WPP hires Adrianne Smith as first International Director of Inclusion and Range
With WPP, Adrianne Smith creates an inclusive and diverse environment for all employees
WPP has hired Adrianne Smith as Global Director of Inclusion and Diversity, a new position at the holding. Smith will support and partner with Judy Jackson, who has recently been appointed agency global culture director.
"Adrianne was chosen for this role because she is an entrepreneur and pioneer, and has been committed to changing inclusion and diversity in the advertising industry for many years," said Jackson.
"Adrianne believes that all things are possible and will bring a new perspective to the inclusion and diversity agenda."
Smith founded Cannes Can: Diversity Collective, an organization that brings young people with color to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Smith was previously the first executive director of the 4A Center for Excellence in Advertising at Howard University.
According to the WPP, Smith will work with Jackson and other company stakeholders to continuously engage talent in his network of agencies, including Gray. VMLY & R. Wunderman Thompson. GroupM and MediaCom,
Smith will also lead a collective made up of WPP leaders for diversity, justice, and inclusion, which was founded last year. As part of this role, it is tasked with promoting an “atmosphere of cooperation” so that the members can contribute to and contribute to the strategy, politics and programming of the collective.
"Adrianne will be the foundation to advance our inclusion and diversity strategy, leverage learning and effective practices across brands, while taking responsibility for our shared success," said Jackson.
"She will work with executives, customer teams, our talent community and external partners to create a concerted sense of purpose, and will be a trusted partner for our global inclusion and diversity agenda."
"The goal was to educate and inspire all of the WPP companies about our evolving culture and showcase all of the wonderful opportunities and ideas that make it part of WPP," said Smith.
"Judy's enthusiasm for the room was really infectious. Everyone in the room was committed. I left the meeting and felt inspired by the new WPP and the incredible talent and managers behind it."
Smith will be responsible for helping WPP create an environment where employees can be their authentic selves.
"My goal is to make WPP as quick as possible because it's about justice, inclusion, and diversity – which means bad industry habits don't bring returns."
