Droga5 has promoted Tiffany Edwards to global head of diversity and inclusion, a new role in which she will lead and oversee the agency’s efforts to recruit, retain and advance professionals from underrepresented backgrounds within the agency’s global locations and industry at large. Edwards joins the leadership team of Droga5 and reports to chief operating officer Susie Nam.
Edwards will oversee the development and acceleration of strategic global diversity, inclusion and equity efforts, programs and processes that further build on Droga5’s existing work within the agency. Since joining Droga5 in 2016 as its first director of engagement and inclusion, Edwards has played a pivotal role in developing the agency’s long-term vision and strategy and has led company-wide initiatives related to diversity, inclusion and equity. In interdisciplinary collaboration with agency leaders in New York and London, she has effectively made engagement and inclusion a central and driving force at Droga5 by incorporating a diversity lens across all touchpoints at the agency.
Her efforts have led to Droga5 being the most diverse it’s ever been, a change that’s reflected not only in the agency’s internal culture but also in client work. They’ve also led to the birth of Droga5’s diversity and inclusion task force (D+iQ); affinity groups (Kinfolk, Q5, HYPHEN, Somos); the launch of D5in10 Academy, the agency’s free course designed to teach creators from all disciplines the essence of advertising concepting; and establishment of the agency’s training partnership with racial-equity leader Glenn E. Singleton, the founder of Courageous Conversations about Race.
“For the last four years, Tiffany has endeavored to be Droga5’s moral compass and thought leader, encouraging us with sharper tools and deeper empathy in developing our work. Not only is this promotion a reflection of where we are at in our journey as an agency, but it is also a recognition of Tiffany’s work in making people feel seen, heard, respected and valued,” said COO Nam. “Very few people can expand and elevate this position like Tiffany, and I look forward to working with her in this new capacity as we continue to bring our holistic approach to talent and culture in focus.”
“When I made the decision to join Droga5 in 2016, I knew that being surrounded by creative thinkers who truly care about fostering a diverse and inclusive environment would empower me to do work that mattered to me personally and that would drive the agency to real change,” said Edwards. ”I still believe in the power that advertising has to shape culture, and I know that, together, we can break old systems and future-proof our industry. I’m eager to continue my work by increasing the diversity of talent in our industry and creating inclusive behaviors, hearts and minds that influence positive change in society.”
Edwards joined Droga5 after three years at the Advertising Club of New York, where she served as the organization’s first foundation and inclusion manager, managing their i’mPART diversity program and developing the models for their annual Women’s Master Class and Women’s Fellowship. Prior to that, she spent seven years at the One Club, where she developed and directed award-winning diversity programs, including the international One Club Creative Boot Camp and the Where Are All the Black People? career-fair series. Outside of her day job, Edwards continues the push to diversify the industry, mentoring students from various high schools and colleges, sitting on the board of Women Who Create and the executive board of Madison’s Collective. She’s a proud member of the ADCOLOR family–an ongoing jury member, a 2010 Rising Star Award recipient and a former member of ADCOLOR’s advisory board.
