More women in senior advertising roles than ever before, study shows

The proportion of women holding senior management positions at UK advertising agencies is at its highest for almost two decades, according to a new study.

Women account for a record 25.6% of the 500 roles designated as senior executive management – chairman, chief executive, managing director or partner – according to the Institute of Practitoners in Advertising’s 2014 agency census. This compares to 22% in the trade body’s 2013 and 2012 reports.

The IPA, which represents agencies accounting for more than 80% of the UK ad industry, has publishing its annual report since 1997, when women accounted for just 9% of top executive roles. The proportion was as low as 13% as recently as 2011.

Overall women account for almost exactly half (49.7%) of the 23,231 employees in IPA member agencies.

Women are also starting to make inroads in the traditionally male-dominated digital advertising sector, though there is a serious imbalance to make up.

The most positive change is in digital creative roles, which have seen the proportion of women climb from 15% to 27% (of 394 roles in the most recent report) year-on-year.

Other areas, in particular programming and developing, remain a male domain. Just 17% of the 382 roles designated as programming or development were women, the lowest proportion of any job category in the IPA report.

Advances have also been made in the representation of black, Asian and other minority ethnic people (BAME) in the UK ad industry.

The IPA report shows that 13% of the total UK advertising industry, just over 3,000 employees, are BAME. This is up from 11.2% in 2013 and just 8.2% in 2008. Overall the IPA said its UK ad agencies saw growth in staff numbers, up 7% to 23,231.

“With overall staffing levels up, the number of people from BAME backgrounds up, and with the number of women in executive management positions on the rise, the 2014 census paints a positive picture as we move into 2015,” said Paul Bainsfair, director general of the IPA.

“If we are to maximise our commercial activity it will be essential to continue to grow, nurture and retain this diverse talent.”

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