FleishmanHillard UK Announces First Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Antoinette Willcocks joins agency in new DE&I role, which also sits on its management board

Antoinette Willcocks has joined FleishmanHillard UK as its first head of diversity, equity and inclusion from law firm Norton Rose Fulbright where she was global diversity and inclusion manager. She will be tasked with delivering on FleishmanHillard’s aspiration to become the most diverse and inclusive agency in the country. 

The role sees Antoinette take a place on the FleishmanHillard UK management board, the global DE&I Taskforce and the UK’s DE&I Steering Group, which she will chair. Here, she will partner with around 40 team members committed to shifting the dial on the agency’s five focus areas for DE&I: ethnic minority representation, hidden and visible disabilities, socio-economic diversity, mental health and inclusive culture. Antoinette will also work alongside Christina Peach who leads FleishmanHillard’s DE&I client consulting offer, True MOSAIC for the EMEA region.   

Following a successful career in PR and crisis management, Antoinette moved into DE&I where she now specialises in race, ethnicity and social mobility. She has developed and regularly delivers challenging training on issues such as microaggressions, inclusive leadership and effective allyship. In her most recent role, she was responsible for leading global DE&I projects and as part of her remit, introduced a new and best-practice approach to the sponsorship of talent from under-represented groups. She has advised senior leaders and clients on DE&I issues and tackled the multiple dynamics and challenges that arise in this space. 

Ali Gee, deputy CEO of FleishmanHillard UK said: “Antoinette has the experience, passion and determination to take us forward in the next stage of delivering on our vision to be the UK’s most diverse and inclusive agency. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and we remain the only agency in the market to be fully accredited by the government-backed National Equality Standard, but we can never stop trying to make more progress.” 

Adrianne Smith, FleishmanHillard global chief diversity and inclusion officer, added: “Antoinette is another powerful addition to our global community of DE&I leaders at FleishmanHillard. Her experience, enthusiasm and commitment to creating effective inclusion programs for global corporations will be valued within our agency and with many of our clients.” 

Antoinette said of her decision to join FleishmanHillard UK: “You cannot fail to feel inspired by the passion, vision and dedication of the team at FleishmanHillard when it comes to their DE&I aspirations. I know from experience that meaningful progress can be made, and incredible things can happen when you have truly committed people at the table. I feel honoured—and so excited—to lead the UK agency into the next stage of its DE&I journey.”