What We Are Building – And Why It Matters

As a single mother of young children who has held leadership positions in human resources at four Fortune 1000 companies, I felt a strong temptation in my career to stay with what I knew.

But I chose not to do that. I want to tell you why.

Today, I am Vice President of People and Culture at OZY Media. As you may know, OZY has had a tumultuous recent history – and is now in the process of rebuilding. Many companies could not recover from the challenges OZY has faced, because such recovery requires leaders and team members willing to face their mistakes in the hot public spotlight while also absorbing responsibility for the actions of former colleagues. This requires hard conversations day after day. It requires a willingness to engage in the messy process of learning and trying again.

At this very moment, OZY is immersed in this rich work and, in doing so, we are bucking the odds – and I’m energized by the chance to help create a new and better community. We are building a media company that is bolder and more beautiful than any other organization I know. From its launch back in 2013, OZY has never featured divisive or salacious content: an unusual quality in today’s media landscape. OZY has always been about elevating the conversation and uplifting ideas and voices that might otherwise go unheard. That is what OZY has always done.

And that’s not all.

Most media companies show and tell news and entertainment. Media professionals typically consider themselves the experts and tastemakers, and regard viewers as customers. There is nothing particularly wrong with that. But at OZY, we are building something different.

Our readers can (and have) become contributors. Our advertisers are family members. Our executives have hands on keys and work with, well, everyone. And every single person who collaborates with us – from junior creative to senior tech, no matter the time zone, the world over – can profoundly affect what we cover, what we create, and with whom we work.

What we are creating is a genuinely inclusive community. We are able to be our authentic selves, and I am able to lead by example. This is a company where we accept – and expect – speaking up and speaking out.

Many companies pay lip service to diversity. At OZY, inclusion and diversity are threaded through everything we do. This is a Black-founded, Black-led company, and our editorial voice is and always has been global. We don’t believe that what happens in New York is more important than what happens in Lagos, and our deep backlog of journalism demonstrates this. And we continue to tell stories from underserved communities because we know it enriches our worldview.

We do not see this as a quirk, or a nice to have. We see it as essential to our mission, and to our humanity. It is also a way to give you the freshest story on “the new and the next,” whether in print, podcast or on television.

Now, it’s your turn to join the conversation. If something we’ve done moves you, reach out on your choice of social media channel, or send a letter to the editor at letters@ozy.com. If you’d like to pitch a story, send it to freelancers@ozy.com. If you’d like to reach our community with a commercial message, that’s advertising@ozy.com. If the workplace I’ve described excites you, I’d love to see your resume at jobs@ozy.com. If you want to cover our comeback, try press@ozy.com. 

Together, we can change the world of media and make it a more inclusive place – for all of us, and for my children.

Thank you for supporting OZY.

Aparna Ranganathan, Vice President of People & Culture