Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
Leo Burnett
FAIL
leoburnett.com
TYPE: Global Advertising & Marketing Agency
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: Capital International Ltd., The Vanguard Group, Inc., BlackRock Fund Advisors, Capital Research & Management Co. (Global Investors), et al. (via parent company Publicis Groupe)
OWNER: Publicis Groupe
*A significant restructuring impacting Leo Burnett globally was announced in January 2025. Publicis Groupe merged two of its major creative agency networks, Leo Burnett Worldwide and Publicis Worldwide, into a new, unified global creative network named 'Leo'.
SUBSIDIARIES: Arc Worldwide, Rokkan, Turner Duckworth
2024 REVENUE: $1 billion (est)
2024 HEADCOUNT: 3,400
1133 Broadway, New York, NY 10010
+1 917 922 6039
Leo Burnett USA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while demonstrating a structured commitment to fostering inclusivity, are concerning. The agency, part of Publicis Groupe, has implemented mandatory DEI training since 2020, adopted the "Rooney Rule" to ensure diverse candidate pools, offers a DEI Education Allowance, and established the Inclusivity Product Council (IPC), co-led by Melissa Healy (SVP, Employee Belonging and Participation Lead), which won a 2023 AAF Mosaic Award. Leadership includes Renetta McCann (Publicis Groupe Chief Inclusion Officer, a Black woman), and until very recently, Geraldine White (Publicis Groupe US Chief Diversity Officer, a Black woman), who was let go in December of 2024, possibly due to an ongoing legal case around toxic and pervasive anti-White harassment at Saatchi & Saatchi under her DEI leadership. Saatchi is also a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe). The female and Black leadership and hiring signals a top-down DEI focus. Former CEO of Leo Burnett Group and Publicis Groupe Creative and Production U.S., Andrew Swinand served as the US executive sponsor for DEI. However, policies like the "Rooney Rule" (this rule mandates that women and people of color must be included in the candidate pool considered for open positions) and diverse interview panels, intended to promote underrepresented groups, could inadvertently marginalize White applicants or employees—if not carefully implemented—by prioritizing race or gender over qualifications. DEI racial equity training risks being seen as harassment of White employees if it fosters a hostile environment or implicitly targets them racially through discussions that frame Whites as inherently privileged or complicit in systemic inequality.
Andrew Swinand, CEO Publicis Groupe Creative (Leo Burnett’s parent company), stated in a group email that his 2023 goal was to focus on non-White hiring. Arthur Sadoun, in a video presentation viewed by all employees, championed the decreasing Whiteness of Publicis Groupe as a positive thing.
Susie Nam, Asian woman and DEI champion who as CEO of Publicis Creative US (Saatchi’s parent company) leads with a focus on DEI, views her role as “making circumstances better for women and people of color,” in other words, neglecting White men at work. She has led initiatives like founding D+iQ at Droga5—the agency's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative—and serving as Vice Chair of ADCOLOR, an organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting “professionals of color” (non-White people) in creative industries.
“Anti-Racist Apostle” and “Inclusive Leadership Warrior” and Black woman Dierdra Donahue, as SVP Equity and Inclusion at Publicis Groupe, visited Saatchi to hold a DEI training session, with the main exercise being an elementary-school style fill-in-the-blank worksheet where—as a group—Saatchi & Saatchi employees filled in the missing words. The final message: White people cheated to get to where they are.
Leo Burnett instructs companies on DEI practices.
Institutional investors like BlackRock and Vanguard 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 shareholders likely serves as a significant driver for Leo Burnett'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.
It is illegal and contrary to public policy for any organization, including nonprofits, to instruct companies on discriminatory or harassing practices, potentially resulting in serious legal and financial repercussions such as lawsuits for facilitating discrimination, reputational harm, loss of IRS tax-exempt status, and investigations by state and federal civil rights authorities.
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of Leo Burnett’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.