Tiffany R. Warren

Tiffany R. Warren
Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer
Omnicom Group, New York City

In nursery school, Tiffany R. Warren’s teacher deemed her the ambassador of the class. When she was accepted into the exclusive Winsor School in Boston on a full scholarship, Warren’s Sherpa-like tendencies continued. “Whatever I learned at private school, I tried to bring back home and teach my siblings and the kids in my Roxbury (Mass.) neighborhood,” explains Warren, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at the Omnicom Group. “In order to inspire people to achieve, you have to know what success looks like.”

After graduating from Bentley University with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, with a concentration in communications, Warren worked at the advertising agency Arnold Worldwide and at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) before joining Omnicom in 2009. A frequent blogger and writer on diversity issues, she says, “I’ve been blessed to have companies that understand my passion for diversity and encourage it.” Quoting boxer Muhammad Ali, she notes, “If you produce, people will take you seriously.” 

Warren launched ADCOLOR® in 2005 and subsequently the ADCOLOR® Awards, with a view toward promoting greater diversity and recognizing people of color and diversity champions in the advertising, marketing and media industries. ADCOLOR® has become a virtual membership organization. “It has grown organically and virally. We’ve been able to touch more than 2,300 people and managed to raise the profile of our cause,” says Warren. “We’d like to create a blueprint for others to follow.”

Warren is also a founder of the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic and Alumni Friends Association. Last year, the AAF inducted her into its Hall of Achievement. She credits her grandmother with teaching her how to handle success and achievement. She explains: “Her mantra was always ‘What’s next?’ Take responsibility for your actions, good or bad, and never rest on your laurels.”