“I didn’t feel confident enough to come out at work until I was in my late 30s. I hated not being my authentic self and looking back became significantly more effective when I was. I wish I’d had the opportunity to discuss career, skills, mental health, and personal development with an LGBTQ+ mentor then. It would have been amazing.” Mark Runacus, the joint chief executive of Outvertising and the co-founder of creative agency Wax/On is laying out the brutal cost of not being able to simply be yourself in the workplace.

The conversation surrounding bringing your whole self to work may have reached a new level in the midst of a global pandemic in which many employees had little choice but to bring their families, pets and or flatmates with them too. Yet as Runacus explains “LGBTQ+ visibility in our workplaces still has its challenges.”

In a bid to support the LGBTQ+ community to meet these challenges NABS has teamed up with Outvertising to launch a speed mentoring season. 

Runacus added: “I encourage everyone in our sector to sign-up for this NABS x Outvertising speed mentoring session. And of course you don’t have to be LGBTQ+ to join us. Please come along and work with a really inclusive bunch of leaders.”   

Five of the industry’s most influential LGBTQ+ mentors will be on hand to share their career stories and answer questions from mentees in a confidential and informal online setting. 

The mentors are: Mark Runacus MBE, co-founder and planning partner at Wax/On, joint chief executive at Outvertising, Ella Hall, marketing director at RCA and co-director of inclusion and belonging at Outvertising and board member of Pride in London; Louis Persent, creative director at Weirdo, co-director of communications at Outvertising, Ali Reid, CEO at PHD and  Charles Reid, group business director at Carat Manchester. 

Alex Barber, professional coach and co-founder at Common Good Company and co-director of learning and development at Outvertising, and Thomas Nyiri, head of partnerships at NABS, will host the event. 

Nyiri added: “NABS believes diverse representation and diversity of thought is key to the success and wellbeing of everyone in our industry. That's why we're offering a speed mentoring session dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community for the first time. I'm delighted that we've got such a stellar group of mentors on board to offer their lived experience and advice to those attending the event."