Webinar: “Improving Diversity in the Workplace and in Marketing”

Nikki Darden is Head of Global Marketing Integration for Citi’s Global Consumer Bank. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring that Citi’s consumer brand experience is consistent across global markets. She works with teams around the world to drive strategic and brand execution alignment across consumer-facing initiatives. Nikki also leads many of Citi’s multicultural marketing initiatives, working to ensure diverse representation and inclusive culture are at the forefront of our marketing. Before joining Citi, Nikki spent 12 years at American Express, where she led Membership Rewards for the company’s Global Commercial Card division. She also led American Express’s consumer retention team and served as Chief of Staff to the head of its consumer product management organization. A proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, Nikki has been a champion of hiring and mentoring diverse talent throughout her career. In addition to serving as Executive Sponsor Citi’s Global Marketing Diversity Task Force, she regularly coaches others to see that, as important as it is to understand cultural norms in an organization, it is equally important to maintain one’s own individualism to drive maximum value. Nikki shares that she didn’t always realize this. “I would look at those who were successful and think I had to dress like them or present myself the same way,” she said to glasshammer.com. “But I know now that the more comfortable you are with yourself, the more you drive value for your employer with the qualities that differentiate you. I’m a Southerner; I’m a woman; and I’m a minority. I used to water it down, but now I embrace those traits that make me who I am.”

James White joined Lord Abbett in October of 2018 as the firm’s first Head of Diversity & Inclusion where he is tasked with leading the development of a multi-year strategy to establish inclusion as a core value and competitive advantage for the firm.  Implementation of this strategy entails establishing an ongoing, cultural change management process including targeted programs and effective governance in order to yield measurable, impactful results.  Challenging the status quo of leading with the traditional business case for Diversity & Inclusion, James has reframed his approach within the context of human rights, citizenship, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  He is a frequent speaker at industry, client, university, and other external events and consults across the marketplace on best practices related to Global Corporate Citizenship and Diversity & Inclusion. James began his career at Merrill Lynch where he spent 15 years in Human Resources. In 2010, James joined Credit Suisse as the Human Capital Project Lead for the Investment Bank, and in September of 2015, James joined OppenheimerFunds as the firm’s first Head of Diversity & Inclusion.

Chardia Christophe – Garcia is a marketing and events professional with over 13 years of experience working in publishing and media. She is currently the Executive Director, Audience and Community Marketing at Forbes focusing on event audience development, where she manages the strategy, marketing and delegate recruitment for approx. 20+ ForbesLIVE events (virtual and in-person) – highlights include the Forbes Women's Summit, The Forbes Under 30 Summit, The Forbes Healthcare Summit and many more. Prior to her role at Forbes, she worked as the Associate Director, Event Marketing at NewBay Media (now Future plc.) where she managed the marketing campaigns for multiple events including NYC Television Week, The Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, The Multicultural TV Summit, The Hispanic TV Summit, The Multichannel News Wonder Women Awards Luncheon, the Government Video Expo and more. Prior to joining NewBay Media, she worked at American Express Publishing where she managed all the loyalty marketing for three affinity membership clubs (100,000+ members). Chardia received her Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from The College of New Rochelle and her Bachelor’s Degree in English and Business from the State University of New York at Albany.