UM Elevates Jeff Marshall to Chief Diversity Officer

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UM, the global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, today announced the elevation of Jeff Marshall to the newly-created role of Chief Diversity Officer. In his expanded role, Marshall will continue to oversee the agency's Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) efforts, including the launch of the UM Worldwide Media 101 Certificate Program in partnership with Vox Media, the leading media company that is home to newsrooms and businesses including New York Magazine, Eater, The Verge and the Vox Media Podcast Network. The Certificate Program is designed to facilitate entry of BIPOC talent into the advertising and media industries.

Marshall most recently served as SVP, Head of DEB, leading the activation efforts for UM's DEB strategy for internal and external audiences. In his expanded role, Marshall will report directly to UM US CEO, Lynn Lewis, and will be responsible for, among other duties: establishing benchmarks for driving diversity goals and tracking the agency's progress; collaborating with internal HR teams and DEI leads across IPG and Mediabrands to attract, retain and grow diverse talent; and partnering with external organizations on diversity initiatives to help drive DEB across UM and the industry. Marshall will also continue to helm UM's DEB Council, the agency's most active Employee Resource Group advising leadership on policy changes, employee communications strategy and talent programs.

"At UM, we have been on a diversity, equity and belonging journey for many years and Jeff has been an integral part of our progress, planning and goal-setting," said Lewis. "An empathetic and effective leader, Jeff's expanded role will allow for even greater opportunity to drive equity across our agency and our industry as we continue to strive for better, helping to futureproof both our own and our clients' businesses." 

Marshall spearheaded the launch of the UM Worldwide Media 101 Certificate Program, a series of virtual training sessions designed to educate college students on the media and advertising landscape and facilitate their entry into the industry. Taught by leaders from across UM and Vox Media, the syllabus covers the fundamentals of the media agency business, such as strategy, media buying and planning, analytics, search, social, digital media trends, developing influence and personal branding. The program is the latest initiative within UM's campus engagement initiative, CurriculUM, which partners with colleges and universities to attract talent and cultivate the next generation of marketing and advertising leaders. UM has partnered with Vox Media on the Certificate Program to bring publisher-side perspective and content into the syllabus, helping students better understand the inner workings of the media and marketing businesses to inform their career goals and planning.

"To effectively attract diverse talent, we must go beyond the traditional methods of recruitment like career fairs on college campuses," said Marshall. "Competition for top talent is fiercer than ever, and we are focusing our efforts on developing meaningful connections with nextgen leaders in their classrooms. By providing students with industry education, mentorship and bespoke programming, we are not only educating them on career opportunities in advertising, but also building a natural pipeline for diverse talent."

"The Media 101 Certificate Program brings the urgency and dedication we have to DE&I in our workplace into the classrooms of historically underserved Black and Brown communities — voices that our industry needs and that deserve to be amplified and immersed in the work," says Chris Clermont, Vox Media's head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. "By focusing on education and learning alongside in-office commitments to change, we strive to broaden the pool of talented people interested in media, marketing and advertising, while ensuring that the workplaces they'll join are as strong, equitable and welcoming as they can be."

About UM
UM is a global media agency committed to Futureproofing our clients' businesses for the now and the next. We leverage the transformational power of rich business analytics and real-time intelligence to maximize growth and activate the full consumer journey across content and connections. Our consultative approach and agile model, rooted in diversity, equity and belonging, drive better business outcomes for brands. As the leading global media network in IPG Mediabrands, UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 3,000 people innovating on a roster of global clients including Accenture, American Express, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel, Sony and Spotify. For more information, please visit https://www.umww.com/. 

SOURCE UM