Dentsu Aegis launches LGBT+ employee network that will also advise clients
Dentsu Aegis in the UK is launching an employee network for LGBT+ staff, bolstering its efforts around encouraging and supporting diversity within the company.
Dentsu Aegis launches employee LGBT+ network &Proud
The employee network will be called &Proud and primarily act as a support group for staff but, where clients want to be advised on better communication with the LGBT+ community, will also be leant on for commercial activity.
In the first year the group will have a specific remit to help charity Diversity Role Models, which seeks to prevent homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in UK schools, by encouraging staff to become role models.
The group is being sponsored by Dentsu Aegis Network UK and Ireland B2B CEO Liz Jones, who will draw on ‘LGBT+ champions’ from across the network of agencies that includes Carat, Vizeum, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Posterscope, MKTG, and John Brown Media.
Liz Jones, said: “As a heterosexual woman who has always worked in diverse teams, I hadn’t truly appreciated the challenges that many LGBT+ people still face in their lives, with many choosing not to be open with colleagues and clients about their sexuality or gender identity. Businesses have a responsibility to cultivate and promote truly inclusive environments where people feel confident and empowered to be themselves, and do what they love. This isn’t just about helping a group of people find a voice, it’s about turning up the volume on what diversity means and encouraging everyone to embrace it.”
The launch will kick off with an event, which will feature Asifa Lahore, Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen, LGBT Youtubers Trent & Luke and former deputy-chair of Stonewall, Liz Grant.
The news is part of a wider effort from Dentsu Aegis Network in the UK to ensure it is a diverse and inclusive agency. The network recently launched a Women & Leadership programme, as well as launching a new agency which is dedicated to doing good and will be made up of young people from diverse backgrounds, called fortysix.
In South and Southeast Asia the network is also supporting diversity in the region by creating a fund for female entrepreneurs.