Head of Marketing and Operations, VMLY&R MENA
Inspired and Inspiring
Career overview: I started my agency career about 17 years ago in the UK, aka ‘home.’ My CEO at the time was female and she was really the person that inspired me to work my way through this industry. She was a mum, a boss, and an absolute force to be reckoned with. She led the charge to build the agency into a multi-award-winning outlet that inspired so many of us at the time.
My husband and I then moved to the UAE seven years ago. I did two weeks of paternity cover for the Business Director at Geometry (now VMLY&R Commerce) and have stayed ever since. I felt the comfort in Geometry that I had in my agency back home and I didn’t want to lose that. I found my feet, put them firmly under the table, supported by a great leadership team I might add, and have been a part of our growth ever since.
I started my agency career about 17 years ago in the UK, aka ‘home.’ My CEO at the time was female and she was really the person that inspired me to work my way through this industry. She was a mum, a boss, and an absolute force to be reckoned with. She led the charge to build the agency into a multi-award-winning outlet that inspired so many of us at the time.
My husband and I then moved to the UAE seven years ago. I did two weeks of paternity cover for the Business Director at Geometry (now VMLY&R Commerce) and have stayed ever since. I felt the comfort in Geometry that I had in my agency back home and I didn’t want to lose that. I found my feet, put them firmly under the table, supported by a great leadership team I might add, and have been a part of our growth ever since.
Communicate sat down with Taylor to explore her journey to where she stands today and how being a woman has influenced different phases in her career.
How would you define your job?
My job today is putting me on the path to where I want to be. After leaving my senior client-facing role almost two years ago, I was offered the opportunity to lead the Marcomms function for MENA. You could almost say I took a step towards going client-side but within our agency. This was the move I needed without even realizing it. I was responsible for the face of our agency on paper, in the press, and at events, and it gave me back a spring in my step. I work very autonomously but with a team to support and pull on where needed. It’s a perfect balance.
I then took on the Creative Operations role and worked towards defining how our agency ticks. It’s not a role I had before, but one I never realized I would enjoy as much as I do.
Two busy roles in the agency mean no day is the same, the to-do list never ends, and the constant re-prioritization can be ‘fun,’ but that’s #agencylife.
What do you think that, as a woman, you personally bring to this role?
I think every business needs a woman’s touch. We can bring a different perspective, set of eyes, and way of doing things. Not only that but we can inspire the next generation of women. Without us at the table, how will things ever change? How will the other women in the company feel or believe in their opportunity?
At VMLY&R Commerce, we are very supportive of each other, we hero each other, we rally each other to do well, and you need that around you every day. Some of the best colleagues I have ever had have been women and still are to this day – not because we relate as women but merely due to talent and professionalism. It takes a business, a leader, a network to give you that opportunity and I am lucky enough to feel there are still plenty more opportunities ahead of me.
Do you face specific challenges in this role as a woman?
I wouldn’t say there are any challenges because of my gender. We come from a network that has won awards for its DE&I program, so gender inequality just isn’t in our DNA.
Our leadership is made up of three women and three men and our voices carry as much weight as theirs (sometimes they don’t dare argue!). There’s no room for discrimination and we work together with the utmost respect for one another. Highlighting every individual in our organization for their talent and achievements has always been part of our agenda and will continue as such.
However, I am sure that is not the same for every agency or business. We are in a region where women have historically been underrepresented across all industries due to cultural nuances that are still being broken down on a regional level. In the UAE, we’re lucky enough that businesses are progressing and recognizing the importance of gender equality within professional structures, but there’s still some way to go, regardless of what industry you’re in.
Since we’re on this topic, what’s your perspective on the evolution of women in the workplace today in the region and in this industry in particular?
Women [play] such an important role in any workplace and it’s great to see this improve across most industries.
However, statistics show that the region still has some work to do on both a leadership level and the pay gap. It’s positive to see more overseas businesses launch across the region and this may help pave the way for those statistics to change. Not only that but in another positive move, last September the UAE issued a new law that enforces equal pay in both the public and private sectors, requiring employers to pay men and women who perform the same tasks the same financial wage.
For our industry, there’s room for improvement but I wouldn’t say it was a bad representation, quite the contrary. I have no doubt that ten to fifteen years ago, this was not the case, but times are changing, the region is changing, and the progression and recognition of this issue is something we should continue to talk about.
[…] However, I believe we need more creative women, more senior creative women. Women are the majority in client servicing teams and in some agencies’ planning, but it’s creatives that get more attention and there’s a misconception among senior male creatives that women are not as creative. It’s changing but there’s a long way to go.
What do you think women uniquely bring to the table?
We bring an element of humanity, empathy, and creativity that delivers a different dimension to a business and way of working. Certainly, within a creative agency, female input can help ensure our efforts are communicating the right message to an audience. From targeting mums to female products and even male products, female insights help provide a more rounded outlook on the challenge at hand than if it were a group of ‘Mad Men’ giving their opinion and/or assumption on every occasion – not only women, though; different cultures, nationalities, life experiences, and interests all add a level of diversity in our industry which, when brought together, can lead to something magical.
How do you see women’s voices evolving in the region?
We have some very powerful female voices in this region who are the driving forces behind initiatives that will only benefit the rest of the female population. Take Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, President of the UAE’s Gender Balance Council and Dubai Women’s Establishment. Much of her time is dedicated to establishing gender equality in the region and making the workplace for women a fair one. Huda Kattan, the founder of Huda Beauty, has shown just how possible it is to be an inspirational leader and successful business entrepreneur. And there are many more influential female figures from this region who continue to embrace, inspire, and open doors for a future generation of women. We aren’t just another number at the table; we are a necessity to the evolution of business and the society we live in.
This profile has been featured in Communicate's Q2 2022, "Women to Watch" issue.
