More than 50 per cent of GCC marcomms professionals have indicated that the representation of women in leadership remains low, according to the latest Think Equal survey, with almost a third of the people surveyed citing that women account for fewer than 25 per cent of the leadership team.
Meanwhile, only 31 per cent of GCC marcomms professionals said that their organisations or divisions have equal or near-equal male-female representation in leadership, defined as 40 per cent to 60 per cent in favour of any gender. Of those surveyed, 30 per cent said that a woman held the most senior role in their marcomms organisation or division, with a title of chief executive officer, chief marketing officer, managing director or founder.
The data, from a Think Equal survey to both men and women in the region’s marcomms industry, shows a clear opportunity to strengthen diversity at the top. Links between diverse leadership teams and improved performance and profitability have been well-established through several studies in recent years.
Optimism for women being welcomed in leadership roles is high: survey
On the upside, 70 per cent of respondents said that they are optimistic about future progress in gender equality in leadership roles within the GCC marcomms sector.
The majority –53 per cent – said that based on their experiences, encounters and conversations, they believed that progress has been made over the past two years. Almost a third – 30 per cent of people surveyed – said that the right building blocks are in place, however 17 per cent feel no meaningful progress has been achieved, signalling the need for more consistent, sector-wide efforts to create impactful and sustained change.
Ziad Hasbani, Regional CEO of Weber Shandwick MENAT, said, “The fact that our industry is observing progress, and feels optimistic about future acceleration of gender equality in leadership, indicate that we’re moving in the right direction. But momentum is vital so we can collectively grow the number of organisations and divisions with balanced representation – and make that the main mass. There’s clearly still a lot more that the GCC marcomms industry can and should do to unlock the leadership potential of women through active support, consistent awareness of possible bias, and effective targeted initiatives.”
The survey found top barriers to be cultural norms and biases when hiring and promoting, while the top three key areas for improvement were recommended as addressing unconscious bias, championing more female role models in leadership, and increasing flexible working arrangements.
The Art and Science of Ethical Persuasion
Results from the survey were shared at a mixed-gender event by The Marketing Society and Weber Shandwick, an Official Partner of Think Equal, the initiative which aims to accelerate gender equality in leadership across the marcomms industry in the GCC.
‘The Art & Science of Ethical Persuasion’ was held at MCN Hive in Dubai, with data presented by Alasdair Hall-Jones, Global Director of The Marketing Society and Katie Plant, Director at Weber Shandwick MENAT. The event also featured a science-based workshop by Leopold Ajami, a certified trainer on ethical persuasion.
The event highlighted how the power to ethically persuade and influence in work and life is an invaluable skill, and it can also help create better results for women in leadership.
As part of a discussion segment, attendees considered how principles of ethical persuasion could address some of the obstacles slowing down gender equality in leadership.
Specific ideas and discussion points from the event will also be considered for next stage development by the Think Equal Working Committee, a group of industry professionals from both brands and agencies.
