Launch of diversity & inclusiveness survey
The Commercial Communications Council launches diversity &
inclusiveness survey to provide an industry
benchmark
- partnership with Diversity Works provide
members with access to
diversity resources, tools and
events -
July 5, 2017 – The
Commercial Communications Council’s (CCC) recently formed
Diversity & Inclusiveness Council has launched a voluntary
survey to better understand the current state of diversity
in the marketing, advertising and communications industry
and provide a benchmark.
“There is an increasing focus
on improving the levels of diversity in our industry and
beyond. The benefits of achieving this for our people and
teams, industry and clients are irrefutable. Greater
diversity provides access to broader talent delivering
creative advantage, greater innovation, improved
decision-making and higher returns for shareholders,” said
Megan Clark, Chair of the Diversity & Inclusiveness
Council.
“We’re aware that achieving greater
diversity is a journey and organisations are at different
stages and that’s okay. We feel that participating in the
survey is a great starting point – as industry it allows
us to understand the current landscape, track our progress
and identify areas where we can improve.”
“We’re
under no illusions – this is not a quick overnight fix.
While there are some practical steps that we can all take
now to improve diversity, achieving sustainable, lasting
impact will take ongoing commitment to change and some
time,” she added.
The Commercial Communications
Council’s Diversity & Inclusiveness Council’s purpose is
to enhance the relevance and competitiveness of New
Zealand’s advertising, marketing and communications
industry by championing the benefits of diversity on
creative thinking and commercial outcomes, and supporting
members to develop greater diversity at all levels of their
organisations.
As part of the CCC’s commitment to
lifting levels of diversity, it has partnered with Diversity
Works New Zealand so members can have access to research,
tools and events at a discounted rate.
“Diversity is
not a challenge for our industry alone – Diversity Works
has already done a lot of work in this area. It made sense
to tap into this to enable our industry to build
understanding and equip ourselves to take practical steps to
improve levels of diversity,” said Paul Head, Chief
Executive of CCC.
New Zealand society is changing.
Statistics New Zealand is projecting that by 2038, 51 per
cent of all New Zealanders will be Asian, Maori and
Pasifika. In Auckland today, almost 50 per cent of the
population is Maori, Asian and Pacific peoples; 44 per cent
of people were not born in New Zealand; and there are over
200 ethnicities, and 160 languages spoken[1].
“Adapting our business models
to remain relevant and representative of our clients and
audiences is key to our industry’s future success and is
also critical in attracting the best talent,” he
added.
The Council is chaired by Megan Clark, Managing
Director of Copper Brand Experiences and Kate Smith director
at KS Consulting acts as an adviser. Other Council members
include:
• Ains Baguion, Group Client Service Manager,
Amnet
• Ben Dufty, Head of HR, FCB
• Adelle Keely,
Chief Executive, Acumen Republic
• Rachel Morgan,
Managing Partner, Colenso BBDO
• Kim Pick, Creative
Director, Colenso BBDO
• Karen Sew Hoy, HR Director,
DDB
• Bonnie Shum, Senior Account Manager, J. Walter
Thompson
Diversity – key facts
• Goldman Sachs estimates that closing the
gender gap would boost NZ’s GDP by 10%
• According to
research from Deloitte, companies in the top quartile of
gender diversity are 15 per cent more like to financially
outperform their industry, and companies in the top quartile
of ethnic diversity are 35 per cent more likely to
financially outperform their industry.
• Companies in
the top quartile of ethnic diversity are 35 per cent more
likely to financially outperform their industry[2]
• The companies in the top
quartile of gender diversity are 15 per cent more likely to
financially outperform their industry[3]
• Companies with female board
members are 26 per cent more profitable than companies with
all-male boards[4]
• NZX listed companies have
been required to report gender breakdown for their board
directors and top office holders since 2013 and from October
this year they are required to have a diversity policy or
explain why not in their annual reports.
For more
information go to:
http://commscouncil.nz/docs/article/diversity-inclusiveness-council
diversityworksnz.org.nz