Ferro continues to break ground with a one-stop shop approach to the Disney portfolio. She led the recent launch of Disney CreativeWorks, Disney’s award-winning in-house creative agency whose work included those highly lauded State Farm custom spots during ESPN’s “The Last Dance.” Ferro recently expanded Luminate, Disney’s unified suite of advanced advertising capabilities, to bring new addressable, attribution and automation solutions to the marketplace. A first generation Cuban-American, Ferro is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in everything she does—earning her Cablefax’s Diverse Executive of the Year honor. “As an industry, it should be a non-negotiable that at all major events and presentations, no less than half of presenters should be women and people of color,” she says. “You have to see it to be it. From media to advertising to the creative industry, visibility and access are key.”
The conversation about racial injustice in 2020 has been… Racial injustice in 2020 has created a watershed moment not only in our country, but around the world on values, human rights, individual responsibility and accountability for people of all races and backgrounds to have equal access, equal worth and equal representation. As an industry, with so much opportunity to influence public opinion and make a real impact, it’s our responsibility to lead and showcase the importance of having Black and Brown faces and voices telling the stories that are hard to see and hear but will make permanent change a reality.
I am excited and hopeful about the conversations and actions that are starting to happen and the ultimate foundational change that will come from people no longer accepting injustices and inequalities. I am excited that my 15-year-old daughter and her best friend will be able to be and do whatever they want in this world because the color of their skin and their background will be their superpower!
What are some of the tough conversations this industry needs to have?
We have to be OK with expressing our expectations of one another and holding each other accountable. Why are people of color across our industry not as visible when there are so many qualified and brilliant minds to tap into?
As an industry, it should be a non-negotiable that at all major events and presentations, no less than half of presenters should be women and people of color. You have to see it to be it. From media to advertising to the creative industry, visibility and access are key. At Disney Advertising, we are working to ensure the vendors we work with represent similar values and have the same standards we have set for ourselves.
How have you been a champion of diversity & inclusion in your professional life?
As a Latina, I know the importance of being seen and having a seat at the table, and I’m making it my responsibility to bring people along and make sure I give people opportunity just as I received it.
I speak often about the importance of people of color raising their hand and asking for opportunities, asking for equal pay and ensuring that my teams are developing and training our talent for growth opportunities across the company and the industry.
