ways to increase access to diverse suppliers, share best practices and introduce students from underrepresented groups to our industry. We plan to build on these programs over the next several years to ensure our network of agencies has the support needed to grow a more diverse and inclusive workforce, which in turn, will deliver more diverse points of view and stronger results for our clients.
Environment. Measuring, monitoring and addressing the environmental impact of more than 1,500 agencies operating in nearly 142 countries is a daunting task – but we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, starting with energy consumption. Over the past two years, we have refined and improved our measuring process, which has enabled us to make preliminary reduction goals. We believe we can reduce energy consumption 10 to 20 percent from the 2008 baseline level. As part of this effort, we are rolling out a network-wide Energy Reduction Initiative to find creative ways to address our impact. We appreciate the commitment of our agencies to measure and report these numbers and commend their efforts to find new, innovative ways to change behaviors and operate more efficiently.
Community. Despite a challenging year across the globe, Omnicom employees around the world continued a tradition of generosity. Employees stepped up to provide support and play a role in assisting communities that were impacted by variety of challenges in 2009, from economic stresses to natural disasters. Omnicom's culture of volunteerism was the driving force behind a number of events around the globe, and our agencies' corporate giving and pro bono work made a real difference – we contributed more than $5 million in 2009.
Governance. It is in the best interest of our bottom line to treat our customers, clients, shareholders and employees with the respect, honesty, transparency and integrity they deserve. That is why we adhere closely to the laws and regulations that govern our business, and we continue to maintain independent directors on our board to guide us forward. Omnicom provides leadership programs through Omnicom University to educate employees on the importance of institutional integrity. We will continue to keep a high priority on our culture of promoting the highest standards of integrity and demand the best from our family of agencies and companies.
Moving forward, we recognize 2010 will continue to require the balance that helped us navigate through 2009. A well-balanced enterprise will allow us to keep offering our clients creative, diverse and innovative ideas and approaches, while using that same creativity to recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds, manage the challenges of reducing our energy consumption and impact our communities. We are committed to building upon our work, balancing our approaches and implementing practices that will effectively assist our agencies in their continued efforts.
To view our new 2010 Citizenship and Sustainability website, click here