GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has announced its agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom have launched a Disability Action Plan (DAP) in Australia.
The launch is part of GroupM’s wide-ranging Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy, “Better for All.”
It will provide a measurable, action-oriented framework designed to make the business more accessible and inclusive to people living with disability.
Within the Australian population, 1 in 6 people have a disability, and compared with others of the same age, those with a disability experience significantly lower employment rate (45%) than those without one (80%).
In early 2022, in response to the Media Federation of Australia’s 2021 DE&I Survey that ranked disability as the lowest for both importance and readiness across the industry, GroupM formed a DAP Committee of representatives from each agency. This committee included people living with a disability, families, friends, carers and passionate individuals committed to improving inclusivity and access.
The project has been steered by GroupM’s Young Leaders Committee, nCo, who were galvanised by the MFA data, and their passion to change GroupM and the industry for the better.
Laura Brady, Wavemaker Group client director and nCo member, said: “As an industry we have made some positive steps in terms of DE&I, but some areas have received less focus than others – disability really stands out. For me personally, my brother lives with autism, and I have watched his struggle to achieve continuous employment.
“Putting numbers behind this really shocked us and galvanised us to want to make a real difference. This really is only the start – we have committed to what we want to achieve, but now comes the hardest part – doing it and holding ourselves accountable.
“I hope this will benefit everyone at GroupM, both those living with disability and those without. This is what makes GroupM such a special place to work,” Brady added.
The Disability Action Plan plays a part in GroupM’s strategy for addressing accessibility, promoting and recognising the rights of people with disability, and eliminating discrimination.
Aimee Buchanan, GroupM Australia & New Zealand CEO, said: “At GroupM we are driven to shape the next era of media, where advertising works better for people. A core focus to enabling that vision is our focus on DE&I and this initiative does that a thousand times over.
“Driven by our people, for our people and beyond, the DAP is a robust and rigorous plan to make our business more accessible, inclusive, and representative of the population. I am very proud of our nCo team for building and driving this program.”
The GroupM DAP contains more than 16 action points ranging from raising awareness internally, improving workspace accessibility, accessibility considerations for travel providers, building relationships with strategic partners and supplier diversity.
Scott Laird, GroupM chief people officer, said: “At GroupM, our purpose is to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. Our mission on inclusion is to be Better for All – and be the media agency network that is most representative of the rich diversity of the Australian population.
“This means hiring and retaining exceptional, diverse, talent in Australia – the kind of people who are drawn to GroupM by our purpose. This is the start of a long-term commitment to creating workplaces where everyone has an opportunity to thrive, grow, and do impactful work.”
The Disability Action Plan committee consulted widely with internal and external stakeholders including people living with a disability, families, friends, carers and passionate individuals, and professional organisations.