Ours for the Taking: Why Female Leadership Matters

Aleena Mazhar> I use the word empathy consistently when I speak about female leaders. Women-owned agencies place empathy and care at the core, as this comes naturally to a female leader. I'm a big proponent of vulnerability and I believe empathetic leadership and teams who operate that way are more open, considerate, and supportive. I also feel like women-owned agencies support work-life balance in a different way, as women who are mothers have at-home responsibilities which take priority. Flexible cultural norms including hybrid work and "off-limits” time creates an environment that empowers others to have a similar balance with work and life.

 

Aigli Balamatsi> Women excel at soft skills and emotional intelligence, which are a core competency for business leadership; at Interweave, we believe in collected leadership that draws on the strengths of all of us. Women are more likely to have a flexible mindset and institute flexible work policies, which attract and retain talent, and women-owned and gender-diverse businesses are also (contrary to popular belief) more likely to be financially successful than the industry average.

Jaime Ekman> Women-owned agencies tend to operate with a people-first mentality. Many women have had to juggle being caretakers - either as a mother or for ageing parents and family members - with work, and tend to understand the balance needed to succeed at both. As women leaders, we can provide an environment that helps women and men thrive and find fulfilment in both areas. When your team feels taken care of, your clients will be taken care of.

Ann-Louise Rosen> I agree. Our focus, as women leaders, tends to be more people-centric. Women leadership is often value-based, and focuses on how to facilitate good processes and collaboration within the teams and the organisation.

Aleena Mazhar> I don't know if it's a misconception, but there are pre-existing "boys club" mentalities in certain industries and executive teams that women-owned agencies need to break through. Women-owned agencies can build great relationships with executives,  deliver on ROI, have tough and firm conversations, and balance the same life needs as our male counterparts.

Aigli Balamatsi> There's a definite bias towards assuming women-founded and women-led businesses will be "lifestyle" businesses because pursuing targets, growth, and expansion are considered male characteristics. This is true on a broader level as well, since qualities such as decisiveness, courage and endurance in the face of challenges, have been associated with men for so long it has been ingrained in us on a linguistic level. In reality, women are perfectly capable of excelling in these areas as well.

Aleena Mazhar> As a female leader and also a person of colour, I'm so happy that the conversation around diversity and representation is more open than it's ever been. There are honest discussions on the presence - and lack - of diversity within not just the team, but also in our campaigns. I'm proud of how we are taking steps towards representation and pushing each other to stay accountable.

Jaime Ekman> The conversation around diversity and representation has gotten louder in the last two years. It’s receiving more press than ever, and more organisations have popped up to support and encourage different voices, so diversity generally feels more of a supported cause.

Aigli Balamatsi> Our industry was profoundly male-dominated for a long time, especially in the creative fields. The push to recognise womens’ skills played a part in changing this, particularly since women form a target audience of significant size who are underserved by the market as consumers, even though they often make many of the financial decisions for a household. Furthermore, diversity of perspective actively fosters creativity and innovation, which is particularly relevant to our industry.

Aleena Mazhar> For one, it's increasing the number of female leaders at the agency. Our director-level leadership team is primarily female, and our business leads are all female. I love surrounding myself with strong women and setting that example for young women. I am also very proud of increasing diversity within our agency from a representation standpoint.

Jamie Ekman> I am most proud of the innovative and people-centred policies we have implemented in the past couple of years. We've put into place paid parental leave, a paid sabbatical program, paid healthcare premiums beginning on the first day of the month you start, and more. Additionally, we've launched a program that supports and mentors people reentering the workforce, called a RETURNship. These people-first policies and programs have paid off for us: we've experienced only 4% turnover this year in an industry that averages over 30%. As I said earlier, when we take care of our people, they take care of and grow our business!

Aigli Balamatsi> Over our nine years of operation, we have been on a remarkable journey together. We are particularly proud of winning complex and multi-purpose projects which are exciting, unique, and have the potential to drive change and create impact on a global level. Also, the lion's share of our management team is female, leading a team composed of 10 nationalities, 65% female, and we embrace and nurture a diverse variety of personalities and sexual orientations. On a personal level, as CEO, I had the honour of being nominated as one of this year's BIMA 100 in the CEOs & Leaders category, an important distinction for us in the UK market.

Ann-Louise Rosen> I am extremely proud of the fact there are more laughs in the office. It makes me proud to see how people thrive, engage and work together to create great results. For me, culture is key.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Ours for the Taking which will see women from across the WPI network discuss the importance of promoting female leadership within the industry