Omnicom Celebrates International Women’s Day 2021

In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (IWD), Omnicom agencies around the world will come together to celebrate the professional and personal achievements of women within Omnicom Group and to reflect on progress made. This will also include several events hosted by local chapters of Omniwomen, Omnicom’s employee resource group that is dedicated to increasing the number and influence of women leaders throughout the Omnicom network. 

In addition to many of our agencies celebrating this year’s #ChooseToChallenge theme through social media campaigns, a number of them are also celebrating through unique virtual events. For a sampling of their IWD activities, please see the roundup provided below. 

If you have any questions about a particular event or inquiries on how to get involved, please reach out to Katie Beaule at [email protected].  

Omniwomen

Omniwomen Global is coordinating a Meet & Greet series where different Omniwomen from around the world will be paired together and connect virtually during the week of March 8th. There are 250 participants.

Below is a breakdown of additional chapter plans.

Chapter Plans:

• On March 11th, Omniwomen Australia will welcome a keynote speaker to discuss a story of when women have chosen to challenge something in their career (a norm, a stereotype, an issue in the ad/marketing industry) and what happened next. The speaker will be followed by a panel that will highlight the stats from shEqual before looking at some of the key challenges women face in advertising and the ways different people have overcome these challenges.  
• In honor of International Women’s Day, Omniwomen Chicago will host an event titled Omniwomen Chicago Presents: An Afternoon with Diane L. Parker. Diane L. Parker, playwright, actress, and VP of D&I at Meredith Corporation, will perform her original one-woman play Sick and Tired. Winner of the 2017 Strawberry One Act Festival, Sick and Tired tells the story of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. In 1962, Hamer was 44 years old and, though she dreamed of being a registered voter, could not vote. In spite of much adversity, including violent voter suppression tactics, Hamer helped make the right to vote become an accessible reality for Black Americans. Following the performance, Diane will join Omniwomen for a moderated Q&A session.
• Omniwomen China plans to display a two-minute ‘Thank You, Thank Her’ video with true narratives and authentic stories from inspiring people in Greater China. The video will pay tribute to women who keep inspiring us with their resilience and courage in life.
• Omniwomen LA will be hosting a fireside chat with Camilla Grozian‑Lorentzens, President of KERN. She will discuss the journey to where she’s at now, the biases she’s encountered, her allies, sponsors and more.
• Omniwomen Mexico will hold a conference / panel around menopause. It will be a discussion with an Ob-gyn, a psychologist and a nutritionist to talk about menopause from different perspectives and develop dialogue among the group.

Designory, eg+ and Mother Tongue

Each day throughout the month, this group of agencies will feature a woman-focused item internally, highlighting an inspiring biography, podcast, article, poem, etc. Then, on IWD, they will post responses to short biographical questionnaires their women in senior leadership completed. They also will be raffling off 10 tickets to the California Conference for Women to employees who submitted stories of a woman that inspired them.  

Doremus North America

The agency’s employee resource group, PODD, will host two Speaker Series in the month, with agency leads and mid-mangers talking about their work-life balance and what it means to be an executive within the agency. In addition, each female employee will receive an acknowledgment certificate with a term of endearment from their manager.

GMR Marketing

This International Women’s Day, GMR is hosting signature speaker Mikaela Kiner, author of Female Firebrands who provides actionable ways women and men can advocate for an equal and diverse workplace. The session, held on March 8th, will be followed by small group chats that provide a more intimate forum to discuss Mikaela’s topics and tools. 

Later in the month, the agency will host a panel with representatives from Women’s Soccer who are revolutionizing the sports industry. In addition, employees will have a chance to support those in their local community who #ChoosetoChallenge through in-person donations and book purchases.

Omnicom Media Group 

Omnicom Media Group will be hosting two panels for employees this Women’s History Month. The first, titled We Are the Culture: Black Women and Fashion & Beauty,  will be held on March 18^th. The Black Leadership Network (BLN) and Hearts & Science will host a panel discussion with Black-owned beauty and fashion business owners to discuss their companies, misconceptions about Black beauty and fashion, and how they respond to cultural appropriation in those industries.

Then, on March 23^rd, the group will host I’m Speaking: Amplifying Black Women’s Voices. From recording studios to the mic stands at rallies, Black women are using their voices to move culture and society forward. The BLN, in partnership with Pandora, will celebrate Black women in audio and media and discuss the changes we need to make to carve a path for future women leaders. The panel discussion will be hosted by Nicole Buchanan, MC Sales Director for Pandora Multicultural.

Siegel + Gale

On March 8th, Siegel + Gale will host its annual IWD celebration. Margaret Molloy,  Global CMO of Siegel + Gale, will welcome five, top, global CMOs and moderate a panel conversation on their personal journeys and the massive role brands and marketing can play as we #ChooseToChallenge and strive for equity. Panelists will include:

• Sanyu Dillon, Chief Marketing Officer, Penguin Random House
• Lisa McKnight, SVP, Global Head of Barbie & Dolls Portfolio, Mattel 
• Leanne Cutts, Group Chief Marketing Officer, HSBC
• Huda Buhumaid, Chief Marketing Officer, Dubai Holding
• Carla Piñeyro Sublett, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, IBM