My guest today is LinkedIn Top Voice Mita Mallick. Mita has headed consumer brands at places like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Unilever. The following excerpt from her linkedin bio brings us to what Mita is doing today:
“As a kid, I loved watching commercials instead of actual tv shows (still do!) and going to the store with my mom, studying all the new packaging and products on shelf, testing and trying new things. But as a kid, I didn’t see many stories being told that included people who looked like me. I was the funny looking dark skinned girl, with a long funny looking braid, whose parents spoke funny English. Until it wasn't funny anymore. I was bullied by my peers for years. And I just desperately wanted to fit in. I wanted to belong.
I have spent over 15 years as a storyteller. Leading iconic brands like AVEENO, AVON Color Cosmetics, Chapstick, Vaseline, Suave and Dove. Throughout my career, I have fought hard to ensure people like me are included. Ensuring Black and Brown people were represented in campaigns. Ensuring products we created were for all skin tones. Ensuring we were not reinforcing stereotypes.
I believe diversity of thought doesn’t happen without diversity of representation. When you have all those points of views, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds coming together around a table. Colliding, clashing, and collaborating- that’s when magic happens. That’s when we come up with that one break through innovative idea, campaign, innovation- to authentically and purposefully serve customers and communities.”
In this conversation, Mita and I chat about how she got hired at her dream companies Johnson & Johnson and Unilever and how she transitioned to the DEIB space. We also talk about what it means on a day to day basis work in this space, and how we can all become allies.
If you enjoy honesty and clarity on a difficult subject, you will LOVE this conversation!
Follow Mita on LinkedIn here.
Listen to her podcast Brown Table Talk with Dee Cee Marshall here.
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