Accelerating What's Right

There is a place in our society for every individual to build a life in which they feel valued, respected and heard. Activists, academics, public officials, community organizers, corporate leaders and many others have a role to play in making this vision a reality. We’re not there yet, but we see the path toward this ideal forming and, more importantly, APCO has aggressively stepped forward to orient ourselves and its industry to progress.

As a global advisory and advocacy communications consultancy founded in the U.S. capital, sitting on the sidelines of this essential work is not an option. Our role in advising some of the world’s most trailblazing companies and our access to change-makers underpins our opportunity in advancing racial equity: help advise the organizations and individuals who can spark a real societal shift in the most consequential discussions about solutions to end structural racism.

Systemic racism runs deep in American society. The solutions—yet undefined—will not be simplistic and will demand massive change.

Real change doesn’t happen by chance or wishful thinking. It’s the product of acknowledgment, action and adherence. Real change is driven by the collection of intentional and imaginative ideas that push a population in the right direction and gain momentum.

APCO’s resources will be an engine that propels these ideas forward to advance real change—accelerating what’s right in our society and bringing us closer to an equitable future for every person in this nation.

1. We will continue to add more diversity to our leadership teams and our board of directors.
2. We will drive continually for pay equity and parity.
3. We will include diversity and inclusion goals for our senior leaders in North America, and individual contribution will be part of compensation decisions. Annual performance reviews for all North America employees will include D&I Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that measure individual contribution and be factored into career advancement.
4. The North America Leadership Team will develop annual goals and plans to advance our commitments.
5. Our talent pipeline in North America will be at least 50 percent diverse, and we will extend our recruitment efforts to more diverse and historically Black colleges, universities, community colleges and professional associations that attract a variety of diverse talent and backgrounds.
6. We will implement community engagement programs that address systemic inequalities.
7. We will roll out training for all employees on anti-racism efforts, the history of structural racism, unconscious bias, addressing microaggressions and more.
8. All employees will commit to and sign an inclusivity contract.
9. We will include inclusivity principles in our client contracts, marketing materials and proposals.
10. We will ask our clients to join our efforts and guide them to be more inclusive in their own activations.