#ConquerTheDivide - Diversity & Inclusion: One year in…
Catherine Krantz, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Dentsu Aegis Network ANZ and Head of Operational Performance, Carat AU, blogs for International Women’s Day 2018.
12 months into the role of Head of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) is a natural milestone to take stock on our story so far. To reflect on the last year of progress, and to sharpen our focus on our priorities for the next 12 months…
Being new to the position, and with the Diversity & Inclusion Council a newly formed group within DAN, there was a huge opportunity for us to learn what constitutes “great” in this space.
While it’s clear that we’ve made a lot of progress compared to this time last year, there’s still a way to go.
So how have we made this progress? And what have we learned and accomplished along the way?
First things first, we needed a vision. This was easier said than done but, we finally landed on a shared goal to champion diverse and inclusive thinking and action to generate better outcomes for our people, partners and communities. This vision has galvanised and motivated us all, and — crucially — kept us accountable to our actions along the way.
One of the essential components to achieving our mission is governance and policy. Don’t underestimate the need to get your house in order. Policies, such as parental leave, domestic violence, and disability inclusion action plans are the kind of foundational elements needed to create sustainable change.
The Council itself, and my appointment, have also been essential in maintaining focus and building momentum across our Network. The 14-strong membership representative of our brands and corporate functions was our first move following an audit of diversity across the group. As a Council we have direct access to both the Board and the Extended Executive Leadership team for initiative and budget approval, and our purpose is directly linked to our company mission of innovating the way brands are built.
Leadership is a necessity too. Fortunately for us, Simon Ryan, CEO DAN ANZ and Luke Speers, HR Director DAN ANZ were the driving forces behind this cultural change so we have experienced the impact senior backing can have. This support needs to be felt right through to our entry level employees for it to be truly effective though. Such is the importance of role modelling from both men and women. In this space, actions really do speak louder than words, and seeing really is believing.
One of the areas we are especially focused on is education and truly understanding the impact of building and supporting diverse teams. We want people to understand what’s in it for them (for us!) at all levels of our business. Knowledge building has been a key focus of our D&I Council meetings, as well as fundamental in the programs we have launched.
Something that became clear early on was how easy it could be to focus our efforts exclusively on gender diversity. However, the fact is that diversity is diverse in its own right and, as a Council we felt strongly that we would not achieve our ambition if we were too single minded. Absolutely, gender diversity is a priority, but so too is creating an environment where all people regardless of culture, education, disability or sexual orientation can feel that their contribution is valued.
Lastly, it’s tempting but dangerous to rest on our laurels. That’s not to say we shouldn’t stop to celebrate the wins — the parental leave improvements, domestic violence policy launch, pay parity review, and inclusive leadership training rollout are just a few of our big wins in 12 short months. But, we do need to keep pushing, progressing and evolving.
Encouragingly though, each step we have taken has made an impact and, as we consider our ambitions for 2018, our path ahead promises to accelerate our progress in what we believe will create positive change within the business, and a competitive advantage for us as a network.
The commitment from the Council to our businesses, and the broader community is to continue to drive the agenda, maintain momentum and continue to evolve our understanding of what it means to have a truly diverse and inclusive workplace.
Catherine Krantz, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Dentsu Aegis Network and Head of Operational Performance, Carat AU
