In this three-part Q&A blog series, we pick the brains of these four inspirational women leading iProspect:
- Camille Carter, Managing Partner, Newcastle Office UK
- Libby Darley, Head of Planning UK
- Vanessa Eagle, Head of Investment UK
- Hannah Pile, Managing Director, London Office UK
Get a raw, honest look into their career journeys so far, experiences, turning points and motivations, with a few eye-opening stats along the way. Learn how you can make a real, positive difference for you and your teams today and feel inspired with these golden words of wisdom.
Which leader or leaders inspire you? And why?
- Kamala Harris - the first black, first female and first Asian-American US Vice President, standing up for gender equality and women’s rights globally.
- Michelle Obama standing out of the shadows of a famous husband in order to advocate for working mothers and menopausal awareness. If you haven’t already, tune into her brilliant podcast.
- Hillary Clinton - the first woman to receive a presidential nomination by a major party, despite being bullied and cat-called by people, she stood up for those who couldn’t and rallied against the abuse of women in places like China.”
Libby: “Whitney Wolfe-Herd, Bumble Founder and CEO. After facing sexual harassment whilst working at Tinder, Whitney founded the first dating app to put women in charge. When Bumble went public in 2021, her one-year-old baby was on her hip for the event. Iconic.”
Vanessa and Hannah both agreed, Wendy Clark, dentsu’s previous Global CEO was a big inspiration.
Vanessa: “Wendy took the reins of dentsu at an economically volatile time during a pandemic. She managed to make a hugely positive impact bringing everyone together with warmth and regular communication. She did this whilst juggling three children, proving you can be a great leader and parent at the same time.”
Hannah: “Wendy led with balance of hope and reality when tough decisions must be made. She’s larger than life, personable, approachable and had the gravitas to command with so much respect.”
What’s your top piece of advice for other leaders to make a difference and advocate for people in their business?
Camille: “Don’t passively listen, really listen. Things that are lacking for women, and other DEI groups are often smaller or less obvious than you think.”
“Start making changes on the ground that will have immediate impact like flexible hours around childcare or supporting those quieter team members who consistently deliver but get overlooked by louder colleagues. At iProspect, I help facilitate valuable #IAmRemarkable workshops with Google, to encourage women to share experiences, shout about their achievements, and coaching them to recognise their worth and feel heard.”
Libby: “Personally, I’ve experienced the negative impacts of fertility treatment on mental health and understand how it affects everyone differently and can be difficult to talk about. In a Fertility Network UK survey, 88 % of employees who felt unsupported during IVF treatment have left or consider leaving their job.”
“We need to break that taboo. We’ve just launched a full-fertility policy for everyone to feel more supported financially and professional regardless of gender or sexuality, an initiative which I led and is very close to my heart. Every single leader or person across our network should always try make people's lives easier and as fulfilled as possible.”
Vanessa: “Build confidence from the top down. Gender equality and parity makes business sense. The most successful companies in the world have diverse boards and a balanced mix of men and women leading. And that’s how it should be.”
“Leaders need to champion women, pushing them forward, listening, understanding and supporting. Make positive changes to create diverse boards that aren’t just good for business, but good for society too.”
Hannah: “We’ve made good progress in the industry and particularly at dentsu, but more must be done to protect resource. The industry needs to try reduce the number of pitches, encouraging clients to have longer conracts and reducing full-pitch requirements for statutory reviews."
Key takeaways:
- Fertility treatment isn’t talked about enough. Break the stigma and encourage men and women to share experiences, ask for support and create a community for guidance.
- Everyone is special. Help people recognise their achievements, self-worth and coach them to shout it from the roof tops.
- The parenting juggle is real. Teams need to see leaders authenticity, managing the struggles of parenthood and supporting others going through it, so they know they can do it too.
Interested in joining iProspect? We’re always growing. If you’re a changemaker, we need you. Head over to our Careers Page to see what openings are currently available, or to register your interest.
For expert career guidance, iProspect's leaders share key takeaways here. Plus, learn more about unconscious bias and how to advocate for positive change in the industry and societyin this blog.
