By Victoria Potter, Head of Clients & Operations, ECI North America
Women in Marketing Procurement - driving change
I am lucky enough to attend industry events across the country. It’s always great to hear the latest from the industry and learn from some of its leading thinkers, and of course it’s wonderful to catch up with friends, current and former colleagues, and many other friendly faces. Prominent among those friendly faces are other members of the Women in Marketing Procurement community, a group of smart, successful women of which I’m proud to be a part. The group fosters learning, drives innovation and celebrates success in marketing procurement, agency management and marketing operations. It’s a group for women, yes, but it’s also a gathering of some of the sharpest minds in our field, helping to lead the advancement of marketing procurement. We work in a fast-paced, constantly evolving industry, and this makes it especially important for people – of any gender – to keep networking, sharing their experiences and exchanging information. That’s how we keep abreast of change and continue driving success.
Women are becoming more prominent in the industry
Women make up a significant proportion of people working in marketing procurement; at many industry events, at least 50% of attendees are women, which is fantastic to see. Until recently, this did not translate to senior leadership positions; the proportion of women in the marketing profession was not matched by the proportion who were CMOs. This, happily, seems to be changing; the American Marketing Association (AMA) has reported that, in 2024, more than half of CMOs at Fortune 500 companies were women, reflecting the overall percentage of women across the sector.
Women should be more like... women
For so long, women have been told that, to be successful, we need to behave more like men. Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, for example, advocated for women to be bolder and more assertive in order to progress. Interestingly, research conducted by Leadership Circle found that 70% of leaders would be female if judged solely on traits valued in senior roles. Traits that have traditionally been viewed as ‘feminine’ – empathy, communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence – are present in many of the best leaders, male and female. The world now seems to be waking up to this reality – organizations thrive when everyone, women included, brings their unique capabilities and experiences to the table. As a not-entirely-irrelevant aside, Sheryl Sandburg’s approach to gender equality has suffered a backlash since the publication of Careless People by former Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-William in March.
Diversity is good for company success
Over the last few months, DEI policies have faced increasing scrutiny, with some companies backing away from their initiatives around diversity, equity and inclusion. But diversity – in gender as well as in other areas – is undoubtedly healthy for companies. For example, a 2020 study by McKinsey found that Fortune 500 companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile. That’s why groups like Women in Marketing Procurement are so important – not just for raising and celebrating women, but for the health and performance of the industries in which they operate. It is a diversity of ideas, skills and qualities, from men and women (and any other gender) that drives success. I’m proud to work for a company that values diversity and has women in senior positions at the board level and across disciplines.
Success is defined by where we want to go
So where do we go from here? We, as women, are getting much better at highlighting our achievements, both at a personal level and as a group. But we can’t stop there – we need to refine our approach. We’ve got seats at so many more tables now, but what we do with that success can’t be defined by where we’ve been, but by where we want to go. We need to ask ourselves what we want to achieve, what that looks like and how we can get there.
Amplifying women's voices - and the voice of marketing procurement
Interestingly, the challenge that women can face in being heard is echoed by the struggle that marketing procurement as a discipline has in being heard within marketing. As we address one, why not address the other? How can we ensure that our contributions are seen for what they are – critical to the success of marketing as a discipline and the industry as a whole? These are the discussions that the members of Women in Marketing Procurement have at events and woman-to-woman.
On a personal level – and I believe I speak for all the members when I say this – attending women-only events like those organized by Women in Marketing Procurement feels special. There’s a different kind of energy that emerges when a group of people united around a shared aspiration meet. Women are hungry for these spaces – and what emerges from them can only benefit the wider industry.
Header image: Shutterstock/PeopleImages.com - Yuri A
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