Helga Sásdi, Publicis Groupe Hungary CEO and co-CEO of Publicis Le Pont—a hub for commerce, content, production, data, technology and creative in Hungary, Poland and Czechia—has been one of the few corporate leaders publicly championing LGBTQ+ rights in a country plagued by discrimination.

Sásdi is behind the agency’s ongoing “Family is family” campaign, which pushes back on a series of laws that have made it difficult for same-sex couples to adopt children. The agency started the campaign in 2020 when a bill to modify Hungary’s constitution to state “a father is a man, a mother is a woman” was introduced, and it continues to run iterations as discrimination persists.

The campaign has included a logo with three genderless figures (two adults and one child) in rainbow colors. Approximately 40,000 people made the logo their Facebook profile picture, while more than 100 public figures have also shown their support, some of whom had not previously supported LGBTQ+ rights.

“I want to make sure that we create a safe place,” Sásdi said. “It’s an absolute must as a leader to represent everyone that’s in the company. When I think of a 350-person company with all the different nationalities, sexual orientations, disabilities, whatever it is, if you wouldn’t support these things, I wouldn’t feel that it’s us.”

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stick to your dream. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. Dare to dream big and always have the next goal you want to achieve. Never make excuses, but diligently and humbly move forward.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Standing up for the values you believe in is something genuine, but it also requires courage. In my case, the value is diversity, and the context is Hungary—one of the less open countries in the EU. I’m very proud to become the chair of the board of WeAreOpen, Hungary’s largest DEI organization, and to [lead] my teams at Publicis Groupe Hungary and Publicis Le Pont, which constantly support every related campaign.

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why?

I would spend more time with my children and travel more together to show them how colorful the world is. And I would spend much more time mentoring, teaching and developing others.

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?

The key is understanding that being open is not just the right thing to do but also creates business value: The more diverse and varied a group is, the more creative and exciting ideas are generated. Creativity requires the representation of as many segments of society, on a global scale, as possible.

How do you expect emerging tech like Web3 and AI to impact your job in the future?

One day it will tell us the answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything. (Yes, the answer is already known—it’s 42). Jokes aside, no one knows the answer right now. It’s here; it’s developing faster than we imagined. It will take someone’s job and it will create new ones. It will increase productivity and hopefully won’t kill creativity but will take it to the next level.