WHO ARE THE ETHNIC ROLE MODELS IN THE INDUSTRY?

Lenny Henry has once voiced his discontempt with the lack of ethnic persons in top media jobs. He was quoted "Until there are more people of colour involved in the decision-making processes both on mainstream commercial TV and on the BBC, black and brown people in this country will never feel they are represented fairly on television."

This is a valid statement that can be applied to today's youngsters. Many times our young PR students overlook agency and corporate PR because they don't see anyone there that looks like them. They may be unaware that many companies are seeking diverse talent if they'd only apply!

There is a dire need for PR professional of ethnic origin. The only solution to remedy the problem is to continue educating and introducing others to the field through mentoring relationships, internships and professional organizations.

Jonathan Mildenhall, former managing director of ad agency TBWA/London, and one of the few senior black faces in the mainstream advertising industry, is an advocate for opening up his & the PR industry: "What we're trying to do as an industry is to have a much more credible use of black and Asian characters in advertising and public relations where we break down some of the stereotypes."