Article by Nicola Harris, Executive Producer at Contented
Equal representation of women in senior leadership roles remains one of the most significant challenges our industry faces and across society in general.
Core barriers include a lack of role models, struggles with perfectionism, equal representation and lack of gender specific workplace policies.
The negative impact of this has a knock on effect across the industry and the economy, as policy change often requires advocacy. I also still believe that there are significant barriers around diversity and seeing women of colour in these senior leadership positions within the advertising industry. Businesses need to get much better; encourage equality in the workplace through courses, training and development programmes to help retain staff and create structures for growth & promotion.
Making change
So how can we bring about change? It’s the responsibility of everyone working in the industry now to proactively address this imbalance, in order to lay the path for future employees. We need to champion open conversations about the universal challenges that women are facing and how we overcome these. We need transparency around workplace policies, hiring initiatives and unconscious bias.
On a granular level, I’d start by suggesting that anyone looking for success at a senior leadership level needs a cheerleader, a champion, someone who believes in them and can support them. Wouldn’t it be nice if that person was someone internally supporting your career development in the workplace? I’m a big believer in driving your own pathway, building resilience and tenacity. However, for wider change to happen you need to be listened to, and you need supporters. To enable this, those involved in policy change need to listen and understand what the issues and challenges for women are. Companies should proactively reach out to women to understand and listen to their needs – this might be about pay, representation, childcare, imposter syndrome, menopause, miscarriage, IVF. It’s about communication and being heard.
True inclusion starts with company values and it’s really important to create support networks for women within the industry so that they feel they can be listened & heard. The old adage “If you can see her, you can be her.”, is hugely relevant.
Global initiatives and Female-Focused industry awards also help celebrate this (for example Ad Week’s Future is Female Awards), are a great way to celebrate the rising stars of the female leaders in our ad industry. These types of awards not only celebrate the achievements but show how it’s possible to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace – it’s incredibly inspiring to see. The more we celebrate this, the more change feels possible and motivation to be part of the change grows!
My learning journey
I have been very fortunate and lucky enough to have strong, female role models throughout my career. At my first production role at the BBC I had one particular amazing female role model who really invested time in my development and offered me growth opportunities. I learnt so much from her because she listened and championed my development to help build my own self-belief. She was also a mentor and role model at an early time in my career where the landscape was competitive, and therefore self-belief was needed to encourage my confidence to put myself forward for opportunities that have led me to where I am in my career today.
At Contented I have such an inspiring line manager, the driving force behind changes including the launch of our first ever D&I policy. I have however also worked in environments, agencies and production companies alike, where I’ve not had the confidence to share my authentic voice due to the fear of rejection or not belonging. As a line manager myself now, I try to contribute to create a safe workplace where everyone’s voice is heard and people are encouraged to share.
As an industry it’s our responsibility to take positive steps to address the obstacles and challenges that are preventing too many women from shattering the glass ceiling in an industry that is full of opportunity, and neglecting the wealth of talent that is knocking at its door. The Bloom Network is an amazing support network for me, and I’d encourage others in this industry to work with networking groups like these to help support them and their teams.
About the author
At Contented Nicola looks after key client accounts working across pitches, managing the production team and leading complex productions. Over the last ten years she worked across award-winning broadcast, commercial and digital content including films recognised by BAFTA (BBC2’s The Secret History of our Streets), Grierson (BBC2’s No Place to Call Home), D&AD (The National Trust: The Places That Make Us), Brand Film Festival (The National Trust: The Places That Make Us) and The UK Content Awards (LinkedIn: AdVantage). She has produced global campaigns for clients such as Air BnB, Natwest, Hyundai, Bupa, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) highlighting important topics including mental health, disability and representation in sport.
