DEPT has appointed former BBC diversity lead Sandra Masiliso as its first global diversity, equity, and inclusion leader.
Masiliso will work with regional people & culture leads to drive effective work and embed DE&I throughout the culture, values, and ways of working at DEPT, positively affecting its clients and people.
Masiliso joins DEPT from the BBC, where she was the creative diversity lead for 50:50 The Equality Project and creative diversity partner. Prior to that, she was the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at Newton Europe.
“I am excited to join a company with global reach and an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and sustainability. Too often we can become fixated on what we envision is the ‘end goal’ that we forget to celebrate the small wins and lose sight of the progress that we are making along the way. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m looking forward to the journey that lies ahead”, said Masiliso.
DEPT is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace that represents the populations the agency serves and does business with, and where its 4,000+ talent feel fully represented and feel a sense of belonging. Since its global B Corp Certification in 2021, DEPT has been tracking its progress through annual Impact Reports. In 2022, the company regionalized its approach to DEIB to account for different local cultures and contexts and introduced company-wide employee resource groups (ERG) centered around shared interests.
By the end of 2023, DEPT is aiming for 50% of managers identifying as women or non-binary, and that 40% of its leadership team identify as women or non-binary, which would represent a 5% increase from 2022.
“Since its inception, DEPT has committed to keeping culture at the core of what we do and how we scale our business. Diversity is one of the drivers of creativity and entrepreneurship, two core values of our business, so we knew that formalising our commitment to DEIB was a necessary next step. We can’t wait to see the impact that Sandra will have on our people and in our community”, said Sarah Steele, global SVP, people & culture, DEPT.
