When we set out to create this network, inclusiveness was at the heart of what we wanted to do.
We agonised over 'who': was this place for women only? Was it for supporters of women? Why did we need to stipulate a gender identity? Did we really mean 'womxn'?
Then came the question of 'where'. London felt central, but was it reinforcing unhelpful stereotypes about the kind of career trajectory you needed to follow to be successful in branding? Oxford was home to many of us, and could connect our members in the west, but was it a bit...random? We passionately didn't want this to become a 'south of England' group, so maybe Manchester was the right choice? (Truth be told, we were probably just trying to facilitate a trip to Manchester...)
The one thing that never wavered was the why. As two (relatively) young women in senior positions in the world of branding, a couple of things were quite clear from the get-go: you'd have to fight to be taken seriously in most rooms. You'd have to defend the importance, validity, and integrity of what you do in brand time and time again. A cis-gendered, heterosexual (and let's face it, white) man saying the same thing as you would be listened to, considered, and advanced more readily 9 times out of 10. And, as sure as all of those things were true, so was this: we couldn't leave the status quo unchallenged.
We clung onto the hope: if we build it, they will come. We sat down and talked at length about our different experiences and how we wanted the world we worked in to be better. We discussed women helping one another advance, creating more opportunities for learning together, collaborating and being creative, leaving legacies. About leadership and making historically exclusive spaces wide open. We challenged our own ideas about who we were and the similarities between us and how we could make what we created more representative of the whole. We were (lovingly!) told 'done is better than perfect' and so we're launching today with an eye on the future, open to how we can continue to evolve and make WIB even more successful and useful for its community.
Women in Brand, at its best, will provide a safe space and community for those who want to celebrate, amplify, and progress the work of women in brand marketing, design, and strategy. It should build connections between like-minded people, it will empower us to grow and challenge ourselves – it may even be the stepping stone that helps you find your next role, project, or kindred spirit. More than just a functional network, WIB is the idea that the world of brand can be more equal, fair, and open. It can work differently, and in a more supportive way, than what has gone before.
We hope if you've read this far, that you're here because you share that belief too. And we're excited to build this thing with you, together.
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