What Is Female Leadership in 2023? Advocacy!

Having worked in this industry for over two decades I've had the opportunity to meet many leaders. Some are more inspiring than others and sadly too few have been women. The WFA is due to run its second global DEI census this month, with results coming out in June, and I hope we’ll see better representation across all levels in diverse groups, including women, as we push for greater inclusion.

I recently took over as global CEO and on International Women's Day, a day to celebrate and appreciate all the talented women out there, I wanted to shine a light on what, I believe, female leadership should be in 2023. In its simplest form, it's advocacy. 

Advocacy is ‘public support’. Openly being a champion for colleagues, other leaders, the industry. Showing up as the person other women can turn to and be comfortable being themselves with. 

A few years back, I read a piece by the UN on female rights advocacy and two points really resonated with me. I’ve applied them into my daily life, in and outside of business. The first was around ‘raising your voice’, not literally, but in the amplification of credit deserving of those who do great work every day. All too often we focus on the big moments instead of remembering that women are making an impact everyday simply in the manner in which they show up as strong leaders. It’s easy to focus on big moments or bold personalities but it's so important to also raise the voices of junior and mid-level talent and celebrate their everyday wins. The impact goes a long way in building confidence and presence, and ultimately a more diverse set of leaders in our agency and the industry. 

The second point was ‘support one another’. Support comes in multiple ways. It can be in giving your time, advice or simply listening to others. Programmes like SheSays New York, are great examples where women throughout the advertising and marketing industry support others with mentoring and career guidance. Seems like it should be so intuitive, but often leaders miss the opportunity to offer that type of support within their own organisations.

Supporting other women has endless benefits that not only impact us as individuals, but also have a ripple effect throughout our communities and the world.

International Women’s Day is a nice reminder for us to stay focused, be kind, and use our positions to empower, support and advocate for one another.