McCann Central appoints new Group Diversity and Inclusion Officer

We are delighted to announce the promotion of Ruepal Aujla to our Management Board in the newly created role of Group Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

Ruepal joined McCann Birmingham ten years ago so brings a wealth of knowledge and experience about the agency, people and its clients to the role. Ruepal will add this new responsibility to her current role as Managing Partner within Media.

In the last 12 months, Ruepal has been a driving force in spearheading our diversity, equity and inclusion programme.As such, she will continue to draw together all the good work which is currently being done across the Central offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Leeds, and our London-based office, McCann Demand. Recent initiatives include setting up Conscious Inclusion Councils, launching a ‘Cultural Conversations’ series and introducing flexible annual leave policies around religious and cultural events. Ruepal will also continue to work with the rest of McCann Worldgroup’s DE&I teams to implement other initiatives locally. Most importantly, she will hold the leadership accountable for continuing the changes it is making to the business and it’s culture, from the work produced to the experience of all employees.

Dean Lovett, McCann Central CEO, said: “DE&I has become a key pillar of McCann’s philosophy, and whilst this has been driven within Central through a combination of HR initiatives and more recently the work of the Conscious Inclusion Councils (CIC), both of which will continue, we felt it was important that Conscious Inclusion becomes completely embedded in how we approach and run the business. I can’t take full credit for introduction of this role, as this was actually closely related to an idea which, fittingly, was originally suggested by our employees in our first Day For Meaning*.”

“Ruepal has already been a genuine asset in helping to drive positive change and create conditions of belonging throughout the business. Along with members of our Conscious Inclusion Councils, which she chairs, and guided by input from all of our employees, she has successfully steered our DE&I approach into the all-encompassing programme it is today. I’ve no doubt that under Ruepal’s leadership, we will continue to make further enhancements in this important area, and I am delighted to welcome her to the McCann Central Management Board.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives which have been introduced across McCann Central include; identifying and sharing best practice generally and across the advertising and media industry, including setting up a resource library and cultural calendar, working in collaboration with HR and Talent teams on benefits, career development, flexible working and inclusive social events; developing DE&I insights and processes for client work, across creative, casting and content; and advising clients on their external creative output and their internal communications.

*Day For Meaning is an annual McCann Worldgroup activation which brings together every employee to participate in a series of workshops designed to develop initiatives that will increase engagement and belonging by enhancing our diversity, equity and inclusion practices.