Facing His Own Deadline, Gary Vaynerchuk Updates His Pledge to Hire Black Executives

The CEO of VaynerMedia is trying to make good on a commitment from last summer

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Last summer, Gary Vaynerchuk said he intended to add two Black leaders to VaynerMedia’s C-suite by the first quarter of 2021, ideally by Jan. 1.

It wasn’t a pledge the CEO made quietly or internally. In fact, he proclaimed it to Walter Geer, executive creative director of experience design at VMLY&R, during an Allyship & Action summit in August.

After Jan. 1 came and went, Geer resurrected Vaynerchuk’s words and posted them on LinkedIn to see if the high-profile agency leader made good on his promise: “Gary, I would love to know how you’re doing on those hires and if there is anything I can do to help?”

Shortly afterward, agency owner Derek Walker posed the question to Vaynerchuk on Twitter, and the CEO responded with a 1-minute video in which he vaguely detailed the agency’s DEI-related goals, sharing that he’s “allocated three C-suite spots” to non-white candidates.

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