2020 Class of Women to Watch Europe

Women to WatchEurope 2020×PrevNext PrevNext×Kathryn AddoGroup Account Director, Wieden+KennedyKathryn AddoGroup Account Director, Wieden+KennedyBy Ann-Christine DiazWithout Wieden+Kennedy Group Account Director Kathryn Addo, impressive projects like Facebook’s “More Together,” a global effort that set out to rebuild consumer trust around the brand as it grappled with privacy issues, and Nike’s first-ever German brand campaign, which highlights the country’s next-gen athletic heroes, may never have seen the light of day. “There are lots of different nuances to how various agency-client relationships work best, but at the core of them all has to be trust and passion—on both sides,” Addo says. The agency’s two biggest accounts aren’t the only things she’s juggling—she’s the mom of a 2-year-old son and just gave birth to her second child.Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Addo passionately advocates for diversity in agency ranks. “The future of our industry rests on whether we can be truly diverse in our makeup, our culture and our output,” she says. “To do that we simply need more people of color hired into our teams, more people of color in positions of leadership, more inclusive cultures where people of color feel valued and essential, and a rethink of where we find talent and what we think it looks like.”What advice would you give your younger self?Trust your gut, always.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?To turn down a job in journalism to start a job in advertising—when I didn't really know what a job in advertising really entailed. Seems to have worked out O.K. though.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Hire women and people of color and put women and people of color in visible positions of leadership.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Maybe I would still be in journalism, but hopefully not at my local paper still. Either that or teaching. I've always loved the idea of teaching.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?N/A been on maternity leave!Nadja Bellan-WhiteExecutive Partner, Ogilvy GroupNadja Bellan-WhiteExecutive Partner, Ogilvy GroupBy Jack NeffNadja Bellan-White was a digital marketer before such a designation existed really as VP-marketing at Digitas at the turn of the millennium, working on transformation of mobile platforms. Now, as executive partner of Ogilvy Group, WPP Team Unilever Leader for Dove and WPP Team Lead for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she’s working at making an agency work with digital tools in a virtual world.From her London flat, Bellan-White, 51, led an Ogilvy team based in Toronto and London that created Dove’s “Courage Is Beautiful” ad in April honoring frontline health care workers. It was created in little over a week despite the massive challenges of producing work in a pandemic, and was then customized for countries around the world.“We didn’t have time to be afraid,” says Bellan-White, who is also a former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Africa. “There’s something about having a single-minded purpose and what mattered to us around Courage wasn’t about anything other than the stories of those front-line workers getting out.”What advice would you your younger self?I spent so much time thinking about what everyone else thought, and really tore myself up. Our business is relationship driven, quite subjective, and sometimes you cannot please everyone. So I would tell my younger self to have a bit more confidence in my convictions and opinion.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Definitely moving to Kenya, moving to Africa in 2014. I was doing OK at the time. I think my family thought I was crazy to leave New York City and literally span the globe and then move to Nairobi, Kenya, and oversee the continent [for Ogilvy]. Nothing prepares you for managing 27 countries in a continent all with culture and challenges and politics and nuances that I had to learn. And then you have to gain the trust of people. And you’re managing small teams, large teams and clients from the West who don’t really understand what’s happening across the continent. And I had to leave a lot of my biases from the West at the front door and learn things all over again.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Let me be honest with you, it’s hard, because the biases are real. The biases particularly at my level, at the client-service level, where I’m on the front line, it’s not always something that you feel comfortable bringing up with your leaders. We need more representation at all levels on the client and agency sides. And you need to have a real commitment, tied to [key performance indicators], and have accountability to make sure you not only recruit but retain as well.It is a sad thing that I’m one of a handful of Black people in senior positions. …I know my name comes up so often because I’m one of the ones who’s still here. And that’s sad, right?I know so many more talented individuals, but they all left the industry, just because it became too hard, not because they weren’t smart enough, but because the challenges were too tough. Too many times the doors are slammed. Too many clients telling you you’re not the right fit. Too many times you’re passed over for that promotion when you know you’re more qualified. You just get tired. So is the industry going to get behind real change? Are clients going to get behind real change? Or are they just going to continue to pay lip service to it?I think the time for action is now. I think it’s easier to stay silent and keep the peace rather than be a positive agitator. What’s great about our industry is that we have both the benefit and the privilege of being the voice and the narrator and the curator of what people say. But that can be a burden if it’s not used the right way. Couple that with not having the right representation, and you can see what happens.So my challenge to my colleagues in the industry is that are you going to stand with people like me, make a comment, stand up for me when I’m not in the room? Or are you going to put your head down and say that’s a shame?I’ve been fortunate. I’ve had some amazing sponsors who decided to look past color of skin and say, well, she’s smart. So when I got put in Africa to be CEO and then came to London, [Ogilvy & Mather EMEA Chairman-CEO] Paul O’Donnell and [former Ogilvy Worldwide CEO] John Seifert are two amazing leaders who were like, ‘Well, she’s just good at what she does.’ But I’ve had my share of those who all they did see was color. I’ve managed to navigate it, but it’s definitely not been an easy path for me at all.If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing?I would probably be a professor of organizational behavior. I was a teaching fellow in business school, and I really enjoyed organizational behavior and behavior change.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?I think I’ve had a lot more time to reflect on the role I want to play in the next chapter of my career in life. Certainly for me being purposeful in what I do and making sure that brands I work with have an impact and actually are forces for good matter to me. And I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I can say no to assignments that don’t do that.Tania BolerFounder and CEO, ElvieTania BolerFounder and CEO, ElvieBy Jessica WohlTania Boler set out to create a device to help women strengthen their pelvic floor in 2013. “It’s such a taboo issue, no one was talking about it,” says Boler.She’d spent years in public health, but learned more about the issue after the birth of her first child. “I’d never worked in business, I’d never worked in tech. I saw a problem that needed solving,” says Boler.The name Elvie came from a competition and is meant to invoke the feeling of a trusted friend and plays on the word elevate. After all, that’s what “your most personal trainer” does, Boler says.After the app-connected pelvic trainer came a more discreet breast pump. How discreet? A model sported one while walking the runway at a 2018 fashion show. Elvie has also placed giant inflated breasts on London rooftops and set up pumping facilities at the CES trade show. Now, the Elvie pump is a leading brand in the U.K. and U.S.In 2019, Elvie raised $42 million, the most ever for a feminine technology company. Next up: launching two new products and expanding into nine additional countries.What advice would you give your younger self?Find a silver lining and run with it. There’s bad luck and good luck involved in starting your own business.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Starting Elvie and quitting my job.What can the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?As a biracial woman I have seen unconscious bias, particularly when women are raising money from investors. Even the types of questions female entrepreneurs get are different.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I was doing my dream job working at the UN and in women’s health. I would still be working around women’s health and women’s rights. I would hope I would have come up with a different problem to solve. If I wasn’t dealing with women’s health I would start a company to help the elderly. I think there’s such a problem with ageism in society.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Everyone has just been so creative. We’re still launching new products and new markets. We had to change our marketing launches, going to 100 percent digital. Everyone is just working incredibly hard and thinking out of the box. Normally we’d be out in the factories. We have our engineers with cameras on their heads while they’re developing prototypes so we can visualize what they would be like.Emine CubukcuOgilvy Istanbul CEOEmine ÇubukçuOgilvy Istanbul CEOBy Lindsay RittenhouseOgilvy Istanbul CEO Emine Çubukçu, with 27 years of advertising, public relations and lobbying experience under her belt in Turkey and the U.S., is credited for her expertise in crafting strategies into effective messaging. Çubukçu began her career in Istanbul and then made her way to New York and Washington, D.C., returning to her homeland in 2008. In August 2017, she was appointed CEO of Ogilvy Istanbul and last year led the agency to a breakthrough year. Under her leadership, the agency’s net sales rose by 41 percent and its operating profit soared 345 percent.Çubukçu led Ogilvy Istanbul to pick up new assignments from clients including the Turkish Tourism Board, Vavacars and Revo Capital—wins she said “were not easy” but came from “our companies’ trustworthiness both at a business level and individual level.” Çubukçu has a background in sociology and says it remains “the backbone of what I do. Sociology is critical in helping me understand social life, social change and the social causes and consequences of human behavior through which I am able to give guidance, advice and make the right decisions,” she says.What advice would you give your younger self?I believe everything is as it should have been. I would have done the exact same things if I had to start over. But, if I really had to say something, I would like to remind myself that success is a natural result of a journey filled with ups and downs, because the more you fail, the more you learn. I would have liked to have learned to be content with my failures and to turn them into opportunities at an earlier stage.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?At the age of 27, I left a prospering career in advertising and moved to New York City with nothing but four [suitcases] to explore the New World as well as myself. I was hungry for exploration and learning new things. I have never once regretted my move. It was a life-transforming experience for me which lasted for 10 years. When I returned, I had been transformed from a young lady to a mature woman with an understanding of foreign cultures and foreign lands. I believe this experience changed the course of my life, both personally and professionally.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Unless we seriously address the gender and color issues, I believe that the principles we uphold as a company and as an industry will be seriously undermined and we would not be contributing to create a more just and fair society. The advertising industry has an immense power to influence society. Therefore, it is a moral imperative to stand against segregation.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Advertising!What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?The greatest qualification of a CEO is the ability to take decisions on behalf of others and our clients. We make many great and small decisions and through these decisions we create an impact. One of the most important changes COVID-19 has brought upon us is the change of speed in life and in the industry. We must therefore make faster and meaningful decisions in such dynamic circumstances.Alexandra EvanVP of Publicis ConseilAlexandra EvanVP of Publicis ConseilBy Alexandra JardineAs VP of Publicis Conseil since July 2019, Alexandra Evan oversees the Paris-based agency’s account and strategy teams. She also brings a multicultural and international perspective that helped the shop win new business from the likes of Coca-Cola and Castorama in the past 12 months.Trilingual Evan grew up with a Colombian mother and Scottish/Lebanese father. Her father’s job as an international government advisor meant constant travel, living in Latin America, the U.S., U.K. and Spain, and she attended 10 schools prior to high school, which she believes gives her a unique perspective. “To survive in school, and fit in with all kinds of different people, you adapt very fast, she says.”Starting in New York at Y&R, then working internationally with DDB, Evan became managing director at BETC Paris and was subsequently hired by Publicis. In 10 months, Evan has developed new initiatives including the “Positive Academy,” which encourages clients to put sustainable behavior on the agenda for branding and marketing, and “Cultural Jams,” a program that puts social data, art and science together to decode the way a culture evolves.What advice would you give your younger self?You are not the voice of the few, you are the voice of the many. You are the many.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I would probably be a war reporter.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Lots of different people want to join the industry. It is the industry that isn’t doing enough to facilitate them joining. So, it is the industry we have to convince, not the people. Our industry is about cultural relevance. It is about deeply understanding people and connecting with them. To be culturally relevant you have to be representative of culture, and have a wider representation of diverse people to understand how culture evolves. The industry needs to understand that diversity is a matter of survival. It needs to focus on nurturing inclusive and equity-driven cultures, and that starts with hiring, retaining, and developing diverse talent.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Every important decision I have taken in my professional career has been a risk. I think that this is likely the case for a lot of women. Every woman is a master of resilience.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?A lot of things have changed in a manager’s role during Covid19. But probably the most important change was to find alternative ways to be closer to people than ever, without physically being able to be together. At Publicis one of the first things we did at the very beginning of the pandemic was accelerate the global rollout of Marcel, our AI-driven connectivity platform, to help connect and engage our people during a time of isolation and create a strong sense of unity across markets.Jane EvansFounder, The Uninvisibility ProjectJane EvansFounder, The Uninvisibility ProjectBy Jessica WohlJane Evans saw herself and female colleagues of a certain age being written out of the ad industry. So she founded The Uninvisibility Project in 2019 to show agencies and brands that they should not ignore older women as they cater to younger cohorts. “Women over 50 buy 47 percent of everything,” says Evans. Yet despite years of skills, she adds, “we fall off a career cliff.”Evans collaborates from her London home with women around the world. “I’ve been running this as my side hustle with the aim of making it my whole hustle,” she says.And hustle she has. Evans began her career in London, snagging a job at Leagas Delaney at the age of 19 and later moving to Australia to work for J. Walter Thompson in Sydney. That’s where she founded Giant Leap, an agency whose work included the launch of James Squire beer and campaigns for the likes of Maserati and Revlon.The Uninvisibility Project’s network is “deliberately small” for now, Evans says. The group signed its first big client, a brand in the cosmetics sector, in early June.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?So many! I’m a risk-taker. The biggest risk I ever took was probably leaving London and going to Australia, moving to the other side of the world in 1987. I left my family not knowing anyone or anything.What advice would you give your younger self?You can have everything but not at once. You can actually have it all, but it will take time. You can have a great career, a family, quality time ... but over a much longer time span than you imagine.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Flipping houses. I’d be doing brand design. I’d be one of those mad women that buys a castle somewhere.What can the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?I think take this opportunity where we’re all working virtually to actually really, seriously look at the makeup of their creative departments and their agencies. It’s the perfect opportunity to adjust. They should be looking wider for their talent.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?It hasn’t changed the way that I work in any way, shape or form. When it first started, we were about to really go out there and launch and for some reason I just stopped. We all just sat with it for a few weeks. We’ve actually come out with a stronger proposition. The Uninvisibility movement was very much about getting the message out there and the value of it. A lot of the things are absolutely being proved now. When we say running a family is a business skill, people are realizing it.Townsend FeehanCEO, IAB EuropeTownsend FeehanCEO, IAB EuropeBy George P. SlefoNavigating the complexities of the European Union’s Global Data Privacy Protection law, also known as GDPR, is littered with both technical and legal challenges. Townsend Feehan, CEO at the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe, managed to do just that after the trade body developed and released the Transparency and Consent Framework. It was the largest cross-industry initiative of its kind.Privacy laws such as GDPR are extremely nuanced and can change at a moment’s notice. Feehan not only spearheaded the IAB’s efforts to make sure its framework was up to compliance, but also fair to the organization’s diverse group of members.“We are helping thousands of websites and their technology partners comply with the world’s most demanding and prescriptive privacy and data-protection rules,” Feehan says. “I personally think the next big challenge for the digital advertising and marketing industry is climate change. We need to assume responsibility and begin to address our share of the large and rapidly growing environmental footprint of the internet. I hope IAB Europe can take a leadership role here, as we are trying to do with consumer privacy.”What advice would you give your younger self?To study science and math, be more assertive, and push yourself to get out of your comfort zone at some arbitrary, regular interval, at least professionally.What is the biggest risk you have ever taken?I am risk averse :-) - see answer to No. 1 above.What can the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?I think that for women to flourish in the workplace, their male colleagues need to be happy and confident in themselves. The most feminist male colleagues I have ever had have been ones that were smart, knew it, and didn't feel they needed to prove anything. Maybe the solution to the problem of low/under-representation of women is actually empowering men.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Running a combination goat farm and retirement home for horses in southwest France.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?I initially thought that COVID-19 would require a bigger effort on my part to help our small, high-energy team of diverse personalities manage the disruption and even loneliness that might result from the lockdown. The reality has been a sort of general mobilization that I think has brought us all closer together. We are not a hierarchical organization anyway, but the shared experience of something as dramatic as a pandemic and the satisfaction of knowing that we could continue to achieve by working remotely, have added an edge of personal responsibility for one another to what was already a strong "startup" culture. So not the change for me personally that I had expected.Camilla HarrisonCEO and Partner, Anomaly LondonCamilla HarrisonCEO and Partner, Anomaly LondonBy Alexandra JardineCamilla Harrisson has run Anomaly London since 2014, but it’s in the past 12 months that her agency has really become a player to contend with. It won major global pitches including Diageo’s Johnnie Walker and Vodafone, oversaw a redesign of the Unilever master brand and has even, as she puts it, so far “crushed it” in lockdown, winning major new business including Mini’s global account.It’s the culmination of six years of hard work for Harrisson, who has taken Anomaly from a staff of just 11 to more than 100 and overseen a creative renaissance that has included purpose-led work such as a highly acclaimed anti-obesity campaign for Cancer Research UK. She says the key was to first establish the agency, once seen as U.S.-centric, as a strong local player and then attract the kind of talent, particularly in design, that has landed it global assignments. “For me, it’s about bringing in talent that is global and progressive and helps everyone be better,” Harrison says.What advice would you give your younger self?Not to compare yourself to other people. Everyone’s got a different superpower: find yours and focus on that instead.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Moving to London aged 18 and putting a classified ad for myself in PR Week to get a job. I was listed in the sales section beneath a photocopier and just above branded golf balls (they were a “thing’’ then).What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?This moment we’re in right now has shown us so much of what’s possible–not just in terms how we can work and what we can achieve on business level, but how we can reach talent in new ways and create models of working that really deliver for each individual’s needs. We mustn’t waste this opportunity to transform how we access, develop and nurture talent forever.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Close-up magic ideally. Can’t do it (other than one trick with a 10 pence piece); always fancied it.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?The constant iteration of priorities and decisions. What’s considered “wisdom” one day will very likely have changed the next – for our client partners and for our own business. So assumptions or plans can have an incredibly short shelf-life, and need to be constantly re-evaluated as the context in which we are all operating continues to unfold.Jo KellyDirector, News and Sport, Europe, Middle East and Africa, TwitterJo KellyDirector, News and Sport, Europe, Middle East and Africa, TwitterBy Ilyse LiffreingWhen a broadcaster or media company in EMEA wants to collaborate with Twitter, they come to Jo Kelly. In her nearly three years at the social platform, Kelly has worked her way up, moving from the head of news to director of news and sports partnerships.By bringing exclusive live content to the platform through partnerships with companies including BuzzFeed and Eurosport, Kelly has boosted revenue by more than 300 percent. Her goal: To convince brands of the benefits of connecting with Twitter audiences. Kelly also leads Twitter Women across EMEA, the platform’s internal resource group that supports gender equality and women advancement.A former editor at the Mirror Online, Kelly has used her experience in media to guide her career, but says the path hasn’t always been easy. When she initially made the leap from print to digital, Kelly had to take a significant pay cut, add on more hours and receive much less respect in return.Now, she can look back in relief: “By taking that risk, I managed to position myself at the forefront of the industry and so much of the change which came after.”What advice would you give your younger self?Remember to stop sometimes. Stop to think about what you want, what you want to say, what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. Give yourself the time and space to make considered decisions. Yes, working hard is important but remember to work smart by looking after yourself and those around you because when you do that, your hard-won efforts will go further and be all the more impactful. Also, stop bleaching your hair, it’s all going to snap off.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?As part of the Twitter Women leadership team, the practicalities of how we do more and get better are constantly top of mind for me. I’m not doing the issue justice to sum it up in a few sentences but very simply put we need to ask more questions, listen more carefully to the answers, act upon those answers with firmer determination, support one another with increased consideration and be better allies.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Running a bookshop with a cafe selling food and drink which features in stories. Think Mint Juleps from The Great Gatsby and seed cake from Jane Eyre. Someone else would be doing all the cooking though.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?In its essence, my role hasn’t changed. My team’s job is always to collaborate with our partners, which include news outlets, journalists, sports organisations, athletes and federations to ensure they’re getting the most out of Twitter, users are getting the most out of their Twitter activity and where appropriate, we’re connecting partners and brands to collaborate on sponsorship opportunities. The hiatus in live events, particularly with Sports, has been an impetus for us to get even more innovative with content and sponsorships and I want to make sure that increased flair and thoughtfulness stays with us as we move into the new normal. Twitter has been vital to people during the pandemic in not only keeping them connected but also informing them with credible information. I’m incredibly proud of the part my team, and Twitter as a whole, has played in helping people to navigate this crisis.Kalie MooreCo-founder, The Story MobKalie MooreCo-founder, The Story MobBy Luke GuilloryThere was a void in the esports communications market, and The Story Mob Co-Founder Kalie Moore was in a prime location to see it. As Head of Communications at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures, Moore advised the fund’s portfolio companies on who to hire freelance, but no one stood out in esports PR.Moore and her fellow female co-founders launched The Story Mob — the world’s only communication consultancy solely focused on esports at that time. “We are all avid gamers or spectators. So we know the language,” she says.Now after two years with The Story Mob, Moore says she’s leaving the company this month as she begins building a European-based wellness brand. Moore says she loves the early stages of building companies and has ambitions to move into venture capital and focus on funding diverse founders.She will continue to work in digital entertainment—leading comms for several current clients in esports, gaming and digital entertainment—but has a desire to do more since becoming a mother last year.What advice would you give your younger self?That it will all work out, and that I don't need to be as stressed or fearful as I was.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?The number of women-owned companies that raise venture capital and people of color who raise venture capital is significantly less than white men. I think when you're able to raise money, you just have more opportunity to scale and grow and less fear. I think investors should take a look at how they can diversify their portfolio.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I love the early stages of building a company. I will be departing from The Story Mob this month and, while I will continue to work in the digital entertainment space, I’m in the process of building a European-based wellness brand.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Our live events business has gone down, but global internet usage has been up 70 percent and streaming was up more than 12 percent. So, a lot of our clients have been busier than ever. Because it was one of the only industries that I think was positively impacted by COVID, we are working with a ton of media who might not have covered esports in depth before.Suzie NguyenManaging director, OptimistSuzie NguyenManaging director, OptimistBy Ann-Christine DiazPortland, Oregon native Suzie Nguyen found her professional voice by blending “creativity, business and empathy.” Perhaps that’s an approach that comes naturally for someone who started out as a research chemist before jumping into an advertising career.Nguyen is managing director at experiential agency Optimist in London, which she helped to found after steering the company’s Los Angeles headquarters for six years. Under her leadership, the agency created campaigns for Google Pixel 4, in which the phone came as the prize in a cereal box, as well as a Google-powered experience for John Lewis, turning the retailer’s Oxford Street flagship into a carnival. Nguyen was also instrumental to Optimist being named creative agency of record for ŠKODA and brand experience partner for UberEats.Nguyen gives back as a mentor to young women and recent grads through a program she founded, “Women in Progress.” As a first-generation Vietnamese-American, she says she’s “hyper-aware” of what it feels like to be “different,” and wants to “lead by example; to be inclusive and empathetic, to champion the spirit of learning what you don’t know and absorbing it as fast as you can.”What advice would you give your younger self?Take calculated risks and don’t be afraid to fail. Being different is a strength. I’ve changed career paths and have been in many different functions and roles. I used to go after a new opportunity or into a new role feeling self-conscious and insecure that I wasn’t a subject matter expert. I’ve realised over time that the diversity in my background and experience is actually an asset.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Deciding to move to a foreign country and develop a business on my own without a real safety net.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Don’t just hire more women or people of color to hit a quota or merely give them a seat and a desk. Instead, take deliberate action to give them a foundation to grow with their team and ultimately to lead the business. People don’t know what they don’t know, so it is everyone’s responsibility to foster education, act with purpose and empower these voices. Authenticity reigns supreme.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I would be running a restaurant and taking graduate classes in culinary arts. Food feeds the soul and knowledge is power.Irene NikolopoulouCo-CEO, Wunderman Thompson AthensIrene NikolopoulouCo-CEO, Wunderman Thompson AthensBy Garett SloaneIrene Nikolopoulou, who runs Wunderman Thompson’s Greece operations, is focused as much these days on human rights initiatives and fighting discrimination as securing clients. Wunderman Thompson Athens, part of WPP, is know for its work with Vodafone, Greek grocer Vassilopoulos and bottled water company Chitos.This month, Nikolopoulou will be on a panel discussing corporate responsibility at a conference on human rights in business. “Even in 2020, there is a problem, a systemic one,” Nikolopoulou says. “And it will remain so, unless we face it and deal with it, provoking a systemic change. The moment we accept that it is not just about feminism or racism but it is about human rights, then we will have ignited the change.”The civil rights discussion might have intensified because of events in the U.S., but Nikolopoulou’s leadership has been challenged by COVID-19, too.“I took advantage of the available time, to participate in more meetings with our clients, discuss the situation ... helping them adapt their purpose and strategy to be more relevant and present to their customers,” she says.What advice would you give your younger self?Trust your inner self, don’t allow people to tell you what you can or cannot become, manifest your wants and desires. Don’t wait, seize the day.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?To work for one of the biggest accounts of the agency, at the age of 22, only six months into the job. Completely clueless of the risks and the demands, I learned the hard way but it turned out alright.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?As an industry we should always stand for and work toward a just, peaceful and equal world. We must listen to people’s experiences and take action to uplift their voices. We need role models to inspire young people to go after their dreams. And I will quote Sally Ride, astronaut, physicist, engineer and the third woman to travel to space, to explain what I mean: “Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.”If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?A doctor at the ER. Ever since I was a kid, I have been inspired by this profession. But now after the recent events, during the pandemic, doctors have carried the immense burden of caring for us, fighting for our lives and risking their own. They are definitely our heroes.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Being more of a mentor for my people and a consultant for my clients. In these unprecedented times, facing a health crisis that affected our lives, our families, countries, the economy, the way we were working, and our entire status quo, we had to adapt by force, without a manual, or previous experience. By instinct I did what I knew best. Standing by and supporting my people and my clients.Since Day One, I was starting my day, every day, with a “coffee meeting” with my people via Microsoft Teams. Listening to their concerns and fears. Discussing together the projects and organizing the work.Ally OwenFounder, Brixton Finishing SchoolAlly OwenFounder, Brixton Finishing SchoolBy E.J. SchultzAlly Owen has a quick answer for anyone suggesting they can’t find diverse talent. “Bollocks,” says the London resident. “It doesn’t have to be your excuse anymore.”Owen is founder of Brixton Finishing School for Digital Talent, which trains young people from underrepresented communities at no cost via a 10-week digital accelerator. Sponsors include R/GA and Clear Channel. Brixton placed 32 graduates in jobs in the past 18 months.She founded Brixton after working at companies including Yahoo and content agency John Brown Media. While running big brand partnerships for the Daily Mail, Owen became upset that Mail Online ran columns from Katie Hopkins, known for her anti-immigration views. “She was everything that me and my community weren’t—and the fact that I, through my work, was fuding her, just led me to think, that is it.”She founded Brixton in 2017 with funding from a digital marketing agency she runs called Hoxton United. Brixton started a virtual program with some 250 students. “If anybody says to me I couldn’t find a diverse candidate for my entry-level job, I can say, I’ve got 250 of them.”What advice would you give your younger self?Being you is more than enough because what your own life experience brings to our industry is your special sauce. It’s also important to know your worth and to not settle for treatment that implies you are less.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Setting up Brixton Finishing School on a credit card with no experience as a single mother with no safety net. This was mitigated by a relentless determination to make a positive change on behalf of talent in communities traditionally underserved by industry employers, and finding change-making allies early on in the project's conception.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?I implore those at the top to make diversity and inclusion a business imperative and own the outcome. Be accountable for it and publicly measure your performance against it. The future of our industry depends upon the inclusion of all voices so, if you have power or privilege, you need to take personal responsibility for ensuring there is change. Invest in the creation of a robust diversity and inclusion strategy.At Brixton Finishing School, our focus is on supporting 'diverse' entry-level talent. A recent survey of our graduates and applicants found 31 percent of respondents thought their race would be a barrier to industry entry and 13 percent of them perceived their gender as an issue. For an industry that prides itself on marketing products to consumers, we've done a terrible job of selling ourselves to multicultural and female talent and are missing out on some brilliant minds because of this.Stop talking and start doing. We are way beyond the time for more words—let's see deeds.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?It’s hard to picture myself not being part of Brixton Finishing School but I imagine I'd be creating change and challenging conventions somewhere else. Alternatively, I'd quite like to own the Guinea Pig cafe in Fleabag, especially on a Chatty Wednesday.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Aside from developing a toxic relationship with my kitchen table, my role has gone completely digital. In the U.K., groups that have traditionally faced challenges breaking into careers are likely to be disproportionately affected by this crisis. We saw the need to create positive pathways for those affected by the crisis and provide them with the chance to upskill and open new doors. These young people needed a structure to help them win in the market and give them hope.In response to this, we've gone from a wonderful, London-based, in person diversity initiative with a cohort of 30 young talents to a free, nationwide virtual gateway to adland for all talents across the U.K. We've seized the digital learning opportunity, which is being accelerated by COVID-19, as a way to game-change the blend of our entire industry's future talent pipeline. We are now not limited by capacity or location so our potential to engage, prepare and invest in diverse talent in advertising careers has expanded to a much bigger scale. There will be no excuse not to create balanced shortlists for entry-level roles when adland's lights come back on post COVID-19.For me, a pivot this big has come with its challenges. Our funding pipeline was decimated so we have had to convert to crowdfunding donations for the virtual gateway. I’m also finally getting to grips with this new way of working. However, whilst the physical element has been removed from my role at Brixton Finishing School, the connections I make with students have not. I aim to get to know each and every young person in any way I can, be it through a video chat or a socially distanced meet-up. We are living in a new normal but the importance of our work has stayed the same.Nicky PalamarczukHead of Social and Influence,VCCPNicky PalamarczukHead of Social and Influence, VCCPBy Ilyse LiffreingTwo and a half years ago, VCCP’s Nicky Palamarczuk was diagnosed with breast cancer when her daughter was just 1 year old. Palamarczuk, who leads VCCP’s social team as the head of social and influence, had to pause everything for six months for intensive treatment. After such a life-altering incident, it wasn’t easy to simply return to work and continue where she left off.Understanding that she’s not the only one, she founded the Back to Work After… event series where high-profile speakers from media and communications companies talk openly about returning to work after dealing with often taboo topics, such as cancer scares, miscarriages, addictions or menopause, with all proceeds going toward organizations supporting those causes.“I don’t think people are open enough about how these topics affect who they are at work,” says Palamarczuk. She wasn’t sure people would want to pay to hear people talk about cancer or miscarriages, but when the events began to fill up with people she had never seen before, she knew she was “actually on to something.”What advice would you give your younger self?Stop waiting for someone to reward and recognise you for all the hard work that you’ve put in. Recognise your own achievements and have confidence in yourself.When I read “Lean In” over five years ago, the penny dropped. I finally realised that I had really earned every pay rise and promotion. And that they probably should have come sooner, but they didn’t, because I didn’t have the confidence or knowledge to understand that I should and could ask for them. I was too busy waiting patiently for someone to come and stick a tiara on my head and say “Well done.”What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Start giving them a seat at the table along with training and tools so they can make change - things won’t be different until this happens. Until then, I plan to just carry on opening the door to as many talented people from different backgrounds as possible.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I love my job, I get an absolute thrill out of new business pitches and seeing my team members grow and deliver outstanding results. After I had my daughter I had a real bout of guilt that there were all these people doing much more noble things than me, like midwifery. It took me quite a while to not feel guilt about getting joy out of working in social media advertising. However, there’s always a little bit of me that wants to run a huge foster home. I kind of want to mother the world.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?I’m a huge believer in good things always come out of bad. So the realization that I can run a team, be part of global pitches and deliver work from home has been surprising and welcome. I always thought that remote working would not be feasible, but it actually is. This is a mental game changer for me and I’m hopeful that the last few months have changed the workplace for the better. I expect to see many more of us working from home as the norm.Carol StarrManaging director, Northern Europe, Rubicon ProjectCarol StarrManaging director, Northern Europe, Rubicon ProjectBy George P. SlefoShortly after graduating college in 2010, Carol Starr, now a managing director of Northern Europe with Rubicon Project, declined a job offer to work at a large social media company in favor of a career in ad tech — a field she admittedly knew nothing about. “I committed to training myself to be technical and analytical and I got the job,” she says. “The key learning experience for me was that taking risks makes us feel a little bit uncomfortable, but it can be a great conduit to push ourselves forward in new directions.”Starr continues to buck trends today, spearheading an all-women team in a field that is largely dominated by men. Through her leadership, Starr laid the foundations for a new header bidding strategy to capture market share in Germany. In just one year, the team went from working with 20 percent of the top publishers to more than 90 percent today.Beyond her leadership, Starr is also quite likeable: Earlier this year at the NEO IO Awards in Berlin, Starr won an award by her peers for having the best personality—beating all other candidates — all of which happened to be men.What advice would you give your younger self?Always be interested and curious and don’t let fear of failure determine your level of aspiration. Bumps along the road to achieving your goals are expected and provide important learning experiences. It is never failure that determines our ability to achieve a goal; rather it is our perseverance and commitment to that goal. We are all wired to choose “flight” or “fight” when we are challenged. Always choose fight over flight, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Don’t focus on the people that bring you down, but draw from people that have a positive impact on you. Likewise, focus on having a positive impact on others. Positive reinforcement fuels empowerment in both yourself and others, and stimulates mutual success.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Right after earning my college degree in 2010 I landed a job in the digital unit of a large US media company working on social media projects. This gave me a small glimpse into an adtech world that was just emerging. I did not understand much about adtech, but sensed it was going to have a transformative impact on the digital industry. Change was coming and I wanted to be at the forefront of that change. At the time, the company underwent some organizational changes and I was offered a comfortable digital sales job, but decided to decline it. Instead, I dared to get started on a career in the adtech industry.Being new to the ad tech field, I decided to pursue an entry level role on the ad operations team of a small adtech platform. The role requirements listed technical and analytical skills, neither of which I thought I really had. Regardless, I did apply and committed to training myself to be technical and analytical. Low and behold, I got the job! Taking the risk to leave a comfortable job at a big media company and accepting that AdOps role did not result in me becoming the best AdOps person in adtech (I quickly left that role after one year), but it provided me with experience and further insights into adtech. This helped to kick-start my career in the adtech industry, which eventually led me to my role today as the MD of Central Europe for one of the world’s largest independent programmatic ad exchanges. The key learning experience for me was that taking risks that make us feel a little bit uncomfortable can be a great conduit to push ourselves in new directions and unlock opportunities.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Industry-wide programs that stimulate companies to promote women and minorities are key to driving change at scale. There is a huge responsibility for those in executive positions in the industry to create an environment of diversity and inclusion that trickles from the top down. This is a far reaching project - from more obvious initiatives such as providing equal opportunity for all people to be hired in junior and leadership positions and having a fair representation at events and in the public eye, to more silent changes like creating an environment for diverse thought within meeting spaces, in their sales and marketing efforts and within the organization. Diversity and inclusion should not be reduced to a tokenistic monthly meeting or a small group of supporters. It needs to be embedded into the very culture of the company, the industry and everything we do as a people.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I would be an interior designer. I’m literally obsessed with home makeover shows, magazines etc. I believe my passion for this stems from having moved around quite a lot with my mom. I can’t count the number of apartments and houses we lived in. We quickly had to make them our home and every apartment has a special place in my life. As an adult, I still get great joy out of seeing a living space being turned into something new, inspiring, and exciting.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Working from home 24/7 has been the greatest change and challenge. It has required me and my team to not only find different ways to connect with each other, but also to connect with our clients and partners. I can get a “message” across via telecommunication, but there is a different quality to online meetings that requires more attention to human interaction. This is very important to maintain a trusted connection, or for any type of relationship building.What was your first jobWhat lessons did you learn from that job that you are still applying today?I was a marketing assistant at a record company in Germany. My main role was to help coordinate promotional artist marketing events. One day I was tasked to send a bunch of t-shirts branded with the artist’s name to the studio of a popular TV music show. I sent the t-shirts to the wrong address and the t-shirts never made it to the show. My young and insecure self at that time was terrified, but I still confessed it to my boss. I was sure I would get fired, but it didn’t happen. We worked out a different event that those t-shirts could be used for and came up with a strategy that would ensure that I sent the t-shirts to the correct address in the future. I learned that mistakes can happen and are learning opportunities. Three things I always consider to this date: 1. Own your mistake 2. Think of an alternative solution 3. Put measures in place to prevent the same mistake from happening again.Is there anything else you would like to add?To all capable, talented and ambitious women: Always dare.Rebecca SwiftGlobal Head of Creative Insights, Getty ImagesRebecca SwiftGlobal Head of Creative Insights, Getty Images , UnileverBy I-Hsien SherwoodAdvertising and fashion photography has long been a man’s game, shot for a male audience. Getty Images and Dove set out to rectify that with “Project #ShowUs,” an initiative to diversify stock image offerings led by Getty’s Rebecca Swift that introduced more than 170 female photographers from 39 countries to the industry. “Being able to work with them and inspire them to create great work and, to get that out into the marketplace and see them get paid and pick up other jobs—you’re kind of creating this entire legacy which you can then lean into to bring on other partners,” Swift says. The database has more than 10,000 assets that have been used by more than 2,500 customers and businesses in 60 countries.“This is creating thought processes around how we might do other work and how we can help other organizations be more forward-thinking and more thoughtful about the imagery that they’re choosing,” Swift adds. “I’m the most senior female creative at Getty images, so it gives me a lot of pride to be able to stand up and be a leader in this way.”What advice would you give your younger self?Be more vocal earlier.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?Giving up a well-paid full-time job to do a PhD in advertising photography.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?It can create aspirational, inspirational imagery that really resonates with people in those communities. A lot of the content that's created in advertising tends to be photographed by men. It's only when you start to turn that around and talk about content that is created by women and resonates more with women that we'll start to see a difference. It needs people from those demographics guiding and at least having a voice in the decision-making around the content.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I've done a lot of coaching, so I think I'd probably end up teaching.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?I've been at home for three months now, which is the longest I think I've ever been at home. And our relationship with our customers has changed. Because we have visibility across all industries, across all regions, and we've been doing this work for 25 years, we can look back over how crises panned out in previous iterations and project forward. It’s interesting how that work has become really pertinent for my team and the research that they're doing.Renee Vaughan SutherlandFounder and host, Greater Than 11%Renee Vaughan SutherlandFounder and host, Greater Than 11%By Luke GuilloryRenee Vaughan Sutherland heard an eye-opening stat at a May 2018 event: Only 11 percent of women held the title of creative director in the U.K. media and communications industry. Vaughan Sutherland says she left the event feeling the need to do something.That birthed her weekly podcast, Greater than 11%, which features female guests, explores different roles and opportunities within the industry and promotes the industry’s diverse female voices.Vaughan Sutherland says these voices are already within the industry, but that gender identity, race and class work against creatives, and that diversity is not reflected in leadership. The issue is not solved by just encouraging a more diverse industry, she says, but by creating a pipeline for them to succeed once there.“I don’t feel it’s about encouraging more women, people of color, gender non-conforming people into the industry. It’s about employing and promoting us,” she says. “Because then we create that waterfall effect. So employers, work a little bit harder.”What advice would you give to your younger self?I think the ultimate one would be “Be kind to yourself,” because it makes the journey so much easier and enjoyable. And I think it's important to follow that up with: “If you don't know how to be kind to yourself, invest in learning how to.” So either getting therapy, practicing meditation, journaling, whatever it is that works for you, spend time learning how to treat yourself.What has been the biggest change to your role since COVID-19?In terms of my role — specifically in terms of leading it, thinking about the direction, connecting and bringing people in — it's given me time and space to reflect on what that role is. Where I've got areas of lack in terms of skill set, and where I need support. Whilst that sounds really negative, it's actually hugely positive because it feels like a step forward.If you weren’t at your current job, what would you be doing?I've always said if I had a second life, I would be a professional dancer. I really admire it. I love the feeling of moving the body. I do like challenges, and I think as a dancer, you have to push and challenge your body in ways that I can't understand.What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken?I have taken lots of risks, I would say, calculated risks, because I'm not a gambler. But, I would say probably leaving my job as chief creative officer to focus my energies on diversity within the creative industry with Greater Than 11%. That's been the most recent risk.Amy WilliamsFounder and CEO, Good-LoopAmy WilliamsFounder and CEO, Good-LoopBy Jeanine PoggiAmy Williams left the agency world when she realized the relationship between consumers and advertisers had been eroded. ”I wanted to do something I was proud of,” she says.So she embarked on a nine-month trip to Argentina, where she spent time working in a soup kitchen. There, Williams witnessed feeding 30 children on what would amount to little more than $10, making her realize how much can be done with so little.Good-Loop, an ethical advertising tool, was born out of Williams’ desire to rethink how brands communicate with consumers around social purpose. The company allows consumers to choose a charity to donate to for free if they watch an ad. Good-Loop’s clients have included Toms, Unilever and Nestlé, among others, and the company expanded to the U.S. earlier this month.Amid the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest, Williams says what has emerged is an outpouring of kindness and evidence that brands want to help. Good-Loop created a COVID-19 version of its product where watching and engaging with an ad can fund frontline initiatives.What advice would you give your younger self?Stop worrying so much about achieving. I was always brought up with this sense of constantly winning, constantly achieving, to get the best possible grades I can get. From a young age it was driven in me, this competition with myself. It didn’t prepare me with how much failure is a natural part of success. That resilience to failure took me so long, and when you are starting a company you fail so much. I really had to become friends with failure.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?The moment I quit my job and I booked a one-way flight to Chile. It was the first time I had ever gone off that well-trodden path of the career ladder. I sold all my stuff, got rid of my house, took a backpack and went to Chile. I volunteered in a soup kitchen. I ended up staying for nine months and flew home because I identified a possible business partner in the U.K., but as soon as I landed they changed their mind.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?I’m a big believer in the idea that you can be what you can see. Amplifying women and people of color that have somehow slipped through the cracks and crashed glass ceilings and giving them a platform is an important first step. There were female founders like Sarah Wood of Unruly that made me feel I can do it too.Internally at Good-Loop we are deeply questioning our recruitment strategy and where there might be biases, unintended and therefore, quite dangerous. Where you advertise your job, and the language you use, need to be thought about. My dad hooked me up with someone at his company, and so many people don’t have a dad that can do that. I try not to enable those networks.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I’d like to say I’d still be in Argentina working in that soup kitchen, doing selfless work in a community that is really struggling. I would have ended up starting my own business at some point. As a kid I loved creating new things and feeling like I am building something for myself.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Remote working for sure. Having everybody in their own homes has changed the practicalities of how we do team meetings, check in and socialize, but also the emotional layers we bring to our work lives. When I leave the house and I put on my business clothes and commute and go to a shiny chrome office block, I can create this façade of professional me. None of that façade is there, you are home at the kitchen table. Instead, you are driven by personal values and issues on a more personal level.Jane WolfsonChief commercial officer, Hearst UKJane WolfsonChief commercial officer, Hearst UKBy Garett SloaneJane Wolfson says that work under quarantine has been intense but productive. “I’ve coped remarkably well with it, I think,” Wolfson says from her London home. And just as she’s commenting on her ability to make work work at home, Wolfson is interrupted by her 8-year-old daughter checking in on her Zoom call.It’s a sign of the times: families are now co-workers. Wolfson says she spends most of her time on video conferencing, up to seven hours a day.Wolfson, chief commercial officer at Hearst UK, manages a team of approximately 130 people. She misses walking the floor and seeing her team face-to-face.Still, Hearst UK has kept humming even with Wolfson and her team working remotely. In April, Wolfson helped stand up a new creator network, which she called a quick turnaround studio for branded content that links advertisers and digital talent. “Work has been intense but in a good way,” Wolfson says. “The pace that things are moving is much quicker probably for everyone because it has to be.”What advice would you give your younger self?To take more risks. To have more confidence in the risks that you might take. In terms of moving around or taking job opportunities. It's probably quite a female thing anyway, actually—or so the textbooks will tell you. That kind of confidence to take the bigger role, you have to be much more confident as a woman to go for a job that a guy might think he'll do in his sleep. That type of risk—be more confident in your own ability.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?I went to college to study advertising. I wanted to go into that career, but I wasn't a university graduate. I went into my first job at WCRS creative agency as a secretary, or a PA as it was called then. I applied for the original graduate trainee roll, which I wasn't allowed to get because I wasn't a graduate. I said, give me another role in the company and I will do that for however long I need to, but I will prove to you I can do the other role. I was moved in three months.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?Having senior role models in place and making sure that there aren't blockers for people joining. Go into different schools and offer career advice to make this an attractive industry. Just give people that feeling that they are actively encouraged to be a part of it.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?I would like to have been in law in some way, maybe because of what I saw in the movies, that ability to stand up and put a point of view across. I think it was "The Verdict" that tipped me over, the Paul Newman film. I remember watching that and thinking someone in law can make a difference. So, I was quite keen on that.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?I do take a lunch break, which I never used to take. Going down and listening to the kids, us having lunch together, which is nice.Zeynep Yalim UzunChief Marketing Officer, ArçelikZeynep Yalim UzunChief Marketing Officer, ArçelikBy Adrianne PasquarelliZeynep Yalım Uzun was always interested in human behavior. But it wasn’t until attending Agnes Scott College in Atlanta,—where she majored in psychology and economics—at dinner with a Unilever marketing exec that she discovered the behavior of marketing and how messaging can influence purchase decisions. She switched careers from human resources to marketing, taking a job at Unilever in 1992, and hasn’t looked back.“Marketing in my opinion is all about behavior and how you can change it,” says Uzun. “How you can affect it, influence people’s choices—that’s what it was for me and I started loving it.”Three years ago, Uzun joined Arçelik, the Turkey-based home appliance and electronics company, where she has a team of 2,000 staffers globally marketing brands including Beko and Grundig. At the company’s Beko brand, Uzun debuted the “Eat Like a Pro” campaign in 2017, with creative partner McCann Europe, as part of a push to eradicate childhood obesity. Now, during the pandemic lockdowns, that campaign has evolved into “Live Like a Pro.”What advice would you give your younger self?I would advise her to be kind and forgiving to herself, tell her that perfection is overrated and unachievable anyway. So she should do the best she can and even if her best is not good enough, she should still congratulate herself and move on. This is something I learned later in my life that I wish I’d known when I was much younger.What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?I was born and raised in Turkey. As I was finishing high school, I really wanted to study abroad for university, but this was not at all common in those days. Through dedication and hard work, I managed to get admission and a full scholarship for college in Atlanta, USA. So at 17 years old, I left my family and home city for a school and country that I had never been before, and where I knew no one. This was the first time in my life that I really pushed my boundaries and went out of my comfort zone. It became a recurring pattern after that first time. Today I am thankful for the experience, as it really shaped who I am today. My whole life was positively influenced by this risk I took.What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of colour into its ranks?I really believe the industry should be much more proactive in this area and take a clear stand for significantly improving diversity and inclusion in an organized way. Support programs such as mentoring for developing young talent from diverse backgrounds, as well as quotas for inclusion should be adopted by agencies and clients alike. I also believe clients can be a catalyst for agencies’ transformation in this area by requesting diversity in their account and creative teams. I am personally very proud that as Arçelik we are supporters of key diversity and inclusion programs such as ‘He for She’ and ‘Unstereotype’.If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing?Dance is a big passion for me, so I would love to have been a professional dancer. Ballet, modern dance, I love it all.What’s been the biggest change in your role due to COVID-19?Everything! My role is transforming in many different ways during this period. Inside my organization, marketing and communication gained even more prominence during this time when connecting with our consumers and target audiences has become harder. I am leading many programs for transforming the way we think about brands to enable this, as well as stepping up our capability in digital communication and e commerce. Our consumers have changed during this period, so together with my team, we are also focused on deciphering these changes, in order to deliver relevant products and communication for their ever changing lives. Finally, as a team we had to adapt very fast to a fully remote way of working, so I am also focused on ensuring that my teams around the globe stay connected, working in an aligned and motivated way.Illustration by Tam Nguyen. Photos courtesy of subjects. Web production by Corey Holmes.

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