IPG Mediabrands has made another effort to bring organizational buy-in to its diversity goals, hiring Rayyan Kamal as head of diversity, equity and inclusion for Mediabrands Canada, as well as marketing data arm Kinesso.

A newly created role, Kamal’s remit is to bring best practices and progressive solutions to Mediabrand’s DEI strategy, working with internal stakeholders across the network, such as its DEI Committee and employee resource groups, to facilitate initiatives that support Mediabrand’s three DEI pillars. He’ll report to Leith Mellors, chief people officer, Mediabrands & Kinesso.

Those three pillars – people, work and community – have been the cornerstones of Mediabrand’s DEI efforts, with working groups under each one taking a collaborative approach to driving meaningful change. Kamal’s hiring also fulfills a goal Mellors told MiC about last year, recognizing that executive-level buy-in was necessary in order to achieve goals as important as the ones the company had set for itself.

“To truly win together, we need to create a culture and a community where everyone can flourish and grow and where equity-seeking groups can realize their fullest potential,” Mellors says. “Having Rayyan in place is vital to us achieving meaningful goals around representation and a sense of belonging for all.”

Kamal has spent the last five years at BMO in diversity and inclusion focused roles, most recently as senior advisor of strategic initiatives and engagement. Prior to joining the bank and coming to Canada, Kamal worked as a consultant with PwC in New York, Fidelity Investments in Boston and Cambridge Associates in Asia.