More than 50 per cent of JWI’s team are women. I only realised that when I sat down to write this, because in our culture, equality isn’t a statement, it’s second nature.
By removing inequality and hiring for talent, values, and potential, regardless of gender, I’ve found you free yourself to focus on the work. I’ve always hired people for what they can do and who they are, not because they fit a demographic box.
I moved to the UAE at 23 to open the Dubai office for a UK-based agency. Looking back, the question I ask myself isn’t “Why would they trust a young woman?” but “Why would they trust someone that young?” The hurdle was experience, not gender. That mindset has shaped how I’ve continued to build teams, form long-term client relationships, and produce work I’m proud of over my nine-year tenure in the region.
I know my perspective comes from a position of privilege and opportunity, empowered by leaders and businesses who valued integrity and equality. But it’s a viewpoint we don’t talk about enough.
Too often, the conversation in our industry is dominated by the tick-box approach to gender equality, the metaphorical glass ceiling, and tired narratives about women bringing more “emotional intelligence” to the table. That perspective not only overlooks the unique traits women bring to the industry as individuals, but it also continues to lower our expectations of men and limit their growth.
Representation matters, but hiring for optics and PR misses the point. Equality should be about choice, not quota.
So what happens when you hire the right person for the work and the business, not to reach a gender balance goal:
- The work gets better. On both Venus and Gillette, female and male shave-care brands, our best work has often come from “unexpected” pairings. Some of the most impactful Venus campaigns have been led by male creatives, and vice versa for Gillette. In such a diverse market as the UAE and GCC, why would we limit ourselves with gendered assumptions about talent?
- People thrive. In a values-based environment where everyone is driving toward the same goal, equality becomes second nature. Teams flourish, individuals grow in confidence, and the next generation learns that their worth isn’t tied to gender.
- Leaders can focus on what matters. When equality is a given, our energy goes into vision, creativity, and impact, not into managing optics.
This isn’t about discouraging women in advertising. It’s about recognising what true progress looks like: creating an equality of opportunity so deeply embedded in the culture, you forget it’s even there. I’m proud to work alongside incredible women whose talent, ideas, and leadership push our industry forwards every day, not because they’re women, but because they’re brilliant at what they do.
By Adele Baxter, Client Services Director at JWI.
