Pictured, from right to left, Sarah Thompson, Caroline Moul, Urania Agas and Jennifer Lewis.

One in two marketers worldwide believe that the industry’s diversity efforts are improving, with Canadians and Americans (87%) leading the way. However, nearly one-seventh said they would leave their career now because there is still a lack of equity and inclusion. 

This is what the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) found in its Global DEI Census 2023. The report comprises online surveys of 13,000 professionals from 91 countries, conducted between March and April 2023. Women responded to approximately 63% of the questionnaires, while males completed 37% of them.

According to the census, marketers’ perspectives on diversity and inclusion in the sector differ depending on their profile. Around 16% of women indicated they would leave the sector, while 18% of respondents ages 25 to 34 said the same. This figure increases to 22% for ethnic minorities and 24% for those with disabilities.

Dentsu Media president Sarah Thompson, EssenceMediaCom CEO Urania Agas, PHD Canada president Caroline Moul and Carat CCO Jennifer Lewis spoke with MiC about how the marketing business can become more inclusive and diverse. They also shared some anecdotes and tips for women just starting out in the industry. This is what they said.

MiC: How do you see the marketing industry in terms of diversity and inclusion?

Sarah Thompson: There is always room for more diversity and inclusion in our industry as it attracts talent, creates new ideas and provides vast perspectives to complex problems. Canada is forever changing, and we need to remove the bias we may have about media consumption and continue to consider what all people do when they are watching, reading and enjoying media. It is wonderful to attend industry events and see my female peers across other agency networks. Despite that we compete, we also cheer each other on.

Caroline Moul: Diversity in the boardroom is so important. When it comes to the marketing industry, we are in a relatively good place for women in leadership, especially at the agency leadership and CMO level. However, we have more work to do when it comes to diversity. Data, tech and sports marketing continue to be male dominated – this dynamic shows up frequently in the boardroom. Likewise, we need to continue to work on championing BIPOC into senior leadership roles. Part of that starts with how we entice various communities to have interest in marketing and create safe spaces for diversity to thrive – fostering inclusive environments and championing diversity across the board including persons with different abilities and LGBTQ2S+.

Urania Agas: The industry has come a long way over the course of my career to date, but we need to continue pushing for a more equitable representation in leadership positions. I have always felt the support and strength of strong women within the marketing and advertising community, and today I’m pleased to see more and more women in leadership positions. Many media agencies today are led by smart, diverse women with different life and work experiences, that add richness to their leadership style and the overall culture of the agency.

Jennifer Lewis: I appreciate all of the strong women mentors and leaders around me who challenge me to grow and support the evolution of our industry to be more diverse. I do believe diversity of gender needs to encompass more than the binary men and women, and really ask how we are being inclusive to all gender representations. As an agency, I believe Dentsu and Carat are welcoming and creating space for everyone to be their most authentic self. I am fortunate that across Dentsu we have a very strong balance of women in leadership roles and our Carat Canada account leadership team is equally balanced so all points of view can be shared.

MiC: Has it been difficult to achieve a leadership position because of gender?

ST: I have been in the skills acquisition business of marketing. I want to know all of it so I can carry on a conversation with my expert colleagues. That has required so much listening. And, it is important to go down levels to talk to people about what their reality is in the day-to-day, and how we can help them. And I always ask our people, “If you were me what would you do?” and “Where can I be of help to make you successful?”

CM: I have been fortunate to be part of PHD for over 20 years. The leadership from the beginning has always fostered talent regardless of gender. The challenges I faced were more business centric in terms of more male dominant areas such as digital and tech, where having a strong voice at the table was imperative to being heard and having impact.

JL: I don’t think gender has been a barrier for me, I have been fortunate to have a lot of powerful female leaders that have been very supportive of my career growth. There were multiple female leaders that were supportive of my move from Toronto to Los Angeles and helped me navigate that role change. I actually think being Canadian in the U.S. was a barrier for a time. I really had to work to prove that there was no weakness in being Canadian in understanding American client needs and the U.S. markets.

MiC: Can you tell me about some of the experiences you went through to get where you are today?

ST: The journey from being a young professional in PR to leading the 4th largest media agency network in Canada has been a road with bumps but everything is a lesson learned. The one thing that I know I will always hold onto is my integrity and passion for problem-solving because whenever I’ve given up on the things I’m good at, I’ve failed at work, life and myself.

CM: My favourite story is when I was in my early 20’s, relatively new to agency life, and I saw the opportunity of digital. Post dotcom bust, many people shied away as they witnessed job loss and impact of that. So I leaned in, not only in terms of working on digital with my client roster but also marched into the CEO’s office to ask to start the digital practice for my agency. The CEO said yes, with caveats, and that was the start of my leadership journey in not online growing into the leader I am today but also starting a division and building and evolving over the past two decades. It’s a bit of the right time, right place, right ambitions, and passion with a strong voice to ask for what I wanted to do.

MiC: How do you see the future of the industry in terms of diversity? What could help to have a more inclusive industry?

ST: I hope that we support those that are new to the profession and the country to help them see a career path forward to rise to leadership positions. We want people of all backgrounds, lifestyles, and cultures to thrive in our industry, and that requires paying attention to training, development, and organizational support.

CM: As an industry we need to continue to work on enticing diversity to enter marketing. This should consider going to where we have higher concentration of diversity or starting to go schools to show marketing as a career path. Invest in your talent to grow and nurture them in their careers. We need to entice women in data and tech, once they are in the field ensuring there is room for them to grow. We have many to look up to but need more. By continuing to put emphasis and importance on organizing, with the work we do, and the importance of Diversity within the partners we work with, we can get there. How quickly is up to every leader at every company in Canada.

UA: I would hope that we get to a place where there’s not a need for this type of conversation. Where we have created an ecosystem that naturally enables access and opportunity to people from every identity, culture and ability. I believe that shift will happen organically – as you have more diversity and female representation in the more senior roles, there is a vested interest in that cast making space and opportunity for more. Plus, when people at the start of their career see diversity and people that look like them at every level of the organization, they can more easily see themselves there and find paths toward that.

JL: I think diversity inclusive of all genders is critical, I hope for a day when being a women leader is an expectation and not something we need to write articles about. Beyond gender diversity, we need to focus on how we are bringing in new Canadians and Indigenous Canadians into our industry and really hearing and understanding all voices. As marketers, new Canadians and Indigenous peoples are not just audiences to target, they are the people that should be working in our companies.

MiC: What would you tell other women starting out in the industry?

ST: Know your superpowers, watch the narratives you create in your head (both good and bad), and lean into the relationships that are giving you honest and valuable feedback.

CM: I would say this to anyone, be brave, work hard and don’t shy away from raising your hand or showing your passion. It matters and it will help ensure you are seen and heard.

UA: Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Advocate for yourself. And apply for the next role… I always thought I needed to tick every box in a job posting, but truthfully, no one does – so go for it! Reach out to the women you see around you who are making noise and leading the change. Create connections with like minded driven women, join industry associations and build a network of strong women – the value of this support will be immeasurable.

JL: Lean into saying “yes” when opportunities are presented, and if the opportunities aren’t coming to support your growth, boldly claim and share with your friends and peers what it is that you want. You can never underestimate the power of your network. I am here today at Carat because I told my network that I wanted to come back to Canada and a great friend saw the job listing for this role and shared it with me.