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Gordon Bach
Tommy Maesto
Innovators

Gordon Bach

Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

If you want to be it, you have to see it. That saying defines the importance of media representation, particularly for queer people, and it’s at the heart of what Gordon Bach does as senior vice president and leader of inclusive investment at Starcom Worldwide, an international media network.

Bach works with companies to increase diversity in their media planning and buying, helping brands support publishers that reach people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and other marginalized groups. At a time when real-life villains like Robby Starbuck are pushing companies like John Deere, Ford, and Jack Daniel’s to remove their DEI initiatives, Bach is among those fighting back.“

A big component of my role is to champion these underrepresented publishers and use my seat at the table to give them an opportunity to potentially work with some of the most valued brands in the world,” Bach says. The Los Angeles-based Bach has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, and as a gay advertising leader, he wants to make sure everyone in the LGBTQ+ community knows that they deserve “to love and be loved.” @starcomww

Johann Moonesinghe
inKind
Innovators

Johann Moonesinghe

Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

inKind

Johann Moonesinghe is the CEO and founder of inKind, an ingenious app that rewards diners with credit for supporting their favorite restaurants (inKind gives businesses funding in exchange for food and beverage credits for users).

The app has marked a milestone year, exceeding 1 million users — 1.4 million at the time of this reporting. Moonesinghe, a foodie, personally owns and operates restaurants in order to improve his business model. One establishment, the Guest House, is currently the top-rated restaurant in the company’s base city of Austin. The entrepreneur and angel investor (Uber, Allbirds) grew up in a working-class family with parents who emigrated from Sri Lanka. Today, he is a successful, proudly gay man with a loving husband. But he knows the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. and abroad is far from over.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’re still far from the finish line. I encourage our community and our allies not to take anything for granted, but also to recognize and celebrate the progress being made every day — whether big or small.” @johannmoon