Interpublic Group announced that Channing Martin is joining the company as Global Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer, effective immediately. Martin will be responsible for advancing IPG’s diversity, equity and inclusion objectives and continuing to strengthen the company’s progress to being one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive companies.

Reporting to Philippe Krakowsky, IPG’s Chief Executive Officer, Martin will lead the strategy on all diversity-related matters and build upon IPG’s industry-leading equity and inclusion practices, including the continued diversification of IPG’s senior ranks and talent pipeline, collaboration and partnership with IPG’s full network of agency brands, CEOs and DE&I leadership community. In her role, Martin will also support the advancement of social impact strategies and practices in partnership with the leadership of IPG’s integrated ESG team.

Krakowsky commented, “IPG’s commitment to equity and inclusion have long been core to our culture. Diversity and inclusion are key elements in how we deliver extraordinary value to all our stakeholders – including our people, our clients and our owners. And while we’ve made meaningful progress in this area, there is still a great deal of work left for us to do. I look forward to partnering with Channing to advance our goals, and to harness the impact of her perspective, experience and passion to ensure that we become an organization in which fairness is at the foundation of everything we do, and in which opportunity and access are equally available to all of our people.”

Martin will collaborate with senior management across IPG’s leading agency brands to develop, support and implement global strategies, resources and programs that ensure IPG’s talent is reflective of the marketplace at every level, and that IPG companies deliver inclusive experiences that allow all talent to thrive, with a culture that drives belonging, well-being and growth for all our people and fosters the cultural insights and sensitivity to help our clients make authentic and responsible connections with their customers.

“Advertising and communications is a powerful platform – one that we’ve seen drive real change across the globe by exposing injustice, creating a more accepting and understanding society and broadening perspectives and understanding,” added Martin. “I’m thrilled to join an organization like IPG, that has proven its sustained commitment to opportunity for all in an industry with such great potential to promote equity and advance social impact.”

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Martin joins IPG from CSG, a global provider of consumer engagement and digital experience solutions, where she was Chief Diversity and Social Responsibility Officer. Throughout her career, Martin has developed and executed measurable diversity initiatives that amplify employee voices, build diverse pipelines of talent, mitigate bias in hiring and performance reviews and strengthen community partnerships to reach new audiences.

Martin previously held the positions of Diversity and Inclusion Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Diversity Lead and Strategic Planner for the U.S. Department of State and the Diversity Recruitment and Assessment Manager for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

IPG is committed to achieving the highest standards in diversity, equity and inclusion, and continues to build on strong practices of inclusivity at all levels of the organization, talent pipeline and global supply chain. 

IPG has long been an industry leader in advancing diversity and inclusion. In 2006, IPG became the first company in the industry to tie the compensation of CEOs to diversity hiring, promotions and representation. And, in 2020, IPG was the first advertising holding company to release EEO-1 statistics for U.S. leadership. Programs include pipeline fellowships, business resource groups that host timely events and conversations, and leadership development pilots for under-represented groups and managers.

In 2022 alone, IPG’s efforts resulted in the company being included on Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for the third consecutive year, named in the top five on Forbes’s 2022 listing of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity,” and named to the Corporate Equality Index, an annual survey published by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) that recognizes the best place to work for LGBTQ+ talent, for the 13th year.

Source: Interpublic Group