Leading up to our Visible & Vocal: Insights, Impact & Action Panel and Mixer Event, Yogi Omar shares his perspective on what it takes to build truly inclusive creative environments, how agencies can move beyond performative DEI, and why this work must be embedded into both culture and leadership.
Yogi is a DEI leader recognized as an AdColor Leader and a community advocate. His work spans inclusive talent development and civic leadership, including roles with Vancouver Pride and the City of Vancouver’s LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee.
Rethink is one of Canada’s most recognized agencies. What does keeping BIPOC talent thriving in a creative environment like that actually require, beyond just getting them in the door?
Our office culture focuses on fostering inclusion, so all of our initiatives and internal programs are aimed at ensuring everyone can show up 100% authentically at Rethink and do the best work of their careers. One of our initiatives is Rethink Talks, a series of sessions that discuss topics in our industry from the perspective of people from underrepresented communities. Within our Creative department, we encourage Rethinkers to pitch ideas for nonprofits or causes they are passionate about.
Rethink works with major brands. How do you advise clients to support or embody diversity in a way that feels genuinely integrated into the work rather than bolted on?
To ensure alignment, we kick off new partnerships with relationship accelerator sessions. We introduce Rethink’s DEI initiatives—especially in Production—early on, and continue to look for ways to integrate them as our client relationships evolve.
Your roles with Vancouver Pride and the City of Vancouver’s LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee sit alongside your work at Rethink. How does that experience shape the way you approach DEI inside the agency?
I feel that I bring lived experience when it comes to integrating activism into my work. I know what it feels like to be an “other,” but I also know that, because of that experience, I can effect change in a deeper, more systemic way. We need to understand that DEI work does not rest solely in the hands of BIPOC employees or those from underrepresented communities; it must come from leadership and every ally in the agency. I often say that you cannot just “practice” DEI at work—it has to seep into your daily way of thinking. Look at the people in your life: if all your friends come from the same background as you, try to diversify your circle. I guarantee it will improve your quality of life and make your work even better.
How do you navigate bringing your full self into DEI work in an industry that often wants to silo those conversations, and what do you wish more allies understood about that?
Expanding on my previous answers, we must first create an environment that truly fosters a sense of belonging. From there, we need our allies to do the work alongside us. We cannot contain these conversations and initiatives within underrepresented communities alone; we must make it everyone’s responsibility to make DEI work meaningful. It is also vital for those in leadership positions to explicitly state that this is a priority. They should set the example by being actively involved in the DEI space—sometimes it is as simple as clearly and consistently vocalizing that commitment.