Between a record-breaking number of 797 applications from 70 countries, the Chilean senior copywriter Javiera Wuth was one of 5 Latin American women selected among the 15 women who this year and in 2021 will be part of See It Be It, which aims to equal the gender representation of directors and creative leaders in the global advertising industry.
This Cannes Lions initiative will run in 2020 as a virtual learning and mentoring programme, while in 2021 it will return to the Festival with a curated programme that comprises one-to-one mentoring sessions, networking events, masterclasses and workshops, as well as access to some of the industry’s most influential leaders.
In this regard, Javiera commented that: “I feel happy and grateful for all the people who helped and trusted me. I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope that more women apply every year to give us more representativeness and visibility in the creative area. It is truly an honour to integrate this group of talented professionals from around the world. Personally, I think I have a lot to learn from all of them and this wonderful experience. ”
The 15 women have already taken part in a mentoring scheme in partnership with Invisible Creatives, the talent platform that supports the underrepresented creative talent created by Senta Slingerland, the founder of See It Be It and Maddy Kramer, ACD art director, who participated in the inaugural See It Be It programme in 2014.
Offering a talent database, job board and mentorship scheme, the Mentor-at-Home initiative aims to make mentorship more accessible and is an online, speed-dating style event where five mentees are matched with five mentors.
Maribel Vidal, vice president of strategic planning for McCann Santiago and president of the Women Leadership Council of McCann Worldgroup for Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed that at the corporate level: “the strategy has been to encourage our creative women to participate in this valuable programme, supporting them in their applying. These moments of global transformation for all bring new questions and challenges in which female leadership is a fundamental and necessary contribution. Thus, the opportunity that Javiera will have to interact with those who lead the industry, to give them their point of view and learn from them is doubly important. We are very happy for Javiera, because it helps us to make our female creative talent visible, which is another step in the goal of closing the gender gaps that persist in our activity. ”
To date, over 100 women have gained a fully-funded place on the programme and many alumni have progressed into leadership positions, won Lions awards and held positions on Cannes Lions juries. To cultivate a community and global network of support and learning, the See It Be It events series has now reached over 4000 women in countries including the US, Canada, Singapore, Nigeria, Bulgaria, UK, Australia and Pakistan. The programme will be led by Ambassador, Swati Bhattacharya, and Madonna Badger, CCO and founder of Badger & Winters, will remain the See It Be It Chair.