TBWA Expands Circle of Women Programme to Include Client-Side Marketers

On International Women’s Day TBWA\Chiat\Day New York announced the expansion of its Circle of Women leadership development programme to include its clients, with Nissan as the first corporate partner.

TBWA\Chiat\Day New York launched Circle of Women on International Women’s Day 2018 to create a pipeline for growing female leaders within the agency. It is a tactical, actionable programme that includes group training and speaker sessions, as well as executive coaching for a group of women on the cusp of leadership.

By introducing and expanding the programme to its clients, TBWA hopes to find new ways to attract, coach and advance top talent on both sides of the industry, helping to break down barriers and deepen partnerships by providing cross-organisational networking and leadership development opportunities. Nissan, as the first client on board, will share best practices and provide mentorship to women within the agency, while also forging partnerships with other clients within the TBWA collective and beyond. Working together, the two companies aspire to create a larger circle of women helping women rise across client and agency teams.

To inform the content of the programme, TBWA fielded an anonymous survey to women working on Nissan marketing across TBWA, Nissan and all Nissan United agencies. Survey results included:

- 80% of women ranked themselves 6 or higher on “How motivated do you feel to come to work day-to-day?” (on a scale from 1–10)

- 68% of women said they see women colleagues or clients look out for each other in the workplace

- 65% of women say 3 or more women at work have their back and are looking out for them

- 65% of women have a mentor they can confide in or go to for advice

Eight themes emerged as key issues for women at work.

Positive themes that Circle of Women will amplify include: having a community of advocates, access to leadership, sense of career direction and strategic sharing of information and relationships (such as tactical advice on how to go after a high-profile project or promotion).

Issues that the programme can work to address include: addressing double standards, feeling disrespected, not seeing yourself at the top and work flexibility.

The study findings will help to inform the Circle of Women programme content, working to reinforce and amplify positive behaviours such as women looking out for other women in the workplace, while identifying and addressing the challenges they face.

The inaugural client event, Circle of Women @ Nissan, will feature guest speaker Kat Gordon, the founder of the 3% Movement, and will take place on April 18th in New York during the week of the New York International Auto Show.

Later this year, TBWA will host bespoke events for participating clients programmed to address the top priorities and needs within their organisations. Other TBWA clients will be invited to the event in an effort to unlock cross-company networking and mentorship opportunities.

TBWA\Chiat\Day New York president Nancy Reyes, comments: “We’ve had a successful first year with the Circle of Women programme in New York. And while many of our clients have strong mentorship programmes within their own organisations, we saw a desire from some of our clients to network with other rising leaders beyond their immediate teams, as well as with different client organisations. We’re thrilled to work with Nissan on this launch event and look forward to partnering with additional clients in the coming months to ensure the progress towards gender parity continues."

Nissan senior marketing manager and champion of Circle of Women @ Nissan, Anne McGraw, said: “Many of us working in the industry have experienced the unique challenges for women in marketing, both on the client and agency side. Nissan recognises the value of identifying talented individuals and ensuring that they have the right support and opportunities to grow into leadership roles.”