The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) has today launched MFA Media For All, an industry-wide DE&I strategy, setting out a clear three-year path towards improving all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion in the media agency industry.
The initiative launched this morning through a virtual event hosted by SBS Australia presenter and comedian, Michael Hing and members of the MFA DE&I Advisory Council.
The MFA Media For All strategy aims to create a media agency industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported and safe to do their best work. During the event, the lived experiences of people working in our industry were shared as part of the strategy to build awareness through storytelling.
The group’s three-year plan involves:
· Year 1, 2022: Increasing industry awareness, education and engagement on why diversity, equity and inclusion are important and how we can contribute as individuals, businesses and as an industry.
· Year 2, 2023: Focus on attracting more diverse talent into the industry and developing talent pipelines, sharing resources and exploring partnerships.
· Year 3, 2024: To start to see real change in the industry measurement and metrics, aligning to Australian culture.
“The MFA is committed to building a diverse, equitable an inclusive industry,” said MFA CEO, Sophie Madden.
“While we perform well in certain areas, with women holding 43 per cent of all management roles in Australian media agencies, and with 43 per cent of media agency employees describing their cultural background as non-Australian, there is room for improvement to ensure we are more closely aligned with the Australian population, to achieve greater inclusion and to ensure workplaces are safe for all.
“Through the MFA Media For All strategy, we are inviting everyone to play an active role in this movement – it is the responsibility of all of us to drive this change through every aspect of what we do: our people and culture, our supply chain and the communications we produce.”
Initiative Melbourne client partner and MFA DE&I council chair, Wayne Philbert (featured image) added, “We’ve already seen changes and improvements since the first DE&I survey in 2020, but we also know that it takes time to see a real shift in the dial.
“By setting out a clear three-year strategy and providing educational resources and other tools to our members, we expect to see real progress industry-wide.”
