When I think back to the early years of my career, I felt pressured, as a woman, to conform. In those days you had to pretend like you didn't have children, or a personal life, or a period, or you that weren't going through menopause.

I would try to get up to speed with whatever I figured my male colleagues would be speaking about on a Monday morning — usually some sport I was not interested in — just to try remove whatever made me feel or appear different.

Over the years, I have learnt that there's power in my gender identity — and that it makes business sense to have women in the boardroom. Not only does a diverse boardroom lead to more creative solutions; in the agency environment, it also helps create rapport with clients, as marketing teams often include women in senior positions. 

People are only able to do their best work when they feel psychologically and physically safe. The best creative ideas that will move the dial and drive growth for our clients come from all minds, so we need to ensure that we create cultures where everyone is able to bring their ideas to the table without fear of ridicule.

This extends to cutting out bad behaviour that has been well-documented in the history of the advertising sector, creating a space where all feel welcome and safe to contribute and thrive.

As someone who's relatively new to advertising, I have the perspective to identify barriers that are holding women back from advancing to the highest levels and how they can be addressed. I believe there's much that women can do to help each other. 

Women Should Support Other Women

Sometimes this can be as simple as making women feel heard.

There's something so empowering about sitting in a room where you're being talked over and then having other women say, "just stop; let her finish".

It's definitely changed things when other women have done that for me and now, I find myself having to play that role. As you move up the ladder, reach down and help another woman.

In an industry like advertising, which has the power to influence culture more broadly, this extends to the work. Work such as Unilever's #ChangeTheAngle campaign, created by VML, a WPP company, is an opportunity to make a positive impact in furthering how women (in this case, sportswomen) are perceived and treated at work.

Internally, it can serve as a catalyst for important conversations around the experience of women within the workplace.

Transformation Needs to be Deliberate

Even in industries that are considered typically male-dominated, like engineering and mining, you see women managing to break through; but there's a lot more conscious effort to create opportunities in those industries.

Here, I think it's taken for granted that women are around, so there's a perception that they should advance on their own.

One part of that is equipping women with the skills to stand up for themselves; another is equipping men and women to identify and acknowledge their personal biases. It needs to happen for everybody — not just for women to learn how to speak up or show up, but for men to understand how their behaviour may come across as biased or discriminatory. 

The aim is to create an environment of opportunity in the workplace, where both men and women feel empowered to speak up. 

For more information, visit www.vml.com/south-africa. You can also follow VML South Africa on LinkedIn, X, Instagram or on TikTok.  

*Image courtesy of Canva