In the shadow of gleaming skyscrapers and ambitious national visions, advertising in the Middle East stands at a pivotal crossroads. While the region races toward the future in technology and infrastructure, many agency cultures remain anchored in traditions that no longer serve our collective potential – particularly for women.
After three decades navigating Asia’s growth markets, I see both progress and persistent challenges in the Middle Eastern advertising landscape. The needle has moved – more women now lead accounts, departments, and occasionally agencies. We’ve progressed from questioning if women belong in leadership to discussing how to accelerate their advancement. Client-side marketing departments increasingly feature female leaders who expect similar representation from their agency partners.
Yet, this progress coexists with barriers that require deliberate dismantling, if we’re to build truly world-class agencies.
The authority paradox
The most persistent challenge remains what I call the “authority paradox”. Be too assertive and risk being labelled difficult; too accommodating and be overlooked for leadership. This constant calibration creates an exhausting dance that male colleagues rarely need to consider.
What’s remarkable is how little the authority paradox serves anyone. The most innovative campaigns emerge when different voices contribute authentically, not when half the room is calculating how their ideas will be received based on gender.
Beyond glass ceilings
While much global conversation focuses on breaking glass ceilings, many women in Middle Eastern advertising face “glass walls” – horizontal barriers that channel women into specific departments deemed “appropriate” for female leadership. Client services and beauty accounts become women’s territories, while strategy, creative direction, and technology remain predominantly male domains.
This segregation limits not just individual careers but our agencies’ collective intelligence. When we restrict talent flow based on gender, we create artificial blind spots in our strategic thinking.
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The cost of conformity
Perhaps most damaging is the “conformity tax” women pay in cultures where challenging norms is viewed as confrontational. When women pose necessary questions, they often face higher professional costs than male peers.
This creates a “curiosity conundrum” where young women enter with fresh perspectives only to learn their questions mark them as troublemakers rather than thought leaders. The resulting self-censorship represents our industry’s greatest lost resource – the unasked questions that might have led to breakthrough ideas.
As women break through to executive positions, many fall into the “leadership mimicry trap”, becoming female versions of their male mentors or overcompensating. Both approaches miss the opportunity to develop truly transformative leadership models.
The business imperative
Our industry’s transformation isn’t optional – it’s existential. Agencies clinging to outdated gender paradigms will be left behind as clients increasingly demand partners who reflect the diversity of their consumers and bring fresh perspectives to complex challenges.
The cost of inaction is already visible where traditional agencies have lost ground to more inclusive competitors. We cannot afford complacency when the pace of change continues to accelerate.
Creating new pathways forward
Having witnessed Asia’s evolution from traditional hierarchies to creative powerhouses, my priorities for accelerating similar transformation here focus on:
- Structured mentorship: Creating opportunities for women to shadow senior presentations, join client negotiations, and receive honest feedback in safe spaces.
- Authentic leadership development: Working with women to develop approaches that draw from diverse influences while remaining true to individual strengths, avoiding both mimicry and overcompensation.
- Targeted skill building: Providing training in areas where women often face artificial barriers, from negotiation techniques to powerful storytelling skills.
- Women supporting women: Building networks where female leaders actively sponsor rising talent. Too often, women who reach senior positions remain isolated, creating “token islands” without the critical mass needed for cultural change. The most powerful catalyst comes when women in authority amplify other female voices and advocate for one another.
The Asian precedent
The Asian market transformation offers evidence for what’s possible in the Middle East. Fifteen years ago, Asian agencies faced similar cultural barriers. Markets like Japan, Korea and China have since witnessed remarkable evolution, with women now leading some of the region’s most awarded agencies.
This transformation wasn’t accidental but intentional. Female leaders who secured initial footholds created pathways for others to follow. They demonstrated that women’s leadership styles—emphasising collaboration, empathy, and innovation—delivered measurable advantages in the creative economy.
The path forward
The Middle East doesn’t need to replicate Western models or perpetuate outdated regional patterns. Instead, we have the opportunity to create agency cultures that honour local values while unlocking the full potential of all talent.
For the rising generation of women in Middle Eastern advertising, the path forward requires neither conformity nor reactionary rebellion, but a new kind of creative courage—one that transforms challenges into opportunities and redefines leadership in a rapidly evolving region.
The future belongs to those who can see beyond both current limitations and extreme solutions to the balanced, authentic industry we need to become.
By Susana Tsui Fitzpatrick, CEO, UM UAE
