A Year Like No Other: A Reflection on Our Pursuit for Progress

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is both challenging and complex. But for us, it has become some of the most rewarding work of our careers. In 2021, FleishmanHillard formalized clear goals and a path forward to realize our ambition to become the most inclusive agency in the world.

We created five pillars to help embed DE&I deep into the firm’s culture and business. Below is an overview of the pillars and some notable progress:

• Moving DEI to the Center: Integrating DE&I into the nervous system of our business, committing and investing aggressively to support our efforts.
  • Progress: We sought out the best and brightest to bring this initiative to life, beginning with the appointment of Adrianne C. Smith (she/her) as chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO) to work alongside Leela Stake (she/her) and Adiya P. Mobley (she/her), co-leads of True MOSAIC, the firm’s fast-growing global DE&I client practice. Also, five newly created roles were added to the mix to round out the Office of the CDIO. This team helps to accelerate the agency’s progress on inclusion and broadens the breadth of perspectives at the helm:
    • Rachel Coleman (she/her), vice president and director of DE&I
    • Francesca Weems (she/her), vice president and director of DE&I
    • Jessica Millett (she/her), vice president, talent development, DE&I
    • Chavonne Jones (she/her), senior vice president and DE&I storytelling managing editor
    • Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt (she/her), manager, DE&I programs

Additionally, we are honored by the recognition we’ve received from the industry for our work in DE&I, including:

• ICCO Global Awards 2021 – Championing Diversity
• PRovoke North America Innovation SABRE (In2SABRE) Award – Most Innovative Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative, 2019-2021
• Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality – 100% Equality Index, Human Rights Campaign, 2018-2021
• Top Companies for Executive Women, Seramount, 2010-2021

• Growing and Retaining Talent: Improve representation of talent from marginalized groups.
  • Progress: We doubled down on our recruit and retain initiatives by strengthening the way we attract and evaluate candidates while bringing greater creativity, consistency and inclusivity into our process. Further, we also launched our inaugural event, “Faces of FH: All About PR Agency Life,” which gave participants a peek at life at FleishmanHillard, our recruiting process, and what we look for in candidates. For our incoming talent, 36 percent of new hires have been ethnically diverse.  

• Making DE&I Intrinsic to our Work: Transforming DE&I into a centerpiece for our client counsel, practices and POVs; living at the intersection of brand and reputation.
  • Progress: We carved out time for colleagues to engage specifically on DE&I within the agency. Further, True MOSAIC celebrated one year as a global practice and has the following to show for it with results including:
    • 100+ clients counseled
    • Launched the Racial Reckoning thought leadership series to help corporate leaders navigate the changing DE&I communications landscape
    • Increased client counselor membership by 138%
    • Formed the Race & Culture Media + Platforms team, our multicultural communications arm of the MOSAIC practice

• Broadening Our Aperture: Making space for perspectives and confronting each other constructively.
  • Progress: FleishmanHillard created a DE&I-focused learning and development strategy, which is being integrated into our broader talent management and career development approach. We also launched eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) globally including the following:
    • The Asian and Pacific Islander Community ​
    • The Black Community ​
    • The DisAbility Community ​
    • The Hispanic and Latino Community ​
    • The LGBTQIA+ Community  ​
    • The Parenting Community​
    • The Muslim Community ​
    • The Young Professionals Community

• Creating Community Connection: Investing in community inside and outside our walls to achieve impact at scale.
  • Progress: We have provided $6.3 million worth of pro bono services as part of FH4Inclusion inching closer to our $7.5 million goal in celebration of our 75^th anniversary. Further, FH led several internal and external events discussing today’s most pressing issues with DE&I industry leaders, including:
    • PRWeek DE&I Communications: Driving Change event, which discussed the role PR practitioners play in advancing DE&I
    • Cannes Can: Diversity Collective’s Inkwell Beach virtual and in-person events, which highlighted creativity and activism in DE&I
    • FleishmanHillard’s inaugural internal Global DE&I Summit, which celebrated our DE&I leaders and showcased the great work happening around the network as it relates to DE&I

In 2022 we will continue to measure, assess and advance the progress of our DE&I journey, staying true to our commitment to our people, business and communities.