Cynthia (“Cindy”) Augustine has been named global chief talent officer for McCann Worldgroup. Augustine steps into the role currently held by Marjan Panah, who is shifting into another opportunity.
Augustine joins McCann Worldgroup from IPG sister agency network FCB, where she served as global chief talent officer the last 10 years. Augustine brings world-class skills to her role after serving HR and talent leadership roles for global companies that include Scholastic, Time Warner and The New York Times.
Bill Kolb, chairman and CEO, McCann Worldgroup, said, “Cindy is a star at attracting and retaining A+ talent to a global communications network and both building, and supporting, a diverse array of skilled and successful teams on a global scale. She is a passionate advocate for organizational change, diversity, equity and inclusion, and strategic problem-solving, that creates a more rewarding environment for current and potential employees.”
Kolb has made diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) one of his top five priorities for advancing the goals of the McCann Worldgroup network, as seen in the promotion of Singleton Beato to Global DEI Officer earlier this year. This alignment of global talent leadership and the further development of the talent practice is another significant step toward delivering on this goal.
In addition, the recruitment, advancement and retention of talent is part of McCann Worldgroup’s overall “Yes&” marketing strategy. That strategy–a critical approach to how McCann Worldgroup attacks business solutions, growth and integration–pushes the network to have the best marketing agencies and talent in each individual sector and provide best integrated global solution for the network’s clients.
Augustine said, “I love the work that all of the agencies within the Worldgroup network create and I am so impressed by the recognition that the company has received in the last few years. I know the incredible commitment to talent that the leadership of McCann Worldgroup has made, and I am thrilled to join the industry’s most effective global marketing solutions company.”
Augustine earned a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a J.D. from Rutgers University Law School. She began her career as a lawyer specializing in employment law, labor relations and employee benefits, first at The New York Times Company and then at Sabin, Bermant and Gould LLP, a law firm based in NYC.
Augustine returned to The New York Times in 1998 to serve as SVP, human resources. In 2000, she added the role of president of The New York Times Company Broadcast Group. In 2004, she joined Time Warner as SVP of talent management, overseeing executive and staff development, global recruitment and executive search, and diversity programs.
Augustine spent four years at the global publishing company Scholastic Inc., where she served as SVP of human resources and employee services. She joined FCB in 2011 as EVP, global chief talent officer, responsible for leading all aspects of human resources, including recruiting, talent development, benefits and compensation, as well as diversity & inclusion programs for the agency’s global network.
Augustine was named one of Savoy Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Black Leaders In Corporate America from 2010-2014; one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women Business Leaders by The Network Journal (2004); and one of Crain Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Minority Business Leaders In New York (2004). A dedicated mentor, she has also served on Save The Children’s board of directors.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More