Advancing Diversity Honors: NCC Media's Nicolle Pangis

Since joining NCC Media 10 months ago, Pangis has been committed to bringing a focus on diversity and inclusion.  "Frankly, when I got there, there wasn't very much in the avenue of diversity and inclusion at all," she said.  It wasn't long before Pangis took the reins and launched a women's leadership initiative and a diversity initiative called Kaleidoscope.  Click here to learn more about these initiatives.

"We started talking about some of the opportunities and challenges around both women's leadership specifically and in diversity and inclusion in general," Pangis said.  "I think sometimes these topics are taboo and people feel uncomfortable talking about them.  But you have to ... create a safe space for people to feel comfortable talking about these topics."

She believes the only way to start making people feel included is to be able to voice both their concerns and opportunities around all of these topics.  "We just hired Deborah Josephs as Chief People Officer, and under Deb we've created a position specific to diversity and inclusion around the culture of the company," she continued.  "We really want to make it at the core of what NCC is so that everybody feels like they not only have a seat at the table -- but a voice at the table as well."

One of the biggest challenges is transitioning from talking about issues and solutions to actually implementing them.  "How do we get more leaders in minorities into senior levels at NCC?  That is not something that you can do overnight," she asserted.  "That takes time and thought.  We have to create opportunities for people to climb up the ranks at NCC and other organizations."

Bartley asked Pangis about the business imperative for and implications of building diverse teams.  "It's been proven over and over again that diversity of thought leads to better business results," Pangis said.  Click here for more of Pangis' thoughts on how the industry has to hold each other accountable to create a voice for everybody.

In answer to Myers' question about the Creative Tensions experience, which was an immersive, thought-provoking and theatrical exploration of values at the Advancing Diversity Honors, Pangis said, "It was very eye-opening because I think as much as we believe ourselves to be very thoughtful and very inclusive, I think we all have these unconscious biases.

"For me, what I walked away with is how many dimensions each of us have as human beings, and how that sways how we perceive ourselves and others," she revealed.  "How we have to be really, really mindful and thoughtful.  To keep our eyes open, and our minds open to how people are entering conversations, how people are entering companies, and how people are entering problem solving.  All of these things are really important to think about."  Click here to learn more about her take on Creative Tensions.

The Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors recognizes individuals, companies and organizations that have made consistent and successful commitments to advancing diversity and inclusion. 2019 Inductees included Kat Gordon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The 3% Movement; Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, P&G; Ricardo Marques, Group Vice President of Marketing, Budweiser; Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer, Verizon; Liliahn Majeed, Vice President - Diversity and Inclusion, NBA; Bob Liodice, Chief Executive Officer, Association of National Advertisers; Madonna Badger, Chief Creative Officer/Founder, Badger & Winters, and Alma Har'el, Filmmaker/Founder, #FreeTheBid.

Click on the links below for additional videos from the 2019 Advancing Diversity Honors Hall of Induction Experience hosted by DK Bartley, Senior Vice President, Head of D&I, Dentsu Aegis Network.

• Jack Myers, Founder of MediaVillage and Advancing Diversity
• Christopher Hibma, Producing Director, Sundance Institute
• Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, P&G
• Kat Gordon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The 3% Movement
• Ricardo Marques, Vice President Marketing, Budweiser
• Liliahn Majeed, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, NBA
• Bob Liodice, Chief Executive Officer, Association of National Advertisers
• Alma Har'el, Filmmaker/Founder, #FreeTheBid

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