Launch
A global movement, making waves across the industry.
Launching an award-winning programme that has transformed thousands of women’s lives.
The challenge.
In 2016 I was tasked by the WW CEO to launch a brand new women’s leadership development programme across the Maxus network, working alongside the WW Head of Talent and WW Creative Director.
Nothing like this had been done before in the industry in terms of theme, budget and scale, and there was huge opportunity to deliver something exciting.
The solution.
After selecting Shine For Women to deliver the programme, we needed a way to engage the delegates as well as their teams that wouldn’t be able to attend. It couldn’t feel like ‘training’ - instead it had to feel special and coveted.
I designed a look and feel that positioned it within the wider Maxus brand hierarchy, yet felt more human and feminine. I then created a rollout plan across three regions, and activity designed to build awareness throughout the network, made relevant to every single employee regardless of gender or seniority. Delegates were provided with information they could use when going back into the business post-programme, to ensure that the benefit of reaching equality was consistently communicated. Momentum built and Maxus started becoming known for leading industry discussion on gender equality, as well as breaking out of the industry press into the mainstream media.
Following a successful first year, Walk the Talk was subsequently adopted across GroupM, and then WPP, as well as other agency OpCos such as Wunderman Thompson and Ogilvy. The brand, marketing and comms ‘pack’ I created was replicated throughout.
The results.
Walk the Talk has now been running across WPP and its agencies for 7 years.
To date, over 4,000 women of 75 nationalities have been through the programme, living with greater clarity, confidence and connection.
At WPP, 54% of senior managers globally are women, and women on the board has increased to 46% (up from 27% in 2018). They have been named in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for the last 5 years, and 83% of female employees believe the company is committed to creating an inclusive work culture.
