NEW YORK, December 4, 2024 – Burson, the global communications leader purpose-built to create value for clients through reputation, today announced two key appointments to its people team that underscore the agency’s commitment to its most vital asset – talent. Jeff Marshall has joined as Global Chief Inclusion Officer and Natasha Avery has joined as Global Chief Talent Acquisition Officer.
“Jeff and Natasha are outstanding additions to our people team in their respective disciplines,” said Azurée S. Montoute-Lewis, Global Chief People Officer, Burson. “Jeff is a well-recognized, award-winning and sought-after expert in inclusion and belonging, and his joining Burson underscores our commitment to ensuring that our agency is representative of the world at large and that our team members feel a sense of belonging in our workplace.
“Natasha will lead our global executive recruitment efforts, drive strategic hiring initiatives and lead the expansion of our talent function,” Montoute-Lewis continued. “Burson Persons are high-performing colleagues who are committed to over-delivering for clients, constant self-improvement and nurturing the next generation of professionals. Natasha has an expansive network from which she will help us continue to build our community of world-class talent.”
Before joining Burson, Marshall led UM Worldwide’s Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) efforts as the agency’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer. Through partnership with clients, partners, and agency leaders, Marshall implemented a strategic framework that resulted in higher engagement and removed some of the barriers impeding UM’s ability to achieve an inclusive workforce. Prior to this role, he spent 17 years in media strategy, buying and planning at a range of agencies.
He is a member of the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee, She Runs It’s DEI Advisory Council, and BRIDGE’s Strategic Advisory Council. Marshall’s work has earned him numerous awards, including being named to the American Marketing Association’s 2024 Hall of Fame, American Advertising Federation Mosaic Center’s Inaugural Guardian Award, Color Magazine’s 2023 Top CDO Power List, ThinkLA’s 2023 DIG Awards Winners and ADWEEK’s 2022 Media All-Stars.
Avery brings more than 20 years of experience to her position. Most recently, she served as Vice President, Executive Recruiter at WPP, where she partnered with executive leaders across WPP agencies to recruit top-tier talent. She also played a key role in shaping WPP’s talent mobility policies, advocating for internal career growth through her leadership of the Talent Connect and Marketplace community.
Prior to WPP, Natasha was the Director of Talent Acquisition for North America at AKQA, and she spent 13 years at Edelman, where she rose to the role of Executive Vice President, Talent Acquisition. During her time there, she led senior and executive-level recruitment across various divisions, including digital, creative, performance marketing, influencer, strategy, analytics, communications and branding for the Americas.
