Vernā Myers, Netflix’s head of inclusion strategy, is stepping down from the position in September and will be succeeded by Wade Davis, who is currently the VP of inclusion strategy at Netflix.
Myers will stay on as an adviser to Netflix via her consulting firm, The Vernā Myers Company, which provides DEI training to corporate workforces.
“Leaving Netflix is not easy, but for a while now I have been feeling the call to work across different industries and address the polarization I see in the world and to apply more of a spiritual lens as a way of helping bridge the divide. It felt like the right time for me to enter the next phase of my professional and personal journey,” says Vernā.
Netflix’s chief talent officer Sergio Ezama stated, “Vernā has had an immense impact on Netflix over the last five years and I’m glad we’ll still get to work together and benefit from her deep expertise. I’m very grateful for everything that she’s done to help strengthen our collective inclusion acumen and capabilities so that we can make Netflix a place where everyone feels welcome and can thrive.”
As Netflix’s first head of inclusion, Myers was responsible for releasing the streamer’s initial inclusion report in 2021.
According to the report, more than half of Netflix’s worldwide workforce of 10,000 (up from 8,000 in 2020) are women. Similar proportions exist for women occupying director titles and above (51.1 per cent) and those working in creative and corporate capacities (59.5 per cent).
“While increasing representation is important, it’s only part of the work,” Myers wrote. “So we continue to build an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. The strategy we laid out in our first inclusion report remains the same.”