DOUG MELVILLE is one of the most innovative voices in corporate diversity – and currently splits his time between the United States and Switzerland, where he is a global head of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the luxury industry.
His first book, Invisible Generals, which tells his family story of America’s first two black generals, a Father and Son – was released on Nov 7 in honor of Veterans Day on Simon & Schuster/Atria/BPP.
Doug Melville is the Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) for an International luxury holding company. There, Melville sits on the Governance and Sustainability Committee. He is responsible for drafting the DEI vision, measuring and embedding metrics, and strategizing around DEI as a business solutions.
Melville’s journey as a Diversity Officer began in 2012 at TBWA (Omnicom), a global advertising agency, advising iconic brands such as Apple, AirBnB, PepsiCo, Amazon, and more. Melville led their Supplier Diversity program and created a search engine to aggregate US women and diverse-owned (MWBE) creative businesses. Prior to advertising, Melville sat on the executive team of Magic Johnson Enterprises to create top line revenue by building out his brand, holdings and partnerships. He also served as an advisor for Tommy Hilfiger’s capital management firm, T Capital Management.
In his most recent endeavor Melville set out to rediscover his family’s story—one of sacrifice and perseverance. In his forthcoming book, Invisible Generals (November 2023), he tells the amazing true story of America’s first Black generals, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. and Jr., a father and son who helped integrate the American military and created the Tuskegee Airmen, working with eight different US Presidential administrations, from FDR to Jimmy Carter, along the way.
Melville examines how to draw strength from uncovering and reclaiming history by utilizing your ancestors’ victories to broaden your vision of what’s possible today; becoming a voice for the voiceless; harnessing the power of perseverance to understand and overcome generational challenges; and building on and growing your family legacy.
In his personal time Melville works across the public sector – from West Point to the Air Force Academy – to recognize the accomplishments and achievements of his family and diverse trailblazers.
Born in Connecticut, Melville has traveled to 75 different countries to better understand cultural differences and business through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. He currently splits time between the United States and Geneva, Switzerland, and is an alum of Syracuse University.