VMLY&R has expanded its people division with the addition of two new executive roles in the global leadership team: Aimee Pagano joins VMLY&R as global head of talent acquisition; and Tasha Gilroy has been promoted to global chief equity, inclusion, and belonging officer. Both will report to Ronnie Felder, global chief people officer of VMLY&R. 

The appointments follow substantial business growth for the agency in 2021; VMLY&R grew by more than 2,500 hires globally as a result of 12% year-over-year growth of its multibillion-dollar business and the addition of new clients, including Coca-Cola and Walgreens Boots Alliance. The agency’s health practice alone saw a year-over-year growth rate of 21% in the past year. 

“We are at a moment of opportunity and responsibility to reimagine the employee experience and future workforce potential of our business. The time is now to ensure that our DEI strategy is not separate, but a fully integrated aspect of every part of the employee journey. Bringing our talents together as executive people leaders unlocks our ongoing commitment to reaching untapped and diverse talent in every respect, and aligns to evolving client strategies and needs,” Felder said. “Aimee and Tasha are outstanding leaders with innovative spirit and hearts for shaping the future of our company.”

In recent years, VMLY&R has invested heavily in its talent strategy, including the expansion of the agency’s learning, growth, and experience program; leadership development; and DEI infrastructure across LATAM, EMEA, Asia, and the U.S.

Pagano comes over to VMLY&R after five years with McCann Worldgroup, where she served as global head of talent acquisition. She brings 20 years of experience in talent, 12 of those in the advertising industry leading recruiting for top agencies. She will be responsible for leading and reimaging the global acquisition function that aims to attract and connect with the best talent for VMLY&R. With the future of work in mind, Pagano will be developing an inclusive, innovative, and transformative talent strategy that supports the growth of VMLY&R’s business and the needs of its clients and people. 

During her career, Pagano has worked with some of the industry’s best and brightest creative and strategic minds, building an innovative talent acquisition function to enable companies to attract and hire unique, diverse talent at scale across consumer, creative, and health. She has supported talent needs across many clients, including Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Pernod Ricard USA, Toyota, and HBO. Earlier experiences include executive recruiting, leading internal corporate recruitment teams, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) programs for contingent and full-time recruitment across multiple industries for clients such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse, 1-800-Flowers, Estée Lauder, ADP, and Chase.  

Gilroy is promoted to global chief equity, inclusion, and belonging officer and will spearhead VMLY&R’s efforts to create measurable and sustained outcomes across diversity, equity, and inclusion. In response to business growth, coupled with the competitive talent market, Gilroy will work closely with Pagano to drive a diverse talent strategy. 

Gilroy has served with distinction in culture and inclusion roles for the past 16 years. In her prior capacity as co-director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Gilroy led talent and partnership commitments that built VMLY&R’s pipeline of top talent in North America and globally. In this role, she guided the vision and execution for equitable talent recruitment and retention strategy across the network; maintained the agency’s many existing relationships with partner organizations such as the 4A’s MAIP, the AAF Mosaic Center for Multiculturalism, the One Club for Creativity, and the 3% Conference; and cultivated new relationships with Asians in Advertising and 100 Roses from Concrete.

She earlier served as director of inclusion and community for Y&R. Over the years, she has introduced a range of high-impact programs, including unconscious bias workshops, Ujima, and VMLY&R’s mentoring program for Black employees, and connected employees to membership programs that have forged access and opportunities for women, people of color, and the industry’s most underrepresented groups. Gilroy is a member of ColorComm, 100 Roses from Concrete, and We All Rise Together. She sits on the AAF Mosaic Committee and the Cannes Can Diversity Collective advisory board. Gilroy also served as the executive sponsor for the WPP Elevate leadership program for Black women from its launch in 2020 through February 2022.