Moving the Needle: How DDB Fosters Inclusivity Globally
At DDB, we not only inspire inclusion, but we also pioneered it. Phyllis Kenner Robinson, “the first lady of Madison Avenue’s creative revolution,” as she was dubbed by the Financial Times following her death, was a pioneer in every sense of the word.
For this edition of Moving the Needle, we are shining a light on DDB’s senior leaders who are playing a pioneering role in female empowerment and inspiring inclusivity within their agency walls.
After all, who better to drive this movement than women who are already in positions of authority?
Here’s how they answered the following question: What are you doing to foster inclusivity in the workplace?
DDB Worldwide
Roisin Rooney
Global chief people officer, DDB Worldwide
Lead with transparency and honesty. That doesn’t mean telling everyone everything you know, but it does mean upholding our ‘Four Freedom’ values. I believe people thrive, are innovative and creative when they know they have the ‘Freedom to Fail’, to experiment and trial new things. They should always feel welcomed, included, and valued - our ‘Freedom to Be’, celebrates everyone for who they are. Fostering inclusivity is about genuine, powerful actions, not catchy slogans or empty words.
Donna Tobin
Global chief marketing & communications officer, DDB Worldwide
Every day presents an opportunity to keep inclusivity and equity super high on what should be an ever-present radar. In my role, it can manifest itself in many forms, whether it’s shining a light on the amazing female talent and thought leaders at all levels who are part of our DDB global network, evangelizing for gender balance when crafting stage, panel, podcast, or press speaking opportunities, or creating a culture where the freedom to be and freedom of expression at every ‘table’ in every meeting is a top priority. As a mom to three daughters, mentor to many at DDB, elsewhere, and to three women as part of the Omniwomen mentorship program, it is an honor and responsibility 24/7 to be a cheerleader and champion of women at all levels, not only surrounding IWD, yet every day of the year.
Regina Chung Loy
Senior director of marketing & communications, DDB Worldwide
I subscribe to the notion that a great idea can come from anywhere. Oftentimes, some of the most outlandish thinking can spark a thought that ignites a movement. And for an industry built on ideas, it’s important to our livelihood that we inspire others to have a strong voice.
One of my favourite quotes is ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. While it’s usually used in economics, it takes on a similar meaning in business. I inspire inclusion by acknowledging that representation matters, recognising intersectionality in others, and advocating on behalf of underrepresented groups so they feel safe, welcome, and valued.
DDB APAC
Esther Selvanayagam
Chief financial officer, DDB Asia
As part of the management team, I’ve had the opportunity to champion flexible, family-friendly policies that accommodate working mothers. Balancing professional and personal demands can be overwhelming, especially for new mothers. Having more flexibility and compassion at work is vital for overall health and well-being. I am also an advocate for creating and upholding a work culture with zero tolerance for discrimination and bias. Every person has the right to feel valued and the freedom to be. I have worked hard to facilitate confidential reporting channels and swift and fair resolution of any complaints in my role as CFO.
Priya Patel
Group chief executive officer, DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand
For the last few years, we have used an external auditor to review pay equity at DDB Group New Zealand. We were pleased to demonstrate that we were leading the market, with women earning 0.1% more here than men. This is in stark contrast to other New Zealand businesses where women earn on average 10% less than their male colleagues. Every year, we share these results openly with our staff and, if needed, address any inequity by departments or roles. We firmly believe everyone deserves to get paid what they’re worth and that pay equity is a fundamental building block to a fair and inclusive culture.
Liz Knox
Managing director group operations, DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand
For the fourth year in a row we’re running Project iV, a programme of work designed to identify, nurture and grow the agency’s future female leaders. Our brightest stars are given intensive learning, mentorship and guidance to best prepare them for management, leadership and the challenges that may come with breaking through the glass ceiling. We’re ultimately fostering an intergenerational group of women whose connections will live on for years to come!
Claudia Macdonald
Executive director, Mango New Zealand
As well as helping manage our PR agency Mango, I work with our PX team to develop and deliver our diversity and inclusion programme. This has included running our Cultural Committee to celebrate the many different cultural events, such as Diwali, Matariki (Aotearoa New Zealand’s Māori New Year), Chinese New Year, Pride Month, International Women’s Day, with inspirational speakers, food sharing and more. Additionally I developed and managed the launch of ‘Everybody Fits’ in 2022, a programme to encourage Māori and Pacific students into the industry through a two-week internship and also drove a programme to upskill our senior managers in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view). It’s been an amazing journey so far and it has just started.
Sheryl Marjoram
CEO, DDB Sydney Group
We are really proud of our new parental leave policy, developed to impact the gender gap in superannuation balances which continues to be a persistent problem in every state and territory in Australia. Women spend more time out of the workforce than men and earn less than men when they are working. This means that women have a harder time building their superannuation balances. This has caused a gap in superannuation balances when a woman is approaching retirement. So at DDB we will give: all primary carers, commencing DDB paid parental leave, will receive a superannuation bonus equal to the unpaid portion of superannuation for up to 12 months.
Anna Chua-Norbert
Group chief culture officer, DDB Group Philippines and managing director, DDB Philippines and B&B
In the Philippines, we have a rich tapestry of cultures, perspectives, and talents. Yet, the potential of this diversity is often untapped in our workplaces. At DDB Group Philippines, we felt it was time to change the narrative, so as business leaders, we made the responsible decision to create safe and inclusive environments where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique insights and skills. We received the UN Women WEPs Award as a Gender Responsive workplace champion for the Philippines and part of the UN Women signatory to drive DE&I. Gender equality is not just a moral imperative; it's a business necessity. Studies have consistently shown that companies with diverse leadership teams perform better, are more innovative, and have higher employee satisfaction. By embracing DE&I, we are not just doing the right thing socially; we are also making a smart business decision. However, embracing DE&I is not a passive act. It requires a conscious effort and commitment from each one of us. It means actively challenging stereotypes, dismantling barriers, and creating opportunities for all, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or background, one idea, one person, one day at a time.
Karen Sew Hoy
People experience director, DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand
Here at DDB Aotearoa NZ, we pride ourselves on being inclusive and our DEI strategy is called our ‘iD Strategy’ – we put the ‘I’ before the ‘D’ as we firmly believe that to be diverse, we first have to be inclusive. One of our main pillars of work is ‘Gender Equity’. As part of our commitment, we regularly review the market to make sure that our policies and processes are competitive and more importantly, support and empower women. This has lead us to provide paid parental leave of three months, give those in their last trimester and the first three months after returning from maternity leave, a carpark in the building, and staggering their return back to the office for the first three months by allowing them to work four days, but paying them for five days. We know that our policies are competitive and not only attract great talent, but help us to retain great female talent.
Maggie Cheung
Managing partner, DDB Group Hong Kong
As part of our agency's inclusion council, I know the conscious effort leadership makes to create an expectation of diversity and inclusion in our office. As well as regular training on unconscious bias and how to model inclusive behaviour for all, we have several future female leaders in the Phyllis Program. I launched this program for the Hong Kong office after hearing of its success at DDB Mudra, but it's now a wider regional initiative, involving mentorship, career-planning and training for our high-potential female staff, run out of Mumbai. Right now, we have two females on our senior leadership team, but 70% of all likely successors are currently female, which is really exciting.
Menaka Menon
President, DDB Mudra (South)
The first step towards inclusivity is of course to ensure that our hiring process is inclusive and open to all with the relevant qualifications, and that is something we are very committed to.
But on a day to day basis, inclusivity also comes from breaking silos and encouraging participation & contribution from all. In our field that winning idea, the spark, can come from anywhere - irrespective of department, tenure, experience or qualification. And to truly harness this potential, we need to ensure inclusivity in our processes. We have various initiatives towards this end, one of which is the All Hands Brainstorms we run on key projects, to ensure we embrace divergence in terms of the ideas we bring to the table. These sessions have proven immensely successful in our unit, and see not just great engagement across the board, but also have resulted in some really strong and powerful ideas on specific brand challenges.
Nikki McKelvie
Managing director, DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand
If young women see other women in leadership positions, they wholeheartedly can see themselves in that role. Growing up in the industry I struggled to see it for myself, so I feel privileged to be one of many female leaders in our agency. We are stoked to have a female CEO, managing director, head of business management and head of planning. See it to believe it.
Vanaja Pillai
President, 22feet Tribal Worldwide & head – DEI, DDB Mudra Group
When I came back to a business role in 2023 after three years of immersion in the DEI space, it was an opportunity to use my passion for DEI to deliver business outcomes. 22feet Tribal already has a healthy gender ratio across levels, but the attempt in the last year has been to make DEI a way of life, and a competitive advantage. We have actively sought profiles from underrepresented communities, with some success, through our DEI expert partners. And are constantly learning about and understanding unfamiliar communities, to tell new stories, sensitively and accurately. Through formal and informal forums, we listen to the voices across our offices carefully and respectfully, and actively celebrate unique perspectives that drive innovation.
Pragati Chavan
Director – corporate strategy & communications, DDB Mudra Group
I think a lot has been spoken about what inclusivity at the workplace means, and there are different definitions, connotations, and applications of it in our everyday lives. Perhaps one aspect which I feel is not talked about as much is how inclusivity is also about having the empathy to make reasonable accommodations, and I think that by itself, something so simple and basic really can bring joy, a sense of control, and heightened productivity for people at the workplace today. Because if there's one thing that something like covid-19 has taught us, it's that there is no 'should be' in the workplace. I believe that as leaders, we have the responsibility to lead teams and people in a way that allows them to bring their whole selves to work, and a way of living that is by understanding their unique challenges and being reasonable in accommodating some of the adjustments that they may need to be fulfilled at work.
Leslie Goh
Chief operating officer, DDB Group Singapore
Building an empowering environment to create a gender neutral workplace and shut down stereotypes. With such an environment, it promotes open communication and support where employees feel comfortable voicing their perspectives, sharing challenges, and offering feedback on diversity and inclusion initiatives. We've also introduced flexiwork options for new mothers/parents caring for their newborns and individuals responsible for caregiving duties within their families.This initiative aids them in transitioning to their new roles at home, enabling them to achieve a balance and thrive both in their personal and professional lives. We believe talent has no gender. Every team member should have the opportunity to grow, enhance their skills and demonstrate their abilities. Together, these strategies cultivate an inclusive workplace culture where every member is valued, respected, and empowered.
Wendy Ong
Regional head, private bank and TPC marketing, DBS (Wendy is a former DDBer and current client)
I have a team of young mothers – they are ambitious go-getters and want to achieve their best potential at work. However, motherhood competes with that individual self-actualisation need. And they end up feeling that they are letting themselves down at work and letting their children down at home which is so damaging to their sense of self-worth. So I make sure they have a safe space to balance both roles – from unplanned requests to work from home because the helper is unavailable or their child is ill, planning our meetings around their home schedule, allowing them to pump during our team meetings (yes, we are all used to the sound of the pump machine) and even ‘lunchtime massage sessions’ to give them some respite. Work hours are extremely flexible (unofficially) – they can come in later and go home earlier because I trust them to manage their own deadlines. It is their mental presence that is important so I want to make sure that they are emotionally and physically able to juggle the demands of work and motherhood. Being a mom myself, I suppose it helps to give them assurance that they need to be kind to themselves and are doing great.
DDB North America
Amanda Peters
Head of strategy, adam&eveDDB NYC
I lead with empathy and try to create a space for people to feel safe, seen and heard so they can bring their whole selves to their work. I try to work and live by this phrase: ‘listen to everybody and learn from everyone’.
Holly Springer
SVP, deputy program lead, Team DDB - U.S. Army
On Team DDB, I started ‘Speak Your Mind’ as a forum for smaller groups within our large team to have breakfast, coffee, and discussion with our lead team. This has become a cherished reset for me and our lead team to hear from team members at all levels, from all departments. It’s a casual setting to share what’s working, what’s not, get to know each other on a personal level and reset before we get called back into the challenges of the day to day.
DDB Latina
Laura Esteves
VP of creativity, DM9
To foster inclusivity we are bringing more female talent and assigning them on every creative opportunity. Therefore we can boost female talent in numbers and senior positions.
Ana Bermudez
SVP, managing director, alma
alma is a mosh pit of different cultures, backgrounds, passions, and ways of thinking. After 30 years as leaders in multicultural marketing and over 35 nationalities within our walls, inclusivity is not a thing we do, it’s who we are. And authenticity is at the core of what sets alma apart – we are unapologetically us and encourage everyone to bring their whole unapologetic selves to work. And how can you achieve this epic level of authenticity? By encouraging teams to challenge the rules we were taught as kids - the ones that told you to keep quiet, don’t argue, and stay in your seat. We strive to create a culture where teams feel like they can speak up, challenge the status quo, and never conform to the norm. alma is proud to have a no-labels, no-boxes, no-one-size-fits-all philosophy, and we apply it to everything we do.
Montserrat Villafañe Molina
President, DDB Mexico
DDB Mexico is one of the most inclusive agencies in the Mexican market. We've been awarded Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ by the Human Rights Campaign for the last three years!
50% of our vice presidencies are led by women (VP of finance and VP of client Services) and we have a ‘Creative Team Leaders Programme’ where we focus on helping creative women grow to be creative leaders as most of the creative directors in Mexico are men.
30% of our creative talent comes from different states other than Mexico City. We want to make sure that we are not CDMX-centric. We are really flexible with working moms for them to be able to be present with their kids when needed (important sports events, school events, etc.) Being a CEO mom, they feel comfortable and supported by the head of the office.
Stephanie Roldán
VP client service, DDB Mexico
At DDB Mexico we are very proud to be recognised as one of the most inclusive agencies in Mexico. We have achieved that the top management is made up of 50% women. And in Mexico where mothers still carry the greatest responsibility in caring for their children, we are an agency that understands those responsibilities and provides the flexibility and support that all working mothers need. We want to be an office where everyone can develop and do their best work without having to sacrifice their identity, their family, or their personal life.
DDB EMEA
Klára Palmer
Chief creative officer, DDB Prague
I don’t know if there is any special process or approach to this in our agency. It somehow comes naturally and it’s given by our DNA. We believe in diversity and its benefits because we experience it every day. We are all equal and everyone’s voice and opinion matter. We cherish this mindset and protect it with everything we do.
Roxana Memetea
Managing partner, DDB Romania
I am a person that believes in chances and opportunities more than in anything else. And I like to build for my team a place where you want to stay and grow. That's why I take great care of what I DON’T want the agency I lead to be, and not to repeat things that I personally didn't like when I was a beginner in the field. When I say I offer opportunities, I'm serious, and I try that anyone who desires and puts in effort gets everything possible from me to reach their dream. And this is done through dialogue, equal opportunities, support, and real recognition of merits, along with offering opportunities and contexts of growth.
Jennie Körnung
Chief operating officer, NORD DDB Stockholm
We believe that creativity is fostered in an environment of many perspectives. A DE&I strategy or a high ambition of new perspectives, isn’t something that can live in a drawer. It needs to be institutionalised in our daily operations and my key responsibility is to make sure that we have the processes, the budget, and the space to make sure things happen, and aren't just talked about. I ensure that everyone in our organisation lives and breathes inclusivity in our ways of working, in our projects and how we treat each other, as well as making sure our different partnerships come to life.
Sarah Todd
Chief growth & integration officer, adam&eveDDB London
My commitment is to champion inclusivity, diversity and respect in team working. When we each can build on each other’s ideas and expertise we create highly motivated, inclusive communities. Inclusive teams can literally move mountains.
Roshanak Fatahian
Diversity & inclusion director, NORD DDB Stockholm
Internally I work on empowering our organisation with education, lectures, and seminars on DEI by external and internal speakers. I have also implemented the ‘Four Freedoms’ as the core of our inclusion and belonging work. We are adapting them on a hyper local level, not only to Stockholm, but on department level by having workshops and creating actions on each Freedom. Externally I work actively to make sure underrepresented groups are invited to our organisation and feel included and a sense of belonging. I work with different organisations and schools to make sure we include POC talent from teenage years to university and during their careers.
Roxana Nita
Executive creative director, DDB Romania
I think Inclusion is like the invisible superglue that holds your department together. You can sharpen your hiring process to tap into diversity and gather talents that come from a mix of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. But it’s not enough to bring them in, if afterward they don’t feel respected and heard. So as manager, I try my best (and of course, sometimes fail) to glue them in and make everyone feel like they’re a vital piece of our creative puzzle. Also, I try not to send emails that start with ‘hey guys’ anymore (and of course, sometimes fail).
