According to the Data & Marketing Association’s (DMA) latest research, diversity and inclusion has been cited by senior professionals as the data and marketing industry’s biggest challenge.
When asked about the key challenges facing the data and marketing industry in the coming years, ‘diversity and inclusion’ was mentioned by nearly two thirds of professionals (62%) as the biggest issue. Followed closely by ‘recovering from the coronavirus pandemic’ (59%) and a need to ‘build more ethical approaches to data’ (50%).
At this year’s DMA Awards, over 200 senior data and marketing professionals came together to judge the best work the industry had to offer. They also shared their experiences of 2020 and expectations for the future.
“2020 will be remembered for the many challenges coronavirus has thrown at us all. However, despite the significant impact the virus continues to have, senior professionals believe the biggest challenge facing the data and marketing industry is diversity and inclusion,” said Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA. “Diversity and inclusion are key principles of intelligent marketing, which puts people first to drive sustainable business growth. In order for our industry to better serve the customer, it is vital that the workforce is truly representative of them.”
Driving change across the industry
The DMA has recently partnered with not-for-profit organisation Race Equality Matters, which seeks to achieve racial equality in the workplace.
A key part of this partnership will see the DMA help fund and support the Race Equality Matters’ campaign to empower ethnic minority employees and provide individuals, organisations, and networks with the insight, tools and resources to drive effective action for sustainable change.
The DMA spearheads a number of initiatives that help to promote diversity and inclusion across the data and marketing industry, including a leadership programme in partnership with Culture Heroes, a Neurodiversity Initiative and DMA Mentoring Scheme.
Further information can be found on the DMA website: https://dma.org.uk/research/dma-insight-education-and-leadership-required-to-tackle-challenges
