On Wednesday 14th February and Thursday 15th February, world-class panelists and inspiring keynote speakers will come together for the Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit at the United Nations Headquarters. Join us as we explore the theme of ‘Collective Impact, Powering Forward’. Hear from stellar speakers, discover world-first research and exclusive new tools that will fuel discussions to invigorate our work towards an unstereotyped world.

Despite growing global challenges across the world, the advertising and media industry can accelerate positive social norms and drive momentum towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit will inspire, unite, and affirm our collective impact. Because when we work together, great change happens.    

OPEN PLENARY - Wednesday 14th February 2024, 10:00 - 13:00 ET

Join the Open Plenary session live on UN WebTV > or on the Unstereotype Alliance YouTube channel > from 10:00 – 13:00 ET. Leading voices from across the United Nations, advertising, entertainment, and business sectors will discuss how to push for progress and reveal best practices for driving sustainable social change.

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Opening Address: Welcome from the Chair of the Unstereotype Alliance - Sima Bahous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women 

Keynote: Collective Impact in the global context - Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Global Compact

Keynote: Breaking Boundaries, Shifting Culture - June Ambrose Cultural Icon and Creative Director with Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert and CEO, Talk to Jess

This keynote address and conversation will explore the culture-shifting work of June Ambrose. As a creative icon and style architect, Ambrose has been something of a music industry unicorn. Her visual narratives and costume design have defined a generation. Hear about her bold and fearless approach to collaborating with some of the world's biggest brands, challenging stereotypes, and breaking boundaries. Ambrose’s advocacy for women of color and the underrepresented and underserved communities remains at the heart of her platform and her impact in business and culture remains grounded by inclusion. 

Keynote: The Unstereotype Alliance: Raising the bar - Sara Denby, Head of the Unstereotype Alliance Secretariat, UN Women

Keynote conversation: Barbie – The Billion Dollar Proof Point 

This inspirational dialogue will uncover the stratospheric success of Mattel’s Barbie movie. Find out how an intersectional approach, authentic characters and satirical storytelling resonated so successfully - bringing audiences closer to brands, and further from stereotypes.

• ​Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Mattel
• Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert and CEO, Talk to Jess 

Spotlight: Girlhood – Rachel Lowenstein, Global Head of Inclusive Innovation, Mindshare

Across geographical and ideological lines, the one constant in culture is the devaluation of femme creativity. And yet, we’re in a season of the girlification of everything with the Barbie/Beyonce/Taylor/girl dinner of it all. What does a future where girl culture becomes the center of the cultural universe mean for society, people, and brands?

CLOSED SESSIONS

We have a superb lineup of Unstereotype Alliance speakers and guests sharing guidance on inclusive media practices, how to brave backlash, and an expanded 3Ps toolkit that features masculinities, disability, ageism, body diversity, sports sponsorship. New initiatives will be unveiled including the Charter of Accountability, and how we plan to engage the next generation of advertisers. Colleagues from around the world will share models of change in shifting cultural landscapes, and reveal strategies for inclusive AI.

Sessions and speakers 

Spotlight: The Power of Partnerships - Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

This year marks 20 years of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (GDI) - a long-standing ally of the Unstereotype Alliance and UN Women. GDI played a key role in UN Women's establishment 13 years ago and the partnership has flourished ever since. In this spotlight, Madeline Di Nonno will uncover the power of partnerships and celebrate the collective impact we have made globally in the plight of gender equality.

Spotlight: Outrage - Ageism in the Ad Industry - Nicky Bullard, Chief Creative Officer, MullenLowe Group UK​

Ageism in the advertising industry is prolific. Data from MullenLowe’s Invisible Powerhouse study found a severe lack of representation across adland, and Unstereotype Metric data identified the same under-representation within ad content. Ageism is the ‘ism’ that affects us all and reshaping narratives can help reestablish connections with this underrepresented cohort. 

Launch: The New and Expanded 3Ps Toolkit

In this session we will unveil the newly refreshed and expanded Unstereotype Alliance 3Ps Toolkit. Spearheaded by project lead Jane Bamber and joined by contributors to the new toolkit, the latest sections and fresh content will be revealed, including sections on sports sponsorship advertising, Masculinities, Body Diversity, Age​, Disability and best-in-class examples from across the membership.

• Jane Bamber, Consumer Planning and Brand Development Director​, Diageo
• Tracey Corbin-Matchett, CEO, Bus Stop Films 
• Fernando Desouches, New Macho, BBD Perfect Storm ​
• Alison Giordano, Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorships & Consumer Marketing, Mastercard​
• Christina Mallon, Head of Inclusive Design, Microsoft
• Ayesha Walawalkar, Chief Strategy Officer, MullenLowe Group 
• Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert and CEO, Talk to Jess
• Crystal Zerrenner, Chief Growth Officer, Thinx​

Spotlight: The Progressive Unstereotype Metric 

In 2023 we raised the bar and launched the Progressive Unstereotype Metric (PUM) to evaluate ALL characters that appear in an ad, measuring how progressive the representations are. Find out what we have learned so far from this new metric and its focus on the depiction of race and ethnicity, disability, and age across the world.

• Caroline Frankum, CEO, Profiles Division, Kantar​ 
• Sarah Morrell, Senior Client Lead, Kantar

Launch: From Z to Alpha: Learning Initiatives that break stereotypes 

The Unstereotype Alliance is proud to announce the ‘NextGen Education Initiative’. A new initiative to galvanize global efforts, and engage and strengthen the professional pipeline. Understanding what works to support and empower the next generation of industry leaders is at the heart of this important new collective.

• Valerya Borges, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Director, VML
• Dr Ali Khalil, Assistant Professor, Zayed University 
• Madam Amina Oyagbola, Founder & Chairperson, WISCAR 
• Preetesh Sewraj, CEO, Loeries 

Keynote Conversation: Breaking Stereotypes through Storytelling - Elif Shafak, award-winning author in conversation with Aline Santos, Chief Brand Officer and Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Unilever 

Esteemed and world-renowned novelist Elif Shafak joins Aline Santos, Chief Brand Officer, and Chief Equity Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Unilever to discuss the unique power of storytelling. They will uncover how dismantling stereotypes through characters and plots has helped shift perceptions to drive positive social change in our communities. Learn how storytelling and empathy can transcend culture, connect people across diverse social structures and transform social norms

Launch: New Getty Images exhibit ‘Look Back, Move Forward’ - Dr Rebecca Swift, SVP, Creative, Getty Images

Looking Back, Moving Forward—the original mural that debuted at UN Headquarters in 2022—explored how advertising and media have subtly and blatantly reinforced restrictive and traditional attitudes about women. Following the Unstereotype Alliance’s increased focus on promoting healthy masculinities, this second iteration, named ‘Look Back, Move Forward’, expands the original premise to include media’s impact on men, specifically the depictions of masculinity and ‘the successful man’. Join us at this unveiling – the findings are startling.

Launch: The Unstereotype Alliance Charter of Accountability

The Unstereotype Alliance continues to promote change across the global advertising industry, and at the 2024 Summit the Unstereotype Alliance’s Charter of Accountability will be launched. It includes a framework to ensure progress is measured and tracked across the membership, by providing a mechanism for members to develop benchmarks and share their impact, which is then reported back via UN Women against the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Carol Frazer Haynesworth, Director, Multicultural Strategy, Carmichael Lynch 
• Sara Denby, Head of the Unstereotype Alliance Secretariat, UN Women
• Kaitlin Love, Strategic Research Consultant, UN Women

Session: Braving the Backlash

There is mounting evidence that progressive content results in increased ROI and long-term positive brand health measures, yet a few high-profile incidents of backlash against campaigns that take a progressive approach or appear “woke” in conservative parlance, has caused nervousness. This pragmatic discussion will focus on the effective strategies brands have employed to handle backlash, steps that can be taken to course correct if needs arise and most importantly, how to protect the people and communities throughout the process. 

• Helen James, CEO, CPB London 
• ​Debbie Tembo, DE&I Partnerships Director, Creative Equals 
• Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert and CEO, Talk to Jess
• Lauren Winter, Global MD, Consumer Culture & Brand Marketing EMEA, Fleishman Hillard
• Meghan Bartley, Senior Director of Agencies, Brands, and Engagement, GLAAD

Spotlight: The Business Case for Progressive Marketing - Andrew Stephen, Deputy Dean & L’Oreal Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Existing evidence suggests that advertising performance and consumer purchase intent are improved when advertising is diverse and progressive. However many stakeholders view purchase intent as a ‘soft metric’ – their eyes are fixed only on the bottom line. In this exclusive preview for Alliance members, we will unveil brand new initial findings that show exactly how progressive advertising converts into sales across multiple sectors, worldwide.

Session: Models of Change and Impact

Cultural dynamics across the world vary greatly. This often poses a challenge for advertisers and organizations when it comes to creating progressive and norm-shifting content. We speak to advertising experts operating in different cultural ecosystems who will each share how they navigate barriers to create impactful initiatives and campaigns that seek to eradicate stereotypes and drive positive social change. 

• Maria Bulla, Corporate Responsibility & Social Impact, DEI Manager, Unilever 
• Manisha Kapoor, CEO & Secretary General, ASCI
• Dr. Gül Şener, Associate Professor, Bahçeşehir University and Representative of the Türkiye National Chapter 
• Sthu Zungu-Noel, Unstereotype Alliance National Expansion Program Lead, UN Women (Moderator)

Launch: The Inclusive Media 3Bs Toolkit

During the last Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit, members discussed how we could ‘raise the bar’ to eradicate stereotypes within the media landscape. A fifth workstream has since been created and the burgeoning Inclusive Media working group will unveil its first initiative – the Inclusive Media 3Bs Toolkit. This practical tool aims to ensure an unstereotyped approach is adopted throughout media buying, targeting, and measurement processes that work side by side with the Unstereotype Alliance's 3Ps Creative guidance.

• Dale Green, Global Director - Purpose Marketing at Mars​
• Elda Choucair, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group (UAE)​
• Rachel Lowenstein, Global Head of Inclusion Innovation, Mindshare​
• Traci Spiegelman, Vice President, Global Media, Mastercard​
• Caitlin Dorgler, Senior Manager, Media and Connections, Diageo

Session: Prioritising the DE&I in AI

The topic of AI, particularly generative AI, has been gaining interest and adoption within the advertising industry. While it offers efficiencies, there are concerns that DE&I efforts have not permeated processes and ecosystems, causing a risk that progress will be stalled or worse, reversed. This session will unpack how members, and the industry at large, can plan and safeguard against regression in our shared endeavors to eliminate stereotypes and avoid ‘baked-in bias’.

• Anne Marie Nelson Bogle, VP, YouTube Ads Marketing, Google​

• Christina Mallon, Head of Inclusive Design, Microsoft

• Doug Melville, CEO Jodie AI and Adcolor

• Andrew Stephen, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford​

Training: Unstereotype 101 - How to be an Upstander - Alaina Crystal, Unstereotype 101 consultant, UN Women 

In a world where stereotyping has become the norm, we need powerful ways to stop them in their tracks. Being an Active Upstander means knowing why stereotypes exist, how to safely combat them, and when to intervene in difficult situations. Through the “Stop, See, Suggest” framework, Alaina will share the tools to fight stereotypes in daily life.

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