Month: September 2020

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2020 – 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

About KetchumThe 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.

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG) today announced the appointment of Soon Mee Kim to Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. Kim will be responsible for working with OPRG agency leaders to develop policies, practices and programs that advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) internally, along with client initiatives and in the communities where we live and work. She will take this newly created position on September 15, reporting to both the CEO of OPRG and Omnicom Group’s Chief Diversity Officer. 

“Diversity, equity and inclusion are moral and business imperatives for Omnicom,” said Kim. “I am honored for the opportunity to develop a cohesive vision and strategy across OPRG with the goal of making our collective agencies a place where all – including those from underrepresented communities such as people of color, those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community – are welcome, valued and can thrive.”

Prior to this appointment, Soon Mee Kim spent 14 years at Porter Novelli, most recently as executive vice president and Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader. During her tenure in this position, Porter Novelli earned top honors from PRWeek and PR Council for Best PR Firm Diversity Initiative for substantive progress in representation. She has more than 25 years of communications experience, supporting a broad range of clients across industries. 

“Fostering an inclusive workforce filled with diverse talent has always been an important cornerstone of Omnicom’s business strategy, but the need for transformation has been accelerated with the groundswell of a grassroots anti-racism movement seen around the world,” said Tiffany R. Warren, Omnicom Group’s Chief Diversity Officer. “I am thrilled to continue working with Soon Mee in her new role to drive forward Omnicom’s OPEN 2.0 DE&I strategy within OPRG, building a diverse workforce that reflects the world we live in.” 

Kim is being recognized as a 2020 ADCOLOR Legend at the 14th Annual ADCOLOR Awards on September 10th. Previously, she has been named to PRWeek’s Hall of Femme, recognized as a Top 25 Innovator for the Americas by PRovoke Media and named 2018 Diversity Champion of the Year by PRWeek and the PR Council. In her new role, Soon Mee will continue to sit on Omnicom’s OPEN Leadership Team, chair the PR Council’s diversity community and serve on the board of directors for The LAGRANT Foundation, ColorComm, and a host of other organizations. 

“As Porter Novelli’s first executive dedicated to diversity and inclusion, Soon Mee has made a great impact both within the agency and as a thought leader in the industry,” said John Doolittle, interim CEO of OPRG. “As the largest group of communications professionals in the world, we have a great opportunity to create long-term change.” 

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.

SOURCE Omnicom Public Relations Group