TBWA appoints first global diversity lead

TBWA has promoted its chief diversity officer for North America, Aliah Berman, to global chief diversity officer.

Berman took up her previous role in January 2021, and the agency claims she has made significant progress in the US when it comes to diverse representation in the senior leadership team.

In her new role, Berman will seek to replicate this progress in priority areas, including the UK. Working with TBWA’s market leads and parent company Omnicom, Berman will lead global vision, strategy and execution of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Troy Ruhanen, global chief executive of TBWA\Worldwide, said: "As a creative company we play an important role in telling authentic stories, in advancing equity in how we do business, and in crafting images that have great influence in the world. Aliah has been instrumental in helping us make strides in our diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.

"At the global scale, as we continue to push forward and create solutions to long-standing challenges in our diversity, equity and inclusion work, there is no better person to lead these changes than Aliah." 

Berman said: "As the daughter of immigrants, from a young age I was keenly aware of the systems that either supported or discounted various groups. This realisation, along with ideas on how to promote inclusion, spurred my passion for advocacy. I’m driven to improve the experiences of people who are often on the margins and to achieve a more equitable workplace and society. I cannot think of a better place to continue igniting change than across the TBWA collective."

According to Campaign’s 2023 edition of School Reports, half (54%) of TBWA/London’s senior leadership team are women, with another 23% from BAME backgrounds.