Dentsu partners with Pinnacle Foundation to celebrate LGBTIQ+ community

To mark the end of Pride month, dentsu has entered a gold partnership with The Pinnacle Foundation to support and celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community and encourage more diversity in Australia’s creative industries.

The Pinnacle Foundation provides educational scholarships, mentoring, and opportunities for young LGBTIQ+ Australians to realise their full potential and overcome challenges arising from their identity. In 2022, the Foundation awarded 72 scholarships across Australia. 

As part of the partnership, a ‘dentsu Scholarship’ will be provided to a student participating in a creative degree at an Australian university, as well as mentoring, career, and community support through the dentsu network. 

Luke Speers, dentsu APAC’s Chief People Officer, said the scholarship has been designed to enable a student to fulfil their potential in the creative sector. 

“We’re focused on creating an environment where everyone is recognised and celebrated for their unique perspectives – both within dentsu and the broader community. 

“At dentsu, we recognise that there is a barrier to attracting diverse talent into the creative industry which can often be a narrow pathway. 

“Our partnership with The Pinnacle Foundation is an important step at opening more doors for people from diverse backgrounds to create a meaningful career in our industry. The membership also allows us to access the many graduates of Pinnacle, which is an important avenue for future talent,” said Speers. 

Andrew Staite, CEO & Managing Director of The Pinnacle Foundation, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome dentsu to the ‘Pinnacle family’ as our newest gold partner, including the creation of the multiyear ‘dentsu Scholarship’ to be awarded from 2023. This Scholarship will meaningfully contribute to transforming the lives of young LGBTIQ+ Australians and raising awareness of the challenges many within the community still face because of their identity.” 

As part of our partnership with The Pinnacle Foundation, dentsu now stands alongside prestigious, well known national and international businesses, including AGL, KPMG, L’Oréal Australia, Macquarie, Accenture, BHP, Bank of Melbourne, and Commonwealth Bank – all of whom are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive society. 

dentsu’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion council focuses on improving and increasing representation across five key pillars: gender, rainbow, neurodiversity, cultural, and 2 accessibility. The work across these pillars has become a part of the fabric of dentsu culture in our pursuit of being the most integrated and inclusive network. 

For more information about the Pinnacle Foundation, visit https://thepinnaclefoundation.org/