NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Interpublic Group to Honor Agencies and Individuals at Inclusion Awards

Interpublic agencies and employees were asked to submit nominations for the eight award categories. Nominations were reviewed by the MERGE Executive and Metrics Committees. The awards luncheon will be held in New York and hosted by Michael I. Roth, Chairman and CEO of IPG, and Frank Mergenthaler, CFO of the company. Actor/Director/Comedian Robert Townsend will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Interpublic agency and corporate employees are expected to attend the ceremony in New York, and webcast events will be held at locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Norwalk, Omaha and San Francisco.

"Interpublic has taken great strides the last few years on our journey to be the most inclusive ad network in world, and it is important to celebrate the successes we have along the way," said Michael I. Roth, Chairman and CEO of IPG. He added: "The winners show that in our employees believe that diversity and inclusion has been made a priority across all sectors of our business, from traditional agencies, to media, to public relations." Interpublic CFO and executive sponsor for MERGE, Frank Mergenthaler, said, "Our employees recognize that inclusion is important not only for the bottom line, but for creating a company culture that attracts the best talent and produces the best work for clients. The awards are an important vehicle for encouraging agencies and leaders to keep the focus on results and for rewarding those who are at the forefront of change."

Honorees at the New York MERGE Awards will include:

• Community Partnership Award, Gold - McCann San Francisco
• Community Partnership Award, Silver - Campbell-Ewald
• Supplier Diversity Award, Gold - Draftfcb
• Champion of Inclusion (Agency), Gold - Mediabrands
• Champion of Inclusion (Agency), Silver - Mediabrands
• Champion of Inclusion (Individual), Gold - Keith Burton, GolinHarris
• Champion of Inclusion (Individual), Silver - Glenn Eden, Weber Shandwick
• Inclusive Marketing Initiative of the Year, Gold - Draftfcb NY
• Inclusive Marketing Initiative of the Year, Silver - Octagon
• Multicultural Agency / Practice of the Year, Gold - Octagon
• Multicultural Agency / Practice of the Year, Gold - Draftfcb Chicago
• Multicultural Agency / Practice of the Year, Silver - The Axis Agency
• Inclusive Career Development Award, Gold - ID Media

About Interpublic

Interpublic is one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. Major global brands include Draftfcb, FutureBrand, GolinHarris International, Initiative, Jack Morton Worldwide, Lowe Worldwide, Magna, McCann Erickson, Momentum, MRM Worldwide, Octagon, R/GA, UM and Weber Shandwick. Leading domestic brands include Campbell-Ewald; Campbell Mithun; Carmichael Lynch; Deutsch, a Lowe & Partners Company; Hill Holliday; ID Media; Mullen and The Martin Agency. For more information, please visit www.interpublic.com.

About MERGE

MERGE is a group of employees from IPG agencies who are committed to building an inclusive company that helps employees grow professionally and personally in a welcoming, fair and rewarding environment. MERGE's highly successful cross-agency business resource groups include the AHG (Asian Heritage Group), BEN (The Black Employee Network), IPGLBT (for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees), SOMOS (for Latin and Hispanic employees) and the WLN (Women's Leadership Network).

Interpublic Group
Tom Cunningham, 212-704-1326
or
Analysts, Investors
Jerry Leshne, 212-704-1439