Winner: Kim L. Hunter, Founder / President / CEO, LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Kim L. Hunter currently leads three separate companies: LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS, an integrated marketing communications firm specializing in multicultural markets; The LAGRANT Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the ethnic representation in advertising, marketing and public relations; and KLH & Associates, a multicultural executive search firm.
Diversity and inclusion are in Hunter’s DNA and he has played a pivotal role in increasing the ethnic representation in the communications space. This has been achieved by providing $1.83M in scholarships for diverse communications students and placing diverse candidates in internships, full-time entry to senior level communications positions.
One major group that is severely underrepresented in PR agencies’ senior leadership teams is African American males. Hunter’s goal was to give a voice to this group by writing an op-ed piece in PR Week that brought attention to the obstacles African American men face in the industry and a call to action for the CEOs of the top 10 PR agencies.
Igniting a heated discussion in the digital world, the article was shared more than 50 times on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and had a social reach of 1 million. The article stirred up so much conversation that PR Week’s Editor in Chief Steve Barrett penned a follow-up article that highlighted responses from CEOs at the top 10 agencies.
The article was also mentioned by Waste Management’s Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Chief Legal Officer Barry Caldwell in PR Week’s “Power List 2015: The Power 50” issue. Additionally, the article was recognized with a PRism Award by Public Relations Society of America’s Los Angeles Chapter.