Huge Hires First Global Chief Talent Officer

Brooklyn-based IPG agency Huge has looked outside the industry to find its first global talent lead. The agency has hired Kali Beyah as global chief talent officer, and she will start March 15. In the newly created role, she will lead Huge's talent operations across the agency's 13 global offices and be responsible for recruitment, talent management and DEI efforts from her base in Atlanta. She will work closely with regional talent leaders and report directly to Huge's global COO—and current acting CEO—Raj Singhal. "As we continue to scale Huge, we wanted to focus on hiring an executive to manage talent, not just in the U.S., but globally. We will continue to invest as we build," Singhal told Adweek. Looking for new ideas Beyah arrives to the agency from Delta Air Lines, where she spent over a decade and most recently served as head of global talent management and acquisition—overseeing recruitment, retention and talent development across a team of 90,000 globally. She also serves on the boards of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and the International Women’s Forum. "We actually specifically went outside the industry for this search. We're looking for new ideas. We're looking at companies like Delta that have a customer focus. Kali's and Delta’s values matched values at Huge, [along with a shared] passion for DEI," Singhal said. "I'm excited to have her be part of the leadership team." "People make the difference, no matter what you do. And there is a real discipline and science to these decisions," Beyah added. "Bringing those values and [a] rich experience at a global level gives me a great foundation and alignment on what's important and how you reflect a people-first culture internally as much as you do for your clients." Diverse leadership is crucial According to Singhal, DEI will be a critical part of the role, not just in the U.S., but globally. He claimed that in the U.S., 47% of Huge's hires were from BIPOC backgrounds and 64% were women. He also pointed out that the recent Defund to Refund initiative from Huge employees—reframing the conversation around police defunding—was not the first time the agency devoted resources to employee-led initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion. "Having a diverse leadership team is crucial to come up with new ideas," he said. "This is something that Kali, the leadership team and myself are highly focused on. We've made progress, but have a lot of work to do." According to Huge's most recently collected U.S. EEOC diversity data, last year 47% of the agency's hires in the U.S. were BIPOC and 64% were female. In 2019, by comparison, 31% of U.S. hires were BIPOC and 52% were female. Across the U.S., 32% of employees overall are BIPOC, although BIPOC employees represent just 17.6% of executives and 20.1% of managers. Less than half (41.4%) of professionals, defined as lead or below, are BIPOC. Over half (53%) of Huge's U.S. employees are female, including 56.2% of professionals. Only 23.5% of executives are female, however. Just under half (49%) of managers are female. Singhal also pointed out that the recent Defund To Refund initiative was not the first time the agency had devoted resources to employee-led initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Beyah commended Huge on its progress and said she was attracted to the agency's commitment to maintaining a holistic approach toward hiring and retention. Navigating the future of remote work She settles into the role almost exactly one year from the day Singhal said Huge first moved to remote work. Beyah will take over global responsibilities as the agency prepares to navigate the future of remote and in-office work. Going forward, Singhal explained that the agency is allowing employees to remain fully remote through Labor Day and will provide three months notice to any changes in policy. Finding that balance, Beyah explained, will require "openness and fluidity informed by both what our people need to thrive and our business needs to thrive." "There's a great track record to say that the work can get done beautifully with working from home," she said. "The fact that it can be an accelerator for DEI is an opportunity that we can't miss." The Guardian Hires New Editor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Leadership & Talent

Huge Hires First Global Chief Talent Officer

Kali Beyah flies in from Delta

Erik Oster

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Erik Oster