Carol Watson is an experienced consultant specializing in business performance, inclusive leadership, and cultural transformation. As the former Global Chief Inclusion Officer at Burson, the world’s largest marketing communications agency, she led efforts to build culturally agile organizations that engage diverse consumers and foster inclusive workplace cultures. With over 15 years of experience, Carol combines expertise in marketing, behavior change, media, and organizational culture to create impactful, customer-focused solutions using systems and design thinking. She has a passion for prompt engineering for inclusion and human-centred AI cultural transformation and purpose-driven social sustainability initiatives moving forward.
Carol has advised global teams across APAC, LATAM, UK/EU, and Africa, focusing on embedding inclusion throughout the talent lifecycle—from strategic recruiting and onboarding to employee network impact, succession planning, and retention-focused coaching. She works closely with leadership teams to develop cultural competency, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and drive measurable transformation through inclusive leadership development.
Carol’s client experience spans industries including CPG, technology, retail, fashion and beauty, healthcare, commercial real estate, and professional services. She designs and facilitates inclusive leadership workshops, bias interruption in marketing, and social justice strategy, while advising C-suite executives on reputation management, employee engagement, and inclusion in
branding and communications, drawing from her media executive background at The New York Times.
A recognized speaker and thought leader, Carol has led global workshops in the US, UK, Mexico, Italy, and South Africa. She is also active in nonprofit board leadership and conference speaking. Certified in Executive and Career Coaching (ICF), Myers-Briggs (MBTI), the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and Energy Leadership, Carol holds a Master’s in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University