Academia Preta de Negcios (APN) will be attended by executives and clients, such as Visa and Vivo
VMLY&R Brasil, through the Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (EI&P) and Business areas, announced the launch of a project that aims to encourage racial equity in the branches’ Customer Service area, entitled Black Business Academy (APN).
The initiative focuses on professionals who work in other segments of the job market, but who dream of building a career in advertising.
One of the areas with the fewest black people in advertising is Customer Service. Therefore, we want to make this sector black. This pilot project intends to map out talents that have aptitude for the business sector and create opportunities for them to get to know the segment and our market, in addition to opening up the exchange of experiences and the exchange of knowledge, explained Valerya Borges, director of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging to VMLY&R Brasil.
In addition to the participation of VMLY&R leaders, the project will have the presence of Visa, Vivo customers and the support of the Alliance Without Stereotypes, of UN Women, which has an internal working group to promote initiatives that aim to encourage the inclusion of diverse people in different advertising areas. The APN will also have Egnalda Cortes, from Cortes e Companhia, the first agency for black female creators in Latin America and from the Instituto Mestre GP network platform.
Aimed at people over 18 and with no age limit, the program provides for the enrollment of up to 25 participants and includes weekly meetings, which are scheduled to take place between July and September 2023, which will be composed of topics such as Basic Production ; Basic Average; Why Planning exists; Law Suit; Project Management; Briefing; The Service; Digital Platforms; and The Creative Craft.
All agencies are working to improve racial equity in their staff, but there is a ‘steal a lot’ dynamic that does not help the market. For example: I just hired my first black female director, but I left another agency without her. We want to change this logic, bringing professionals from outside advertising and preparing them to work in Customer Service/Business not only at VMLY&R, but also in other market players, added Leo Balbi, Chief Business Officer of VMLY&R Brasil.
At each meeting, in addition to Lo Balbi, agency executives such as Fernando Taralli, CEO of VMLY&R Brasil; Alejandro Suarez, Chief Financial Officer of VMLY&R Brazil; Sleyman Khodor, Chief Creativity Officer at VMLY&R Brasil; Sumara Osrio, Chief Strategy Officer of VMLY&R Brasil; Jaqueline Travaglin, Chief Operating Officer; Nicole Godoy, Head of Production; and Luiza Valente, Head of Media at VMLY&R Brasil, will share lessons and experiences.
In the meetings, each guest and external guest will share content in their areas of activity, while Visa and Vivo will promote conversations between the candidates and the companies’ marketing executives to show the client’s side and discuss the good practices of the professional person. of Service. Aliana sem Esteretipos will talk about stigmas and archetypes in advertising and Egnalda, from Cortes e Companhia, will share her vision on entrepreneurship and business. Indeed, MestreGP’s mission is to help candidates take their first steps in understanding and applying project management in practice.
Academia Preta’s visual identity was conceived based on a reinterpretation of heraldic graphics (a visual system created in Europe in the 12th century), inspired by long African masks that often resemble shields and were used in various sacred ceremonies. The choice was to replace European references and bring a connection with black iconography to symbolize the representation of the APN.
Participants who do not receive invitations to join the VMLY&R Brasil team will be part of the agency’s talent bank, shared with other companies in the WPP group.
