Saturday, May 13, 2017

13677: DDB Diversity Dookie.

A comment left for the previous post on the new DDB Chief People Officer read: “So it is your conclusion that because she is a white woman she necessarily isnt [sic] fit for the role? People are people.”

Wow, that’s a pretty inane inference. But just to clarify, this blog did not conclude new DDB Chief People Officer Britt Hayes’ White woman status necessarily makes her unfit for the role. Hell, it’s difficult to guess what the role even entails.

The appointment did, however, lead this blog to conclude the following:

• DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark is full of shit. Despite all the talk about “staying restless” and her company’s bold “ambition” to promote diversity, the woman habitually hires White people at every unequal opportunity. Clark makes Joe Isuzu look like Jesus.

• Omnicom President-CEO John Wren is full of shit. Despite being named a Pioneer of Diversity, the man continues to dodge accountability on inclusion. Wren makes Tommy Flanagan look like Abraham Lincoln.

• The entire scenario is full of shit. Clark and Wren have already professed their dedication to diverted diversity, pledging support for White women. The Chief People Officer announcement shows a willingness to fabricate fresh positions in order to elevate White women to executive suites. And if Hayes is overseeing diversity initiatives, what the devil is Omnicom SVP Chief Diversity Officer Tiffany R. Warren doing—besides running ADCOLOR? Never mind that Hayes last worked at Grey and JWT, the Sodom and Gomorrah of exclusivity. Additionally, while DDB has embraced the Chief Diversity Officer smokescreen in the past, the company website seems to focus on gender and LGBT in the Inclusion/Diversity section. Wait, there’s more. DDB New York boasts, “So what makes us different? Our people and how we think about your business. Our talent spans the globe and is diverse not only in skill, but in experience and spirit.” In short, DDB puts gender diversity, LGBT diversity, foreigners with visas diversity, diversity of thought, diversity of skill, diversity of experience (code for Old White Guys) and diversity of spirit ahead of racial and ethnic diversity.

No comments: