We’ve all seen the headlines. We know how bad this is. But are we missing the point?

There is an honourable focus with this virus on sticking together. Advertisers are applauding ‘couch potatriots’ (1) and the nation is coming together to #ClapForCarers. But is the reality not that Covid-19 highlights how far apart our lived experiences actually are?

I never expected one of our Creative Equals online events to experience any hate attack of any type, but now I know what I would do differently in that situation. With so much ignorance rife in the world, the case for diversity and inclusion is alive and well. It's down to us - those who shape popular culture with advertising and communications to continue to represent, to show hate will not be tolerated in our society.

Accelerate is unlike any other programme, its interactive workshops and stimulating training sessions help participants recognise their brand, affirm their cultural value and ultimately increase their self-confidence to propel them into leadership.

As we're #AtHomeTogether, we've been thinking how we can show up for our community right now. You'll see some of the ways we're bringing a mix of free webinars, our best-in-class training and support for those who struggle with 'presenting' their authentic selves. We're also here as a sounding board for leaders who would like advice on inclusion in a time of Covid-19, running inclusive teams or effective communication strategies. Please reach out anytime. We're here for you.

This Tuesday, we launched..

Three weeks ago, who would have thought any of us would have to write something like this? Overnight, we've had to learn a new lexicon ('self-isolation', 'social distancing', 'Covid-19, 'lockdown'). In a heartbeat, we've become virus data experts, abandoned our offices and embraced the globe's biggest remote working experiment. It's been a rough, heart-breaking ride. In times of crisis, we…

The number of female creative directors numbers are at 17%, up from 12-14%. There's a lonnng way to go to parity, which is why we are excited to partner with Campaign for the 4th year to find the next 30 female future leaders. We want…

“Amoah has helped thousands of people across the industry find their "north star". The vibrant, glass-half-full business coach is relentless in championing diversity. She is a consultant for various companies, including Show Racism the Red Card, and launched the Black Pound Report, which explores the economic purchasing power of the UK BAME population. Later this month, she will be speaking on a panel at Campaign’s inaugural Female Frontiers awards, of which she was also a judge. “

Inclusive Creativity: is showing only one gender in ads sexist? Our founder Ali has been featured in Campaign talking about the future of gender stereotyping rules and ads that fall foul of them. Alongside Anna Vogt (TBWA), Xavier Rees (Havas), Jo Arden (Mullenlowe), Fernando Desouches (New Macho/BDD Perfect Storm) and Richard Dunn (Wunderman Thompson), Ali weighed in on this week's controversy: an ad being banned for only featuring…

Bye 2019 - hello 2020! And here it is, Happy Holidays... and the end of an incredible year. Time to thank so many, but we want to share the truth from behind the scenes here at Creative Equals. Going back to 2017, we didn't have …

“The make up of leadership in the industry doesn't reflect either consumers or society in general and that is a big challenge for the bottom line.” Creative Equals is launching its first-ever programme focused on getting more black, Asian and minority-ethnic people into positions of leadershipCreative Equals is launching its first-ever programme focused on getting more black, Asian and minority-ethnic people into positions of leadership – as it warns the IPA will fall short of its 2020 diversity targets.

We know there are 1.9+ million women in the UK who would like to come back to work. We also know there is a huge bias when considering someone who has gaps in their CV. With support from the Government Equalities Office, and in partnership with D&AD, Diageo and Facebook, we launched the first #CreativeComeback programme in 2019…

Transgender activist and model Munroe Bergdorf urged brands to be "unafraid" of embracing controversial voices who are pushing for social change. Speaking at the Creative Equals Rise conference in London this morning, the former L'Oréal ambassador observed how more people and brands are hesitant to take a stand during this "time of recalibration", with movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter in the spotlight. Bergdorf’s remarks were poignant given her thorny history with…

In mid 2017, 6 months into my role as MD, the number of comments about Raconteur’s gender diversity (or lack of it) started to increase pretty rapidly. Our senior management team had fairly quickly gone from being three women and two men to seven men and one woman. We’d grown, and one of my first big decisions had been to increase the size of the senior team a little. A few senior women left in the 12 months previous, and the most qualified and deserving to step up into those positions at the time happened to be male. And that’s where it all began.

The need to create an inclusive creative movement for positive change across the industry was at the top of the agenda at Creative Equals’ flagship event RISE 2019. In an impassioned and wide-ranging opening speech Ali Hanan, CEO and founder of Creative Equals, urged the industry to come together to create a “creative holocracy” in the face of a nationwide “inclusion crisis”.