Claim your seat at the boardroom table Marketing and media should represent an aspirational, empowering environment for women, writes KOO GOVENDER.
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s a female CEO, I have always had and continue to have a strong passion for female leadership and upliftment. I am humbled to lead a marketing and advertising agency in South Africa with an 88% female-led management team and 69% female staff capacity, and constantly look at opportunities to uplift women – more specifically, women in business. Although the numbers mentioned above are extremely positive and a step in the right direction, they are agency specific and not a true representation of the South African media and advertising industry. Throughout my many years in the industry and as a chairperson of The Advertising Media Forum, the challenge of and focus on increasing women working
Koo Govender 10 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A
in leadership positions within media agencies has remained consistent. Through experience, I have learned that we as women, particularly women leaders, have an enormous responsibility to 1) encourage other female leaders to support women in business, 2) encourage women to reach their full potential within the industry and beyond, and 3) encourage, inspire and attract young, future female leaders to the industry. It is essential that marketing and media be seen as an aspirational career that delivers many opportunities, including working with a range of different clients and getting experience across a variety of brands. The possibilities for individuals within the industry are endless, and one of the greatest unique selling points that we as industry leaders should continue to highlight is that for as long as consumers consume, brands have products/services to sell, trends continue to transform and the digital landscape continues to evolve, professional marketers will never get bored.
I AM HUMBLED TO LEAD A MARKETING AND ADVERTISING AGENCY IN SA WITH AN 88% FEMALE-LED MANAGEMENT TEAM themediaonline.co.za
