Wunderman Thompson Welcomes Sufia Parkar as EMEA Inclusion Equity & Diversity Director

Wunderman Thompson has appointed Sufia Parkar as EMEA inclusion equity and diversity director. Sufia will be partnering directly with the chief people officer EMEA as well as the global chief DE&I officer, to lead and continue building the IE&D framework for the EMEA region. 

Sufia will be reporting to Ewen Sturgeon, CEO of Wunderman Thompson EMEA & APAC, and day-to-day operations to Ezinne Okoro, global chief inclusion, equity and diversity officer. She’ll sit on the EMEA Exco. She joins from a position at McCann Worldgroup where she was global associate director, diversity equity and inclusion.

Sufia brings years of experience in learning and development, employee culture and engagement to the role and is committed to creating conditions of belonging and connection across all employees that empowers people to unleash their potential driving business growth. 

“There are incredible things already happening here at Wunderman Thompson and I’m looking to build upon something fantastic,” Sufia says of the role. “For too long, I’ve seen industry speak of DE&I as a regulatory hurdle when in fact it’s the opposite. When we have people with diverse experiences, diverse perspectives and diverse backgrounds, it inspires us to learn from one another. It unlocks new ways of thinking, of being more creative and being the best versions of ourselves. I can see that Wunderman Thompson is doing this in a way that deeply excites me and makes me want to be a part of the team.”

She is ardent about leaving a legacy of good for her three children and in 2018, achieved her post-graduation in Human Resources by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Sufia was winner of the prestigious IPA iList inaugural award.  

Outside of work, Sufia is busy supporting women to build their confidence and volunteers as an Interview Coach at various social enterprises and leads on numerous women empowerment groups including work as an advisor at Media for All, part of the steering committee for the timeTo initiative and her position on the Board of Trustees at the Amal

Ewen Sturgeon at Wunderman Thompson says, "We are incredibly pleased to welcome Sufia into this role. She has incredibly valuable experience and an eye for collaborative work that will bring benefits throughout our organisation. Her vision of the future matches our own and we are looking forward to the great work we can do together.”