59: Emmanuel Ofosu Appiah, Vice Chair, PRCA REEB on building a fairer industry

59: Emmanuel Ofosu Appiah, Vice Chair, PRCA REEB on building a fairer industry: PRCA’s Race and Ethnicity Equity Board(REEB) was set up in 2020 in response to the urgency and momentum created by the tragic killing of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement. REEB was set up with a view to helping build a fairer, more representative industry. It has standing committee status and two members of REEB(including the Chair) sit on the PRCA Board. And in the short time that it has been around - it has created a toolkit for the industry on ethnicity pay gap reporting; a mentoring programme called PRISM along with continuously advocating for change. As a founding Board Member I am incredibly proud of what REEB has achieved under the stewardship of Chair Barbara Phillips. My fellow board members are a group who motivate and inspire through their actions.

So, I am delighted to have had the opportunity to engage with Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah, the newly appointed Vice Chair Vice Chair of PRCA Race and Ethnicity Board (REEB) for this episode of The Elephant in the Room podcast. In his day job Emmanuel is PR Manager at Mercer, he is also a trustee, a mentor and a speaker advocating for a more equitable PR Industry. In this episode we spoke about his journey into PR…..

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ His internship at Havas, The Taylor Bennett Foundation program and how it paved the way for a career in the PR industry

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ A tragic experience in his teens that shaped his identity and who he is today

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ Why so few black men are visible in the PR Industry?

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ The systemic issues that impede progress

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ Why it is important for him to lead on conversations on race and ethnicity equity

πŸ‘‰πŸΎ The role of PRs in spotlighting inequity in the industry

Thank you Emmanuel for the wonderful conversation. And here is a heart warming quote from the episode on what motivates him to do better....

β€œI've got someone that looks up to me now, that is reliant on me to set a good example for him. And that's what i'm hoping to do. I hope in 15 years time, 20 years time, he will be able to sit down with me and say, "You know what Dad? You set a really good example and I'm proud of what you've done" and that's what I want really.”