NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber
Shandwick, one of the world's leading global communications and
engagement firms, announced the creation of a new offering today to
advise clients on communications that build and drive
organizations' diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies.
The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialty will be led by
Tai Wingfield, who joins Weber
Shandwick as senior vice president in New
York from the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI), a
diversity think tank where she led corporate communications and
worked closely with Fortune 500 companies to advance their DEI
efforts.
Under Wingfield's leadership, the Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion specialty will consult with organizations across industry
sectors to develop strategic, culturally-relevant communications
initiatives that establish strong and lasting partnerships with
diverse audiences internally and externally. She'll partner closely
with Emil Hill, a senior strategist
based in the firm's Washington,
D.C. office who has counseled a number of clients on DEI
communications strategies, including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a
leading organization working to advance racial equity in
America.
Together with senior talent from across Weber Shandwick's
network, the DEI offering combines strategic communications
expertise with a deep understanding of the DEI landscape, including
key constituencies and issues, as well as barriers and
opportunities for engagement. The work will build on a variety of
DEI programs and initiatives that the firm already supports across
its client roster, such as Verizon's Adfellows program, a
rotational marketing training program for diverse college graduates
and entry-level talent that Weber Shandwick helped develop and
launch.
"A diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce is a business
imperative for organizations," said Andy
Polansky, CEO of Weber Shandwick. "We are integrating our
world-class expertise in employee engagement, corporate reputation,
social impact, high-impact marketing programs and the DEI landscape
to help clients deliver on this important opportunity. Tai's
experience in this area and her command of the role that
communications plays in achieving DEI goals will bring considerable
value to our clients – and to our industry at large – as the
ability to communicate around diversity, equity and inclusion is
core to the future of marketing services."
"Organizations are increasingly finding that strategic
communications are a vital part of building and driving a
successful diversity, equity and inclusion strategy," Wingfield
said. "Done well, organizations reap the benefits of an engaged
staff and satisfied customers. At the same time, a misstep can
cause severe damage to an organization's brand and reputation. We
look forward to helping guide our clients through these
opportunities and challenges to accelerate the impact of their DEI
investments."
Weber Shandwick's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialty
group will work with organizations in a number of capacities to
build and advance clients' DEI strategies for internal and external
audiences, including:
- raising awareness and understanding around the business case
for diversity;
- mitigating risk, and navigating culture change and
transformation;
- communicating around complex social issues;
- developing campaigns to effectively engage increasingly diverse
audiences and stakeholders;
- and demonstrating an organization's commitment to advancing
DEI.
Weber Shandwick's Social Impact team brings considerable
expertise in engaging audiences around complex social issues, and
the firm's Employee Engagement and Change Management team works
with clients to strengthen employer reputation and to build
stronger organizational cultures by aligning employees around
shared values and ways of working. The Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion specialty will work across these and other practices, and
also leverage the firm's library of proprietary research and
thought leadership that tackle important issues in business, such
as reports on gender parity in the C-Suite. Weber Shandwick's
commitment to advancing gender equity recently resulted in the
launch of a new video series called VoiceUp, which will provide
women in business an opportunity to tell their leadership stories
in order to inspire the next generation of female leaders to rise
to the top.
With nearly fifteen years of experience, Wingfield has advised a
wide range of public and private organizations on approaches to
diversity and inclusion, brand reputation management and corporate
social responsibility. Before joining Weber Shandwick, Wingfield
served as the senior vice president of communications for CTI. In
partnership with CTI, she coauthored the book, "Ambition in Black
and White: The Feminist Narrative Revised," and the study, "Black
Women: Ready to Lead." Previously, Wingfield held strategic
communications roles at Edelman and Weber Shandwick, focused on
social impact and corporate strategy.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications and
engagement firm in 80 cities across 34 countries, with a network
extending to 128 cities in 81 countries. The firm's diverse team of
strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and
campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the
world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work. Weber
Shandwick was the only public relations agency included on the
Advertising Age Agency A-list in 2014 and 2015 and the only
PR firm designated an A-List Agency Standout in 2017. Weber
Shandwick was honored as PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year
in 2015, 2016 and 2017, The Holmes Report's Global Agency of
the Year in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and The Holmes
Report's Global Digital Agency of the Year in 2016. The firm
deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas,
including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare,
technology, public affairs, financial services, employee
engagement, social impact, financial communications and crisis
management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics
methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group
(NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit
http://www.webershandwick.com.
Contact: Michelle
Giuda
Company: Weber
Shandwick
Phone: 2124458088
Email: mgiuda@webershandwick.com
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