Publications

Why Diversity and Inclusion is Central to Effective Storytelling : Angela Chitkara, PR Track Director, City College of New York.

Angela Chitkara, the director of the Branding + Integrated Communications (BIC) program at The City College of New York (CCNY), begins this important piece with a trip down memory lane. Remember the coolest monkey of H&M, Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad and the black woman who turned white selling Dove products? PR agencies need to become more diverse to be able to better assess how the ad campaigns of the brands they serve will be received in the marketplace, she says. For this piece, she interviewed 18 CEOs who lead top firms thirteen were men, seventeen were white, and one Latino – to learn their D&I challenges. Her five-point plan is a blueprint for any enterprise, frankly, but number three got my attention: “Enlist the support of middle management to communicate how team diversity boosts organizational performance,” she says.

As CEO of Porter Novelli, a global communications firm within Omnicom Public Relations Group, I often meet with other CEOs from across our industry. There is universal agreement of the moral and business imperatives to diversity. We agree that when our talent mix represents those across gender, race, ethnicity, religion, generation, sexual orientation and social economic background, we drive better thinking and creativity. Last May, Angela Chitkara, professor at City College of New York along with the Holmes Report released survey findings from interviews of 16 CEOs in the public relations/communications industry that support this point.

Chitkara points out two instances of academia/industry collaboration already exist right here at City College. “Together with CCNY and BIC students we launched a group initiative called The World in 2020: The Diversity and Inclusion Project. And CCNY’s President Vincent Boudreau recently joined 300 CEOs of multinational corporations in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ created by PricewaterhouseCoopers' Chairman Tim Ryan.”

The City College of New York joins the growing coalition pledging to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on college campuses. More than 400 CEOs and university presidents have come together for CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, with City College being one of the first New York City colleges invited to be a signatory.

Challenge According to a Harvard Business Journal article by Angela Chitkara, there is a significant need for PR agencies to create diverse and inclusive working environments that reflect the people and communities they serve.

#5. What Is The Role Of Diversity & Inclusion In A Post Covid-19 World? Even before the Black Lives Matter movement ramped up, the Covid-19 pandemic was already causing considerable introspection on the role of business. Angela Chitkara and Michael Marinello, who previously authored The World in 2020: The Age of Transparency and Accountability. Doing What We Say Matters, came together again to explore why organizations that prioritize people over business outcomes will have brighter, long-term futures, calling for "a new and energized focus on a broader set of stakeholders."

“We need to consider new D&I leadership at the helm that reflects new thinking, in some cases,” says Angela Chitkara, a researcher for the World in 2020 project. “The D&I role needs to be democratized and everybody needs to be part of the conversation. D&I is a long term game.”

10. Diversity & Inclusion The year’s other big social issue was driven by the Black Lives Matter movement, which forced organizations in the US and around the world to take a new look at their diversity initiatives. A study from Muck Rack and researcher Angela Chitkara found a gap between what PR people preach and what they practice when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. The survey found that 97% of PR pros said they are at least “somewhat familiar” with DEI practices and 93% are confident advising clients and stakeholders on issues related to DEI, with 79% providing strategic counsel to clients, colleagues and brand stakeholders. But only 41% said that their organization allocates budget for DEI and 53% said their organization does not require DEI training. More than a third (36%) said “a lack of lived experiences” was their greatest challenge with pitching stories to diverse audiences.

Professor Angela Chitkara was rather prescient in 2016 when she began working on research related to diversity, equity and inclusion and the risks to organizations when they are lacking. She’s now founder of the World in 2020+ Project, which focuses on the ways public-private partnerships can be leveraged to improve the world. She is vocal in her belief that environmental, social and governance communications are the future in the corporate sphere. Chitkara discusses issues related to DEI and ESG with senior executives from various industries on her podcast, ESG Interactions: Doing What We Say Matters. In addition, she is working on a project related to the recruitment of Asian American PaciPc Islanders in the public relations industry. She is on the faculty of Columbia University.