MiQ ERG Global Rebrand

Describe how the initiative or campaign works? 

ERG leaders are given clear roles and responsibilities during their tenure, so that the ERGs have accountability like any other position at MiQ. This included putting together a set number of member mixers, events, and outreach activities, set check-in times with Erica, our global DEI program manager, budget tracking, and beginning and end-of-year strategy sessions.

Throughout the year, they are given budget* and logistical support to help bring their annual strategy to life (calendaring, budget approvals and fee payments, event recording and captioning, etc.). All their plans must link back to their ERG mission statements. We then recognise and reward our leaders and promote their work on our internal and external channels to amplify and support their work.

2025 will aim to see us bring our ERG leaders together in a development summit and build on the success of 2024.

Can you tell us about the practical steps you took to set it up? 

We tested this in EMEA in 2023 with local ERGs so we could see what worked, what the pitfalls were, and how to galvanise established ERG leaders around a new way of thinking. Through a Conversation Circle* and strategic annual planning session, we built a dialogue with our ERG leaders with the goal of moving this forward globally.

We then created a 3-year adaptable strategic transformation plan that extended to our global ERGs outside of EMEA. This plan was presented to the C-suite, and we also gained buy-in from marketing, internal comms, wider talent, local talent leads, and onboarding teams.

*Conversation Circles: Interactive, focused, brave, safe spaces designed to enable us to come together, driving dialogue and action around identity, culture and inclusion relevant to your teams every day. Designed to start the conversation, focus on self-reflection, and drive collective action across cultures with a DEI lens. Piloted and designed by Ally Tyger-Doyle in Bloom UK’s The Exchange (industry co-mentoring programme) in 2021 around Sexual Harassment, Ally then brought Conversation Circles into MiQ.

What was the first step you took to get it off the ground?

We conducted an audit to capture the state of play in 2023, which focused on the challenges and opportunities. We also looked at the networks we’re part of and what other companies were doing, so we were not looking at this in silo. 

Our next step was gaining the trust of ERG leaders and the business that change was needed, and that more structure and resources would benefit the program. Importantly, our team also helped provide a sounding board to help pull together learnings and identify opportunity spaces with a global lens.

Who are the internal business partners you brought on board?

Head of EMEA Talent, Global President of Talent and Operations Talent, Executive Board, Onboarding teams locally, ERG Leaders, Executive ERG sponsors, marketing team, and our own global DEI team. We got as many people involved upstream at key touch points as possible to ensure they could support the vision and were aware of its importance early on and ahead of when their support would be needed.

Are there any external stakeholders you spoke to for advice?

Externally, we looked at what our clients, industry competitors and organisations beyond advertising and technology were doing with their ERGs to inspire and align best practices. This would not only support our business case for change (besides our knowledge as practitioners) but we were tailoring our ERG program to the needs of our MiQ’ers by strategically adapting the things we needed to.

How do you keep it going?

• Ongoing 3-year plan to change our ERG network with the ability to adapt as the business changes.
• Ensuring that ERGs are embedded into our onboarding process and the rest of our employee life-cycle.
• Requiring designated budgets for each ERG (global and local) to ensure equitable resource and funding allocation.
• Regularly scheduling meetings with ERG leads to keep them on strategy, mindful of fundamentals, and ensure they are properly supported.
• Promoting a monthly calendar of events so the wider business is informed of current ERG events.

What positive impact has this initiative or campaign had? 

From 2023 to 2024, we expanded our ERG program from 12 to 16 global and local groups that are led by over 40 passionate MiQers. Between 2023 and the first half of 2024, they hosted over 20 guest speaker events, along with countless member mixers, book clubs, and outings, creating spaces for communal learning and connection. ERGs were called out by several employees as being a key motivator for engagement and belonging at MiQ.

What did you learn that could help others?

Starting with the basics and encouraging ERGs to focus on building their community is essential to building ERGs that can thrive through leadership and strategy changes. The more people are engaged and invested in their community, the more internal hand-raisers will help to support the ERG along its journey. Large-scale events are great for visibility and wider organisational allyship, but smaller-scale, community-focused events are how connections are made and community is built. Start small, be intentional and remain consistent by putting the community's needs first - keeping going!

How will you make the benefit of this initiative or campaign endure?  

Each year, we work on our ERG strategy and make room for improvements, whether in a more targeted approach to ERG leadership or more transparency with the business. We know MiQers want to learn together and build a tighter-knit sense of community and unity, and we actively engage with our ERG leads to find out what works, what can be improved, and how we can innovate for a more vibrant program.