International Women's Day: Interview with regional director of Wavemaker Hong Kong

We celebrate International Women's Day today. At Marketing, we conduct interviews with marketers or creative agency practitioners over the years, inviting them to talk about a number of topics, including gender equality practices in their companies, and their views towards gender-related issues in Hong Kong. 

In this piece, we talk to Marlot van der Stoel, regional director of Wavemaker Hong Kong over her views towards gender equality and opportunities for women. 

1. Can you tell gender equality practices in your company and what the company has done to provide employees with a better workplace?

At Wavemaker, we have a Global Diversity & Inclusion Vision and Action Plan in place that is implemented at a global, regional and local level, with a D&I champion at an APAC level to oversee the progress – Rose Huskey, Wavemaker Southeast Asia. The plan consists of five pillars, including gender. The plan is widely available and is presented, together with the past year’s review, to everyone. Since every pillar (in addition to gender, we focus on age, culture, enable and LGBT+) is equally important, the overall focus lies in inclusion. It is essential for a company to have such a plan in place, but it does not stop there: It is up to the employees to ensure it lives and breathes. We should not only rely on a top-down approach when it comes to inclusion. Every individual needs to take his or her own responsibility and contribute in their own way. Do you see inappropriate behaviours or do you disagree with something? Speak up and act and do not wait until your management brings it up.

In addition to focusing on our own workplace, we contribute by taking our responsibility in relation to our clients’ advertisements. For instance, in case there are sexist elements and gender stereotyping (for example, women in the kitchen or men drinking beer), we should challenge this as their media agency as on top of workplace policies, we believe in driving positive change and balance in our work as well.

 2. If there is something that has to improve when it comes to gender equality in a workplace, what are the major problems?

I think people in general still like to hire people who are like them. And this probably happens unconsciously. This behaviour seems harmless but it slows down our progress to achieve full gender equality. We all know that, on average within the corporate space, men disproportionally take up management positions. This trend will continue if people only hire employees whose capabilities and characteristics are similar to theirs. We need to challenge and train people to think (and hire) differently. When diversity is the norm, everything else will follow naturally – both gender equality as well as better results for the company.

 3. In the marketing industry, can you name some obstacles that prevent women from achieving a higher role?

I do not believe that the marketing industry still has the "Mad Man" image. It is definitely not the case that men run the show, while women only sit behind the reception desks. It is not anymore about men in suits, who are extremely confident and well spoken. We now also have many women (in suits and/or sneakers) that are confident and can tell great stories. This actually shows the underlying problem: the industry’s focus on great stories and people with the biggest mouth is still very important, while people who can tell their meaningful stories with innovative thoughts, smart data, surprising insights and real solutions should instead be put in the spotlight.

In Wavemaker Hong Kong, 76% of our workforce are females, with 79% in management positions.

4. Can you name a female leader (or some female leaders) who inspires you most?

There are too many examples of female leaders that immediately come to mind. The one that jumps out is Malala Yousafzai. For me, she truly embodies female empowerment. I have had the honour to attend the ceremony when she received the Children’s Peace Price in The Hague in 2013 and she has left an everlasting impression to me. Not only is her life mission to ensure girls worldwide have access to education, she has risked her life while fighting for her beliefs. And she has never stopped fighting and sharing, inspiring countless activists and policy makers around the world. Through her tremendous offer she has made the world realize how important gender equality is.

5. What advice would you give to a company hoping to create an office with gender equality and adopt a diverse hiring strategy?

Make sure everyone in the company is part of the team! Gender equality, along with the other inclusion topics, needs to be integrated in the heart and soul of the company. A company and its employees need to truly believe that a diverse group of people is key for success.