Lukeisha Paul – A Passionate DEI Practitioner Determined to Lead Companies to Create a Diverse Work Environment
Top 10 Outstanding HR Executives of the Year 2023
As the Head of Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion at GroupM, Lukeisha Paul wishes to influence change by creating more
opportunities for voices to be heard. “I used to say I’d be the voice for the
voiceless, but I’ve since changed that too, I’d like to help empower everyone
to find and use their own voice. No matter where you sit in an organization,
what you have to say matters and can affect change,” she says.
Lukeisha doesn’t just build DEI
initiatives for GroupM on her own, she speaks to her people and welcomes their
point of view of view to assist her in creating the GroupM they want to work
for and feel inspired to recommend to others. She proudly says that they’ve
made tremendous strides over the past several years and as a result earned
recognition placing on Seamount’s Inclusion Index survey and being named a 2021
Best Place to work for Multicultural Women. “The awards and recognitions aren’t
proof that we are done but are building blocks making a difference for their
work culture and communities.
Lukeisha establishing herself as a
promising D&I leader.
Prior to her role as a DEI leader, Lukeisha
worked in the Media. Right out of the gate post college graduation, she knew
she wanted to be in the advertising industry, as it is always evolving,
generating ongoing learning experiences, growth opportunities, growth and
life-changing moments that make the long nights and challenging clients all
worth it.
Once she reached a certain level of
leadership, Lukeisha found herself advocating for the rights of others. She
would make every effort to save people that didn’t “fit in” or weren’t given
the same opportunities to succeed. She persuades clients to rethink the imagery
used in their media campaigns and products that lacked diverse representation
or advise to refrain from eliminating the African American or Hispanic budget
from their media plans as data showed that a substantial portion of their sales
came from those target audiences. She used her authority to make changes and
have conversations that were necessary, even if it was limited to just a few.
Today Lukeisha works to embed DEI
throughout the workplace, workforce, and marketplace. She gets to reimagine
policies and practices that historically created barriers to equity; build
communities that celebrates, educates and supports varying identity groups
through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) (Black and LatinX, Asian Pacific
Islanders, People with different abilities, LGBTQIA+, Women and Veterans); and
implement a DEI educational curriculum of workshops from Managing Bias in the
Workplace to Race and Culture Matter; develop programs such as the GroupM Media
Externship and Mentor program that foster equity and inclusion for
underrepresented groups that lack access, awareness and exposure to the media
industry; and consult with clients on their internal workplace inclusion and
diverse target campaigns.
Everyone’s success aligns with their
calling.
If you’re working on what you’re not just
good at doing, but what fuels your passion, then you’ll be successful. Lukeisha
defines success as walking and working with purpose. “My calling has always
been to create equitable opportunities, ensure inclusivity, and foster spaces
of belonging for people of varying backgrounds. As the Head of Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion at GroupM I’m given the opportunity to champion
diversity, promote inclusivity, and help create equitable opportunities for
people’s personal and professional development,” she states.
Challenges make you stronger.
Regardless of the adversity and challenges
you face; it is always important to remind yourself of your potential.
Challenges throughout Lukeisha’s life personally and professionally have made
her stronger, it’s in those times, when under pressure, she says she
experiences the most growth and confidence knowing she has overcome something,
and she always does.
Lukeisha entered the media industry in the
early 2000s when it was a place of affluent privilege, and majority white and
male –dominated. As a black, first-generation immigrant woman of Caribbean and
LatinX descent, with a low socio-economic background and no prior exposure to
Corporate America, she was certainly met with challenges. Despite her
differences, she had to learn how to navigate this space. “This experience, the
good, the bad, and the ugly taught me how to face adversities and sparked a
passion in me to mentor others, because if I made it, I know everyone else
can,” she states.
In the words of Barack Obama, “The future
rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t
have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” That was Lukeisha’s philosophy
and today she happily serves as a resource to others to help expand networks,
give guidance on professional and personal growth and feel comfortable with
bringing their full, authentic selves to work.
The beginning of Lukeisha’s career in
this field of work
For several years, while working in
media at GroupM, Lukeisha and a team of industry colleagues served (and still
today) on the steering committee of the Advertising Club of NY helping to
produce DEI programming aimed at diversifying the ad industry. Everyone often
discussed the DEI work they were doing at their companies.
One day she approached her Chief People
Officer and asked, what she can share that GroupM is doing in diversity and
inclusion, she replied we’re not doing much. This was not an ok response, and
Lukeisha felt the need to help create a better one. “In that conversation, she
let me know the company was thinking of hiring someone to lead the efforts of
diversity and inclusion. Without giving it a second thought, I raised my hand
and said here I am. Although there wasn’t a budget or outline of what this role
would look like I began to envision myself in this role and the changes I would
make,” she says. While awaiting a long process of approvals she remained
determined and focused and would submit her ideas to her CPO. Eventually she
was offered the opportunity to build the foundation of this department and lead
their company as Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
GroupM and their services under
Lukeisha’s leadership
The main goal at GroupM is to make
advertising work better for people, and they work with their clients to provide
best practices, guidance, and identify products, media opportunities and
partnerships that can optimize their investment. Through their agencies –
Mindshare, EssenceMediaCom, Wavemaker, and m/Six – they work to innovate and
generate value for their client’s business through data, technology, and
creativity.
As the largest global media network, GroupM
believes it’s their responsibility to help clients assign media dollars as a
force for good, and they are using their scale to bring about positive and
meaningful change.
As the Head of Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion for GroupM US, Lukeisha oversees DEI efforts focused on providing
greater opportunities for underrepresented groups. To make advertising work
better for people must be educated and mindful of the experiences of ALL
people. “We must be equipped to advise our clients on how to reach their target
audiences with greater intention and attention paid to diverse backgrounds.
Productivity, creativity, and innovation cannot be achieved to its fullest
unless the employees working on the client businesses are able to be their
authentic selves, bringing their unique lived experiences, backgrounds and
cultural differences to the table as equal contributors,” she says.
Lukeisha plans for the future of GroupM is
to become the most diverse media agency where their talent feels like they can
be their authentic selves and brands that choose GroupM as their agency of
record not only for the tools and services but because they know GroupM embeds
diversity, equity and inclusion across all that they do.
Best recognition received as a D&I
leader.
The best recognition Lukeisha states she
received wasn’t so much of a recognition as it was confirmation that she made
the right decision of leaving her former career in media and pivoted to working
on diversity, equity, and inclusion for the media industry.
A couple of months after assuming her role,
Lukeisha was invited to participate in her first DEI panel. At 4A’s
Decision 20/20 conference of over 200 media experts. They were asked a question
pertaining to the “difficulty” of progressing DEI in the industry. “While my
DEI colleagues were answering the question, I recall feeling nervous to respond
as I had a different perspective,” she states.
Lukeisha remembers the day before Shelley
Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient advised her, “never to be afraid
to speak up, as I may not get another chance and someone in the audience may
need to hear what I have to say”. With that memory, she proceeded to share her
opinion of “I don’t think it’s difficult at all. This is a room full of media
professionals and in our business; we’re used to getting challenging briefs
from our clients which we have to deliver on. Treat this like a brief, know your
target audience and put together a plan of strategies based on the objective.”
Her response was picked up and reported by several PR and media outlets.
“I’m grateful for that moment that kicked off my career, solidifying my voice
in this space,” she exclaims.
Lukeisha’s thoughts on the changing
businesses landscape in diversity and inclusion
Businesses no longer have the choice of
deciding whether to make provisions for DEI – it’s a must! Consumers are
diverse and they are being targeted daily with messaging or products that are
assumed to cater to their individual needs. If businesses aren’t aware and
unwilling to be educated and engage with those differences, they will lose
profitability.
The spending power of underrepresented
groups is increasing, and people are willing to forsake brand loyalty for brand
inclusivity. Consumers are demanding to see changes, not just inclusivity in
product and media representation but equity at headquarters. They want to be
seen, heard, and valued in front of and behind the camera, from the product
innovation team to the point of purchase. The fewer emphasis companies put
towards embedding DEI into all aspects of their businesses today, the more work
they will have to do to regain and reengage their consumers tomorrow.
“Around the world, GroupM supports
publishers that reach more diverse audiences with sustainable initiatives
supporting and reaching underrepresented voices and communities,” explains
Lukeisha.
Staying motivated and maintaining a
work-life balance
Lukeisha says that she maintains a balance
in her personal and professional life by prioritizing what matters most to her
– her family. “We are each other’s biggest fans and support system. When I
work, I put 100% into everything I do, so when it comes to my family, I do not
compromise spending quality time with them. They understand there may be some
late nights and missed family dinners but those are very rare. When I log off
from work, I give my family my full attention, and I don’t check work emails,”
she says.
However, this has not always been the case.
In the past, she worked long days and into the night, while her husband worked
nights. He spent more time with the kids, and Lukeisha felt like she was
missing out on a lot. She wasn’t seeing her husband or the children. Her
husband and sons became the boys’ team and there was no mention of mom. That
was the turning point for her to set work boundaries, and now she states that
they are the Paul Team.
Lukeisha leads her DEI team in the same
way. They discuss each other’s families and the importance of sharing time with
loved ones. Work is important, but not more than time shared with loved ones.