In recognition of Women’s History Month, we enjoyed the latest and greatest installment of “The More You Known” series. Beth Superfin at Known is on the operating board and organized the event for us. This topic featured 3 panelists at She Runs It — an organization near and dear to my heart — and soon to be in all of yours too!
As a longtime member of the organization, I had a #fangirl moment when I found out Known was sponsoring the event and offering memberships to all employees. I found She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York, aka “AWNY”) during a particularly low point in my young career. I happened to graduate just a year before the Great Recession. So while all my friends were returning to their parents’ homes to seek shelter from their student loans, I survived a pretty grueling round of layoffs. As a result, I had a professional version of survivor’s guilt. In the wake of the recession, I lost my support network and with it, any goals or aspirations for my career. Instead, I was just happy to pay rent. This is where She Runs It came in. I quickly signed up for a “Young Executive” membership, which, is offered at a discount. Through the mentorship program, I met someone 10 years my senior whom I admired instantly and took advantage of immediate and unparalleled career guidance. I also attended events to sharpen my skills and broaden my appetite for the industry. So, even while I felt adrift, I found myself in rooms surrounded by like-minded people who were still thriving, and it gave me hope. I was able to overcome my survivor’s guilt and get back in the driver’s seat of my career. I owe my love of this industry, of the organization and my career success to She Runs It. I am so excited to give back to a community that gave me so much.
She Runs It rebranded in 2016, with the goal to help pave the way for women leaders at every level of marketing and media. To better understand what they were up against, She Runs it partnered with LinkedIn to conduct a study of women in the workforce. The research revealed that only 41% of people in their early career stages were women and that number dropped to 25% in executive leadership roles. Further, it found that men have 15% more connections in their professional networks than women and therefore it’s no surprise that most professional endorsements came from men, to other men.
What I love about She Runs It is that rather than focus solely on improving the careers of women, they realized we were stronger together and went the path of inclusivity: educating and inspiring the entire marketing and media workforce, both males and females, on how to build your network and make connections, endorse and advocate for each other and gain insights through programs and events.
5 years later, with COVID looming large, you don’t have to look too hard to find a stat about the perilous state of women in the workforce. In fact, 80% of people who left their careers since March 2020, were women. According to a recent United Nations study, as a society, we are at risk of reversing decades of progress for gender equality in the work place. As a mom, this scared me because I do not want to lose my foothold in an industry I value greatly and worked hard to achieve. My career provides me with fulfillment, ambition and confidence. So early in March 2020 my husband and I prioritized finding childcare so I could continue to contribute to my career while also honing my skill of building better forts to contain my 5 year old.
I am so pleased to be a part of the organization that has given me so much and to see them grow as the industry has changed. She Runs It now has a nationwide presence, serving members beyond advertising to all facets of marketing, media and tech. And, it proudly boasts one of the most successful mentorship programs in the biz (if I do say so myself!).
We got to sit down with three She Runs It members and advocates who each offered a different perspective on their favorite part of membership:
- Rebekah Walter — Director of Business Development & Partnerships at She Runs it
- Pranati Wadhawan — Ad Sales Rotation Coordinator at ViacomCBS & Co-Chair of the She Runs It Young Executive Committee
- John Oros — Executive Director, Automotive Advertising Sales at The New York Times & She Runs It Programming Committee Lead
- Mentorship: Having participated in and even helped design mentorship programs in my career, She Runs It is still the best one I’ve ever participated in. There is a thoughtfulness in the mentor/mentee matching that is unparalleled in the industry. Not to mention, something unique and incredibly productive about a mentorship program that operates outside of your agency walls. There is a perspective gained by not being in the daily grind that can really open your eyes to providing advice and receiving help.
2. Programs and Events: After a year in which we collectively learned how to make sourdough and banana bread, it’s time we return our focus to our own careers, and She Runs It has us covered. From events about female gamers to meeting, discussing and proactively working toward gender inequality, there is something for everyone at Known. This kind of programming can be used to educate yourself, gain insights for clients and can help in new business pitches because you never know who is going to come knocking. And since we’re still in virtual programming land, there is no geographic excuse — it’s all a zoom call away.
3. Networking: We work in a strange industry (ask anyone’s mom or dad about what we do and they’re responses will be better than this oldie but goodie AT&T commercial) so it’s important to forge a network of road warriors (in normal times), who can speak to the intricacies of retargeting and why those shoes are following you around the internet and who have dreams of going to the south of France with coworkers, not family or friends. It helps to have a group of people who laugh at the same things because we work long hours and while it’s not rocket surgery, we love what we do and it’s good to be reminded of that in large group settings — when we can gather again.
I hope you’ll join me and Beth at She Runs It events and be on the lookout for the mentorship program kicking off this fall. I’m excited to join for the first time as a mentor and give back to the organization that gave me so much, at a company that is providing this benefit to everyone!
