VMLY&R announced the promotion of Myron King to Chief Integration Officer, a role tasked with “focusing on BIPOC corporate integration; consulting on marketplace diversity; and developing inclusive policies, practices, and protocols for business evolution.” Plus, King will be a “strategic partner” on VMLY&R’s Transformation Initiative, which is charged with combating systemic racism throughout the firm. Huh? Why would a White advertising agency boasting 3% Movement certification and diversity innovation need to invent a new position to fight systemic racism? Actually, that’s a self-answering question—it’s because VMLY&R, despite its deceptive and denial-driven PR hype, is a White advertising agency.
VMLY&R Promotes Myron King to Chief Integration Officer, North America
VMLY&R has announced the promotion of Myron King as chief integration officer to lead organizational design and cultural integration strategy for North American clients. He joins VMLY&R’s executive leadership team and will report to Global Chief Experience Officer Jeff Geheb.
In this new role, King will oversee the strategic integration of core agency capabilities for new and existing clients across North America. This includes focusing on BIPOC corporate integration; consulting on marketplace diversity; and developing inclusive policies, practices, and protocols for business evolution.
In addition, the chief integration officer serves as a strategic partner for the agency’s new cross-departmental Transformation Initiative. VMLY&R’s Transformation Initiative aims to implement integration efforts that combat systemic racism across all areas of the business, both client-facing and internal. The initiative will also support ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategies that drive measurable progress and substantive and lasting change for BIPOC employees and VMLY&R employees at large.
King’s appointment comes at the apex of a broad industry awakening on the convergence of technological advancements and the urgency of racial equity in the workplace and beyond.
“Our agency is dedicated to improving what it means to be a diverse, inclusive, and valuable partner today, and 100 years from now,” Geheb said. “To that end, we need leaders who bring expertise and perspective in how we harness creativity, technology, and culture. Myron is the very embodiment of forward-thinking leadership, and his broad experience will be a winning combination to better serve our clients and our agency’s ambitions.”
King is a veteran of the VMLY&R network, having spent nearly 15 years with the agency. He served most recently as managing director of VMLY&R’s advisory practice, where he led digital transformation efforts. Since joining the agency in 2006, King has played a vital role in helping clients navigate disruption by crafting connected and memorable brand and customer experiences for clients like Bayer, Coca-Cola, ConocoPhillips, Dell, Electrolux, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell, Kellogg, SAP, Sherwin-Williams, and Sprint.
“VMLY&R is like family to me,” King said. “Over the years I've watched us grow from 400 employees to over 7,000. We've consistently adapted and evolved to deliver some of the top creative, digital, and consumer-centric marketing solutions in the world. In the process, we've sustained a culture of togetherness and excellence. I’m excited to amplify our organizational design and cultural integration efforts with clients to help make VMLY&R the most diverse, inclusive, and creative agency in the world.”
King is highly active in the development of VMLY&R’s culture and employee experience. He is a founding member of the VMLY&R Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee; a Mentor Captain; and an executive sponsor for BIPOC employee resource groups. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and communication studies from the University of Missouri before completing a master's degree in public policy analysis from the University of Rochester.
In his spare time, King volunteers with numerous nonprofits across the U.S. He is a proud member of 100 Roses and AAF-KC. He enjoys traveling with his wife and three adult children and sharpening his musical chops on the drums.
2 comments:
So is the idea, industry-wide, to take all of the highest ranking Black professionals and truncate their careers?
To put them into "diversity" positions where they get to have an opinion and a higher salary, but no hiring or firing power?
Because it seems like a trend, and a great way to remove the teeth of any progress by shunting all the best and brightest off into a corner that's useful for PR ("Look at our agency! We have a diversity officer, even though we're calling them something else!") but terrible for any actual change.
Utter and total BS, if all the agency plantations continue to hire Blacks for these no profit responsibility positions there will not be enough to go around. Like being "Colored" staff in the White House
Sanford Moore
Post a Comment