The List's DE&I mentorship program is now accepting applications

This article was originally published on October 17. It has been updated to reflect The List and Generation Next's new partner organizations. See below. 

The List—the select group of marketing, advertising and media leaders assembled by Ad Age in partnership with Meta—has kicked off the 2022 edition of its mentorship program Generation Next. 

Since its inception in 2019, The List has been working toward addressing underrepresentation and work-life balance in the industry. In 2021, Generation Next launched in partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) as a pilot program aimed at mentoring diverse professionals to address the retention problem in the industry.

This year, the Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC), Color Vision, Asians in Advertising (AIA), the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP), the Marcus Graham Project (MGP), P.O.C.C., Do the WeRQ and Future Now Media Foundation have joined MLT and the 3AF to help The List source mentee applicants. The List is also in discussions with a number of other industry diversity-advocacy organizations and will be announcing those partnerships in the coming weeks. 

The 2022 edition of Generation Next is focused on mentoring midcareer professionals of diverse backgrounds—including representatives from the LGBTQ+ and disability communities—with five to 10 years of experience in the marketing, advertising and media industry. 

If you meet this criteria and are interested in applying to The List's Generation Next mentorship program, fill in the embedded application form below. Generation Next mentors include members from the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes of The List, as well as other prominent industry leaders. 

The application filing deadline is Friday, Oct. 28. 

To promote Generation Next and its core mission of improving DE&I in the industry, The List is appearing on two panels in The Female Quotient's Equality Lounge during Advertising Week New York on Oct. 17 and 18:

Monday, Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. ET
Mentorship at Every Level: Why Mentors Matter at the Top

Mentorship isn’t just beneficial at the start of a career. The power of mentorship becomes increasingly valuable as you advance and gain more experience. Members of The List will discuss how mentors have impacted them throughout their professional development and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Each year, Ad Age and Meta bring together the industry’s top industry and thought leaders for The List. The List’s mission is to confront and tackle the challenges of mid-career BIPOC professionals, and address the lack of diversity at the executive level. Through this partnership, The List combines the power of storytelling with industry experience to drive thought leadership, education and inspiration for powerful, long-term change.
Speakers: John Dioso, editor, Ad Age Studio 30; Meredith Guerriero, chief operating officer, Attain; Bianca Guimaraes, partner and executive creative director, Mischief USA; Isaac Mizrahi, CEO and president, Alma Advertising; Shauna Sweeney, global director, industry and community marketing, Meta; Melanie Washington, senior VP, MediaLink

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. ET
Performance on People’s Terms: The New Landscape of Privacy and Marketing

Businesses no longer have a complete picture of the user journey. Digital marketing is changing as a result of privacy regulations, changing consumer attitudes and increasing data limitations. From supporting the small businesses our communities depend on, to partnering with clients on long term marketing strategies, various players in the industry are finding ways to evolve and adapt. Ad Age and Meta Blueprint are bringing together a slate of leading industry experts from underrepresented backgrounds to discuss the changing e-commerce and marketing landscape, its potential impacts and ways the industry needs to be evolving. This panel will feature thought leaders from The List, the group of advertising, marketing and media industry leaders assembled by Ad Age in partnership with Meta to confront and tackle the challenges of mid-career BIPOC professionals and address the lack of diversity at the executive level.
Speakers: Amy Brooks, director of business education, Meta; John Dioso, editor, Ad Age Studio 30; Delphine Hernoux, chief data and analytics officer, North America, Wavemaker (GroupM/WPP); Charlyn Okigbo, business lead, emerging ad products, Uber

RSVP here to attend in person or gain access to the Virtual Equality Lounge to watch remotely if you can't make it to New York for Advertising Week.

For the latest news on The List 2022's progress—including the announcement of the 2022 Generation Next mentees—visit The List vertical on AdAge.com and website AdAgeTheList.com, and follow The List on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Email [email protected] for more information.