M&C Saatchi hires first head of culture and inclusion

M&C Saatchi Group is aiming to steal a march on its agency rivals by appointing its first head of culture and inclusion to boost its diversity strategy.
Sereena Abbassi she will work closely with Lida chief executive Victoria Fox, who is also group sponsor of diversity and inclusion at M&C.
Abbassi is founder of All Here, an organisation that seeks to help agencies and brands think more critically about the world and the work that they create.
She has helped organisations, such as Creative Equals, with their diversity and inclusion strategy, and she is also one of the few experts advising the UK Advertising & Media Industry’s Diversity Taskforce on its strategy.
Abbassi will be taking a step back from operations at All Here to focus on her new role at M&C Saatchi, which starts next month. She will be committed to creating organisational change that is grounded in creative and strategic thinking, whilst also working with external organisations similar to All Here.
Abbassi said: “As creatives, we are in a unique position that allows space for all of our individual and collective experiences to be brought together and shared. Therefore, I was delighted when M&C Saatchi acknowledged the need for culture change and allowed me to drive this.”
Fox said that out of all the candidates, Sereena “stood out a mile”, adding the she is “a passionate expert with actionable skills that we can deploy in the group”.
M&C Saatchi worldwide CEO Moray MacLennan commented: “Diversity of thought is one of the four core principles that underpin our company. It is critical to our success, as it will power better creative thinking and ideas. We are delighted to welcome Sereena to the team to help accelerate our efforts in creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture that celebrates difference and ensures all voices are heard and listened to.”

TOPICS:agency news diversity LIDA M&C Saatchi