Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
Burson
FAIL
bursonglobal.com
TYPE: Global Communications Agency
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: BlackRock, Inc., Brandes Investment Partners, Lp, Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp, Fmr Llc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management Llc, Invesco Ltd., Mondrian Investment Partners LTD, Morgan Stanley, VWNFX - Vanguard Windsor II Fund Investor Shares.
OWNER: WPP plc
SUBSIDIARIES: AxiCom, Burson, Burson Buchanan, GCI Health, Hill and Knowlton.
2024 REVENUE: ~$1 billion
2023 HEADCOUNT: 6,000+
3 World Trade Center
175 Greenwich Street, 29th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Burson's DEI* initiatives raise potential concerns regarding possible harassment or discrimination against White employees or hires. Burson, a global communications agency under WPP, emphasizes DEI through the appointment of a Global Chief Inclusion Officer, Jeff Marshall, a Black man. His mandate, as articulated by the Global Chief People Officer Azurée S. Montoute-Lewis (also Black, a woman) is to ensure the agency is "representative of the world at large" and to integrate DEI into hiring strategies alongside Global Chief Talent Acquisition Officer Natasha Avery. However, the lack of publicly available details on specific U.S. DEI policies, hiring practices, or mandatory bias training programs creates ambiguity about their implementation. Avery, at her previous role at AKQA (also a WPP agency), “Define[d] and recommend[ed] Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging strategies that support and improve the diversity of candidate panels and pipelines for future roles.” Prior to joining Burson, Marshall served as UM Worldwide’s inaugural Chief Diversity Officer, spearheading the agency’s Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DEB) initiatives.
While information regarding mandatory bias training at Burson is not detailed, it is known that Azurée Montoute-Lewis, Burson's Global Chief People Officer, previously implemented an "'All of Us' global inclusion training module" at Fitch Group.
WPP’s explicit demographic targets, such as a minimum 10% ethnic minority board representation and goals for 41-43% BIPOC staff at subsidiaries like SJR and under Marshall’s prior leadership at UM Worldwide, suggest a corporate environment where race-conscious hiring and promotion practices may prioritize non-White candidates, potentially functioning as de facto quotas that disadvantage White applicants, even when qualifications are comparable. Under NYSHRL, any DEI practice that uses race as a determining factor in employment decisions—such as hiring, promotions, or access to opportunities—could be deemed discriminatory if it disadvantages White employees, as the law protects all racial groups equally. Details on specific hiring methodologies make it challenging to assess compliance with NYSHRL's anti-discrimination provisions. The opacity surrounding its U.S. operations and the evolving legal scrutiny of DEI initiatives nationwide suggest a need for careful monitoring to ensure that these programs do not inadvertently create a hostile work environment or result in unlawful preferential treatment, which could violate NYSHRL by discriminating against any racial group, including White employees. Both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have issued warnings that DEI initiatives may be deemed unlawful if they result in employment actions motivated by race or sex.
Marshall’s “Breaking Media” program, exclusively for BIPOC** students, and WPP’s Racial Equity Programme supporting Black creatives through One School, direct resources preferentially to non-White groups, raising questions about equitable access for White employees. Parent Company WPP's DEI initiatives, led by Chief Talent & Inclusion Officer LJ Louis, a Black woman, since May 2022, encompass a Racial Equity Taskforce, Black Professionals Network, mandatory unconscious bias training, and partnerships to increase representation of underrepresented groups, targeting 30% ethnic minority senior leadership by 2025, while promoting inclusive marketing with major clients. Louis is responsible for "growing and enhancing WPP's DEI, Talent Management, Talent Development and Talent Acquisition strategies"; to "oversee global initiatives to foster a workplace environment grounded in inclusion, equity, belonging, growth, development, engagement, accountability." She has stated her support for “WPP's commitment to embed DE&I into everything they do – from hiring through to retention and growth." It is disturbing that someone who believes “"Advancing diversity and equity should be at the forefront of strategy for all companies” is in charge of hiring for a global company with 114,000 employees. Under her leadership, WPP committed to spend "$10 million over three years to fund inclusion programs to support Black and minority talent."
WPP’s shift away from explicit DEI language in 2024 suggests awareness of legal risks, though ongoing programs continue to pose potential violations of federal and New York anti-discrimination laws. The company’s DEI framework, driven by Marshall’s and Montoute-Lewis’s race- and gender-focused backgrounds, risks alienating White employees through divisive terminology like “BIPOC” and programs that may exclude them. Global CEO Corey duBrowa, responsible for employee experience and culture, delegates DEI implementation to these officers, yet bears ultimate accountability for any discriminatory outcomes.
Burson instructs companies on DEI practices.
*DEI "equity" involves prioritizing certain racial, gender, or identity groups with targeted resources or opportunities to ensure equal outcomes at the cost of fairness and individual merit. DEI’s equity focus shares some similarities with communism and socialism in its group-based, redistributive approach, and with totalitarianism in ideological coercion.
**WPP’s practice of segregating employees into two adversarial racial categories, BIPOC vs White, can be seen as problematic under the NYSHRL and may raise concerns under federal law and with the EEOC, as it creates distinctions based on race that could foster division, disparate treatment, and a hostile work environment, potentially violating prohibitions against discriminatory employment practices.
Institutional investors like BlackRock, Vanguard Group, and State Street Global Advisors increasingly emphasize Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including diversity and inclusion metrics, in their investment stewardship and proxy voting guidelines. This external pressure from major parent company shareholders likely serves as a significant driver for Burson's public commitments and strategic focus on ESG and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Consequently, accountability for the design and impact of DEI initiatives rests primarily with the company's leadership and board, who must navigate these influential investor expectations.
This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements. The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice; consult a licensed attorney for specific legal guidance.
As reported on April 1, 2025 by MM+M, parent company WPP removed references to DEI in its latest annual report, replacing them with "people and culture."
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of Burson’s DEI program. Follow us on social and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
NOTE: Client lists are subject to change. This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements.