The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has appointed Havas Creative UK group CEO Xavier Rees as the new chair of the IPA Talent Leadership Group.
Announced at the IPA Talent and Diversity Conference, the appointment will see Rees takeover from Acne London managing director Annie Gallimore.
In his position as chair, the Havas Creative UK Group CEO will hope to continue the IPA’s mission to attract new and diverse talent into the industry while also creating inclusive workplace cultures through IPA and industry-wide initiatives like Advertising Unlocked, the IPA iList, the IPA Talent and Diversity Conference and All In.
Working closely with the newly appointed president of the IPA Josh Krichefski, Rees will support the ‘People First’ which aims to boost the overall ‘health and wealth’ of the agency sector.
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“I love this industry – and making it an attractive, inclusive and viable career choice for people from any background has been a passion area for me throughout my career,” Rees said. “This is not a ‘nice to have’. For us to remain relevant, we must attract an unfair share of talent – and there’s work to do. I intend to use this role to enact meaningful, long-term change – and I’m incredibly grateful to Josh, Leila, and the team for giving me the opportunity to do so.”
IPA associate director of diversity, Leila Siddiqi, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Xav as the new chair of the IPA Talent Leadership Group. He has a solid understanding of why diversity, inclusion and equity matter, both in terms of the composition of our industry as well as in creative work and is brilliantly placed to inspire positive change.
“I’d also like to thank Annie for her hard work and dedication in her time as Chair. The recent IPA Agency Census saw an accelerated pace of change and while this marks a considerable improvement year-on-year, now is the time to double down on our collective efforts to help everyone thrive and reach their full potential in our industry.”
