Operations Director & Co-Lead, DE&I at PHD Global
Jacob co-leads Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at PHD Global, alongside his Operations Director role, helping to set the strategic DE&I agenda for the agency, as part of their broader ESG approach.
His DE&I work over the past 3 years has seen the PHD committee membership grow from c.3% up to 10%+ of the company, delivering programmes that bridge the human and business cases for true inclusion, both in their work, and relating to identifying and nurturing talent. He was an iList finalist in 2022 in recognition of these efforts.
His goal is to create an agency where people feel safe to choose to bring their true selves to work, and his most successful initiatives have broken ground in this direction, including the Open Mic series of events, showcasing employees’ lived experience and educating allies internally.
A born and bred Londoner, Jacob is an avid fan of sport, music and food, learning to skateboard in lockdown, and shaving his Rubik personal best down to 1m02s.
What are your reasons for becoming a TLG member?
As an industry, we talk about talent being our number 1 priority, yet it doesn’t always feel that way on the ground. The IPA is in a unique position to be the North Star, to lead by example in helping its members share best practice, overcoming the competitive nature of business to break ground in collaboration that really makes a difference. In my early career I suffered being underestimated and unfairly stifled by prejudice and I want to do my best to remove those barriers for future talent, whether they’re young or old, whatever they look like, however they identify, and wherever they’ve come from.
Why are you passionate about diversity and inclusion?
I’m fascinated by people’s similarities and differences, and we live in a time where, more than ever, people are more motivated to get to know themselves better. This matters as a colleague, a consumer and a person. On a human level, we all deserve to feel safe to do our best work, and on a business level, we know that diverse teams perform better and are more profitable when decision-making is shared. I’m passionate about bringing this to life.