‘The Diversity Delusion’ Panel Debate 2015

Lopa Patel MBE moderated an expert panel debate on 26th March 2015 during Advertising Week Europe. ‘The Diversity Delusion’ panel debate comprising Robin Wight, President of Engine and WCRS; Tracy De Groose, UK CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network; Shelina Janmohamed, a recognised expert in Muslim marketing and diversity assessment and development specialist Professor Binna Kandola OBE, discussed why diversity initiatives aren’t working in the advertising industry.

Questions from the audience probed issues of ageism, racism and sexism in an industry deemed “too posh, too white, too male” according to a quote by Trevor Beattie, Chairman of advertising agency TBWA London. The facts certainly support that view, with the industry nearly 87% white compared to the Capital which has a 40% BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) population profile. The industry fails too in almost all other diversity categories across class, religion, gender and across disabilities. Yet including a more diverse mix of backgrounds, experiences and opinions within teams is proven to make businesses more profitable and more successful.

About the speakers

Tracy De Groose

Tracy De Groose was appointed UK CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network in May 2014, having previously held the position of UK CEO of Carat. At Carat, Tracy grew the agency into a £1billion billings business and one of the Top 100 Companies to Work For, which in 2013 was named the fastest growing network by RECMA. Her earlier career saw her tackle some of the UK’s biggest marketing and communications challenges, both agency and client side.

From 1992-1998 at Whitbread, Tracy transformed Stella Artois into a top ten FMCG brand and FMCG brand of the year in 1998. She went on to hold senior positions at Starcom and Naked Communications, before joining Dentsu Aegis in 2009. Tracy is also an executive member of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications, London), and regularly volunteers her time to guide and nurture the next generation of talent as a Marketing Academy Mentor.

Shelina Janmohamed

Based in London, Shelina Janmohamed is a recognised expert in Muslim marketing, the author of the novel ‘Love in a Headscarf’ which has been published in eight languages, and an award-winning blogger. Shelina brings fifteen years of global blue-chip marketing experience with her, as well as ongoing dialogues with young Muslims from across the Muslim world.

With her unique British-Muslim perspective and commercial background she hopes to increase understanding and awareness of Muslim consumers and their increasing importance in today’s world. Shelina has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world, and more specifically one of the UK’s 100 most influential Muslim women. The UK’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising awarded her ‘Woman of Tomorrow’, one of ten future female leaders of the British advertising industry.

Binna Kandola OBE

Diversity, assessment and development specialist Professor Binna Kandola OBE is a Business Psychologist, Senior Partner and co-founder of Pearn Kandola. He is particularly interested in the study of gender bias and unconscious bias in organisations. He is the author of two new and critically acclaimed books on these subjects: 'The Invention of Difference: The story of gender bias at work' and 'The Value of Difference: Eliminating bias in organisations'.

Binna was the first Chair of the Standing Committee for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities of the British Psychological Society and a member of Sir Robin Butler's Panel of Enquiry into Equal Opportunities in the Senior Civil Service. In January 2004, Binna was invited to join the UK Government's National Employment Panel and appointed Chair of the Minority Ethnic Group.

Lopa Patel MBE - Moderator

Lopa Patel MBE is Founder and CEO of Diversity UK, a think tank set up to research, advocate and promote new ideas for improving diversity and inclusion in Britain.

She is also a digital media entrepreneur and founder of the online South Asian Lifestyle portal Redhotcurry.com and ecommerce website TheRedhotshop.com. She is an experienced marketing consultant who previously set up the direct marketing services company DMS Direct Ltd, where she worked with international companies, charities and not-for-profit organisations, marketing agencies and SMEs in a broad range of industry sectors. She is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) and the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA). She was recognised with an MBE for services to the creative industries in 2009.

Lopa is currently a Non-Executive Director of EMBG (Ethnic Minority Business Group) and a Trustee of educational charity Raha International.

Robin Wight

As President of both Engine and WCRS, Robin Wight co-led the management buyout from Havas in 2004. He started out by setting up a student advertising agency while still at Cambridge University. A copywriter for a number of agencies, he co-founded Wight Collins Rutherford Scott with Peter Scott in 1979.

Robin has been Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Charter for Business, for which he was awarded a CVO in the 2000 Birthday Honours. He was also the Chairman for Arts and Business. Robin founded the Ideas Foundation, identifying and nurturing creatively gifted young people from ethnic minorities through the award of Creativity Scholarships. He was also a Founder of plotr, the Government backed website to help young people into work.

Recently he has been studying the way the brain processes communications and authored “The Peacock’s Tail and the Reputation Reflex: The Neuroscience of Art Sponsorship”.

Despite a 32 year commitment to marketing BMW, Robin rides a Boris Bike every day.