{"id":4269701,"date":"2021-04-22T11:31:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T09:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/inspirational-female-leaders-on-the-future-of-digital\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:42:45","slug":"inspirational-female-leaders-on-the-future-of-digital","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-au\/insight\/inspirational-female-leaders-on-the-future-of-digital\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspirational female leaders on the future of digital"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tInspirational female leaders on the future of digital\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tAlexandra Moorhouse\t\t
\n\t\tMarketing Director, UK&I\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t22 April 2021\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\tDEPT\u00ae celebrated International Women\u2019s Day by bringing together a group of influential female professionals to discuss their experiences of 2020, what\u2019s next for the digital industry, and what they think the world will look like after the pandemic.\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tDEPT\u00ae\u2019s Kristin Cronin, US Head of Marketing, led the conversation with guests: Andrea Ebinger, CEO of Hessnatur; Olga Kastelein, EU Digital Marketing Manager at Nikon; Nathalie Lam, Head of Global Sponsorship and I&D Ambassador at Phillips, and Hari Miller, Director of Corporate Communication at St. James\u2019s Place Wealth Management. Here are some of the key takeaways.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWinning loyalty through purpose\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tBrand<\/a>\u00a0purpose, while not a new topic, has gained traction over the last year, often\u00a0influenced<\/a>\u00a0by digital. Nathalie explained how consumers are now more likely to research brands to make more informed purchasing decisions, based on a brand\u2019s social and environmental impact; commenting, \u201cresearch indicates that brands demonstrating purpose create a loyal customer base. I personally choose my preferred brand by how they are living their purpose.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tOn the theme of loyalty, Olga added \u201cif you want to have loyal customers, be loyal to your customers first. Understand what moves and drives customer choices. Digital can be used to add value by focussing on customer needs and delivering services in demand; make sure enhanced services are provided too.\u201d
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\n\t\tRepresenting the financial sector, Hari commented that differentiating one brand from another is very difficult in her industry, where customers largely make decisions based on price, so there is a deep commercial imperative for purpose. She said: \u201cHaving a purpose doesn\u2019t just mean having \u2018shiny bobbins\u2019. The organisation has to have a real backbone. This must be reflected in culture and decision making.\u201d
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\n\t\tPurposeful Transparency\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe panel also discussed transparency among employees and customers, and how to balance what companies can and can\u2019t be transparent about. Olga stated: \u201cIt\u2019s not just a question of what you can be transparent about, it\u2019s also about the purpose of transparency and how it can add value.\u201d\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tShe went on to highlight the importance of mapping out topics that it\u2019s important to be transparent on, as if companies put too much time into making everything transparent, the process is no longer efficient and no longer adds value; commenting, \u201cthere needs to be a good framework based on what customers value and want to know. In other words, transparency must be purpose-driven.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tAndrea detailed how she approaches transparency with employees by trying to communicate all relevant topics, including bad news as well the high points, stating that \u201cpeople don\u2019t want to hear sunny news only.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWhile discussing effective measures of transparency, Hari spoke about a platform used at SJP that grants anonymity to users and is valuable in terms of measuring the sentiment of responses. A key finding was that females, BIPOC individuals and young employees were more likely to remain anonymous. Meanwhile, white males of certain tenure felt they had a \u2018safe place\u2019 to express ideas and ask questions. The platform showed where trust already existed and where it needed to be built, demonstrating the importance of digital\u00a0data<\/a>\u00a0to drive improvement.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe pandemic’s impact on women\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tOn the topic of COVID-19, the panel shared their views on how the pandemic has impacted women professionally and whether they had experienced more hurdles or opportunities as a result.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tAndrea discussed the effects on the female workforce in Germany: \u201cEven if both parents are working from home, mainly women are taking care of households. But there have been bright spots where families have established more equality at home. Looking at the management floor, we see only 30% of women in leadership roles. We should take this to heart and raise our voices so women don\u2019t fall back into outdated roles by default.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\u201cI fear diversity and inclusion will fall down on the agenda due to the financial crisis. We need to pay attention and make sure this topic remains at the top despite the challenges presented\u201d, Olga explained. \u201cUnfortunately, we are still way more traditional [in our actions] than our goals. Women need to stand up for themselves and men need to stand up for us too.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tNathalie pointed out the positive implications of the digital-first world, that working virtually helps break down barriers to inclusivity. For example, someone with a disability who might be precluded from working in a certain physical environment could now have the opportunity to work in a field or role they otherwise might not have been able to. She went on to say that the pandemic also gives flexibility to those with children by opening up opportunities for individuals to work from home.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tHari also weighed up the pros and cons, stating, \u201cI think that the digital environment is a great leveler and not just in terms of flexibility.\u201d She went on to explain how digital chat channels open the floor to those who ordinarily would be hesitant to speak in a room full of people; commenting, \u201cdigital conversations give the quiet courage to use their voice.\u201d She\u00a0 added: \u201cWhile I do see positives, in the UK we are facing a dilemma with unemployment rates.\u201d In financial services, customer-facing and in-branch roles mostly belong to women. The shift to digital will eventually lead to many of those roles disappearing. It\u2019s important to communicate upskilling pathways and ensure there are roles elsewhere so we don\u2019t take a significant step backwards with women.\u201d\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tTo ensure a future of gender equality, the panel stressed the importance of digitally upskilling and helping to shape the educational curriculum for the next generation of female leaders. Hari urged organisations to help encourage young girls to take up STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects in school, emphasising, \u201cwe need to broaden the pool of where we are going to get our future leaders.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe diversity and inclusive imperative\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tIn relation to diversity and inclusion, Nathalie explained the differences between local and global strategies for\u00a0 international organisations. Focussing globally means benchmarks are set across the entire organisation, whereas in local markets, the emphasis shifts as consumers and employees are far more culturally homogeneous. In this instance, diversity is much more about regional influences, personalities and qualities; she said, \u201ctraditionally, people think of diversity in terms of culture and colour, but there are many more dimensions.\u201d\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tNathalie recommended that businesses consider their model, marketing message, tone of voice, wording and communication channels, as \u201cto ensure all customers are reached, the journey must be planned from the beginning. Continue to audit the journey, benchmark it, research it. Don\u2019t make assumptions and don\u2019t forget to ask your audience.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\u201cDiversity adds value to companies,\u201d said Olga. Because ideas and thoughts vary from culture to culture, gaining a first-hand perspective provides new insights into the customer base; \u201cdata helps to understand from a marketing perspective if companies are missing something.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tAndrea provided insight from a C-level perspective, \u201cthe key is to be brave and take action. We have to uplift and protect people who differ in whatever form. Conflict in onboarding needs to be moderated. If we do this we can shape the world together.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tAdvice for future female leaders\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tOffering advice based on her professional experiences, Olga commented: \u201cWomen tend to think they need to adapt to their environment, instead of steering their environment to meet their vision. We have to focus on our passion because what comes out of this is powerful. Career is something that deserves a long breath, focus on where you want to go.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWorking mother Nathalie expanded on Olga\u2019s advice, drawing from her own experience. While she has always worked full time, Nathalie also wanted to be involved in her children\u2019s daily activities, \u201cI made sure all of the companies that I worked for offered a flexible work schedule, this way I didn\u2019t have to feel guilty about working. The moment you get the interview you should let them know you are looking for flexible hours wherever possible.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tHari shared that she believes being reliable leads to more responsibility and advancement. She said: \u201cWhat got me where I am today is that I was doggedly consistent. I set my goals for what I wanted to achieve, I never over-promised or under-delivered.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWhereas Andrea emphasises the importance of supporting each other, saying: \u201cWe need to give ourselves permission to be courageous and forge our professional path in our own way, even when faced with resistance. We need female leaders that won\u2019t give up.\u201d\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWomen are pivotal to the future of digital across multiple sectors. Although the pandemic has posed new challenges, particularly for female professionals, this International Women\u2019s Day panel discussion demonstrated the importance of a diverse leadership team as well as the wide-reaching impact women have on the industry.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tIf you weren\u2019t able to attend the live streamed event, you can watch the recording below.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t