Bukola Garry

EACA DEI Taskforce | Advisory Board Member, TING, Blanguage and The Women’s Association | Apprentice Nation and NABS Fast Forward Mentor | ADCOLOR

Bukola started her career as a Media Planner at Zenith Optimedia for Procter and Gamble. However, after 4 years experiencing consequences of underrepresentation within the industry, Bukola changed career paths and moved into the social sector. She led the development of programmes, initiatives and training in partnership with Local Authorities, Trusts and Funds to create employability pathways for underrepresented talent.       

It was through these two routes that Bukola came to join Havas in 2018 as the first Diversity and Inclusion Manager. Featured in Campaign’s Adland Has BAME Talent in 2020, highlighting those who are changing the game as Black and Asian creators, leaders and influencers, and shortlisted as part of the IPA’s iList, celebrating and showcasing role models promoting and championing inclusivity within the advertising industry. Bukola worked across the Havas UK Group of agencies to embed diversity and inclusion into their values, culture and processes, leading their first DEI Strategy – All In and forming a DEI committee with stakeholders across the business.

In January 2021, Bukola joined adam&eveDDB as the first Head of DE&I and has implemented a monumental amount of tangible change in that time. Bukola has injected her knowledge into the agency’s DE&I ambitions, ensuring its approach is holistic and impacts all areas of the business. She sparks important conversations around representation, ensuring an inclusive lexicon, and plays a key role in adam&eveDDB's commitment to the inclusion of underrepresented groups. As a diversity strategist, Bukola drives authentic storytelling and was instrumental to the success of adam&eveDDB’s best work of the year; #WeThe15 turned the world purple shining a light on disability inclusion, The Midnight Ramadan League in FIFA gave a voice to British South Asian footballers and Skittles were recoloured for Pride. In 2022, Bukola joined the EACA DEI Taskforce, a group dedicated to building action plans & creating effective deliverables, growing an international ecosystem, continuously identifying industry challenges and providing strategic advice.

Bukola is on the advisory board of three black-owned SME’s; Blanguage, a creative agency that translates, repurposes and authenticates brand messages through and for Black audiences, TING, set up to ensure every business has a plan in place to welcome marginalised people into their company culture, supporting their wellbeing and career success and The Women’s Association, an organisation supporting young girls and women to overcome the far too present barriers in various industries through workshops, professional mentoring and coaching. Bukola is also a mentor for Apprentice Nation and the NABS Fast Forward Programme. Bukola is a speaker sparking important conversations on platforms including Cannes Lions panels (AA / Creative Equals), Ideas Fest and this year’s ADCOLOR Conference.