When I was starting out in the industry men were the gatekeepers to creative departments, and unconscious bias meant that they were hiring carbon copies of themselves. I was only ‘let in’ as a result of positive discrimination by a Creative Director at BMP DDB, Joanna Wenley. She was actively helping more females break into advertising. 20 years on, and advertising has changed dramatically, but the low numbers of female creative directors hasn’t shifted enough. It’s tricky to be what you can’t see.
