Advancing Diversity Inductee: NBA CMO Pam El

El on January 9 will be inducted into the Hall of Diversity during theamp160Advancing Diversity Honors at CESamp160 In a recentamp160interview she talked about her role within the NBA the importance of corporate leadership and her vision for the future of diversity and inclusion initiativesPhilip McKenzieamp160 How would you define diversity in your specific role at the NBA Pam El amp160My role in the NBA is Chief Marketing Officer which gives me marketing responsibility globally for the NBA WNBA 2K League and the G League amp160So I am deeply focused on the messaging in the marketplace around our league the players and the game in general amp160The NBA39s primary definition of diversity covers ethnicity gender age sexual orientation and physical abilities as well as including personal experience culture and the myriad ways in which we think and problem solve amp160Diversity is not one thingamp160it39s many thingsMcKenzie amp160Conventional wisdom attempts to silo diversity and inclusion away from other parts of the business yet you have a robust marketing agenda and set of responsibilities amp160How do you balance those perspectives El amp160Diversity and inclusion is essential to business success so I don39t think of it as a separate part of our businessamp160 It is all connected particularly because we believe itamp8217s vital to the success of our game and the league amp160Studies have shown that diverse organizations produce better results and that39s how we think about it amp160As an organization focused on diversity it allows us to have better business resultsMcKenzie amp160Comparing the environment of the NBA to other organizations over the course of your career what do you think has contributed to its healthy perspective regarding diversity measures Elamp160 In my 35year career I have been in some organizations with very little physical diversity amp160For example the advertising world is dominated by males and in particular white males amp160On the client side you would see those numbers get a bit better but there was still work to be done amp160As it relates to the NBA our game is diverse the players are diverse so this all comes quite naturally to us as an organization amp160We are making important headway to increase diversity in our team and ownership ranks amp160The good news is that outside agencies have rated the NBA very highly on racial and gender diversity so we are seeing recognition for our work amp160In the league office 36 of professional positions are held by people of color and 40 of those are women amp160Our numbers are growing and we see a real opportunity to perform even better in the futureMcKenzie amp160How important is corporate leadership and mentorship to fostering an environment where diversity and inclusion can prosperEl amp160Very amp160Our Global Inclusion Council was created by Oris Stuart our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer amp160We have 10 senior leaders across the league and team offices that are providing strategic guidance and using data metrics to create benchmarks and review policy amp160This wouldn39t be possible without leadership being on boardMcKenzie amp160You39re very engaged with She Runs It amp160Can you share more about that experience Elamp160 The most recent She Runs It drew a nice assortment of women primarily in marketing and advertising which is always good to see amp160My particular conversation was focused on how do you find your passion in that business and how do you manage to stay motivated and keep your career going when faced with industry roadblocks amp160This can be a challenge when you don39t see yourself represented which bleeds into significant retention issues amp160Mentorship becomes an essential component to any commitment to diversity amp160It is an obligation to act as a mentor more than it is a choiceamp160 Watch a video of El39s presentation at a recent She Runs It event hereMcKenzie amp160We have spent quite some time understanding the internal dynamics of diversity amp160How do you address these issues when you39re evaluating talent El amp160If you are going to identify diverse talent you have to go where diverse talent exists amp160You can39t go back to the same pools you have traditionally used and expect a different result amp160I invest time in establishing connections to new potential sources of talent amp160I also want to make sure they are successful while here which circles back to mentorship mentioned earlier while also adding training and education amp160We have a program called NBA Career Crossover where former players are given an opportunity to spend time in the league office in developmental programs and in the front office of teams seeing firsthand how these jobs are performedamp160 They are given the tools to compete professionally in the industryMcKenzie amp160Looking into the future do you have an optimistic view ofamp160the continued success of diversity and inclusion initiatives El amp160I am definitely optimistic because I have seen so much of this working amp160The proof is in the numbers we are seeing across our leadership as it pertains to people of color and women amp160We are building an incredible pipeline of talent and we are not satisfied amp160That commitment and energy combined with tangible support throughout the organization is directly responsible for standout success among the major North American sports amp160Our diversity is very much by design driven by sound business practices and we aren39t showing any signs of slowing downamp160 The future is always uncertain but I am not only optimistic I amamp160also inspired to take on this challenge amp160This is what our teams want this is what our fans want and this is what the world wantsThe Advancing Diversity Honors event atamp160CES is an opportunity for the advertising and media community to join hands in solidarity and support for diversity and inclusion amp160In addition to Pam El inductees into the Diversity Hall of Honors will include Marc Pritchard CBO PampampG Diego Scotti CMO Verizon Bob Liodice CEO ANA Ricardo Marques Vice Presidentamp160Marketing Budweiser Madonna Badger CCOFounder Badger ampamp Winters Kat Gordon Founder CEO The 3 Movementamp160and Alma Haramp8217el DirectorFounder Free The BidFor more information underwriting opportunities and to purchase tickets or tables visit AdvancingDiversityorgClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Advancing Diversity Inductee: NBA CMO Pam El

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Philip McKenzie

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