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.
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