According to SheSays, for the first time, South Africa adland is setting a benchmark for the percentage of men and women working in the industry, across all agency departments.

This ranges from creative and strategy to digital, finance and client service. The report is a partnership between SheSays Cape Town and M&C Saatchi Group South Africa.

The findings of the first SheSays Gender Representation Survey will be officially revealed on Thursday, 27 August to coincide with Women's Month. This will be during a virtual event, where industry leaders will discuss the numbers and what an inclusivity agenda should look like in 2020.

According to SheSays Cape Town director Johannie Van As, "This is no longer a conversation for women to have amongst themselves. For this event, we've invited men and women to chat about where the gaps are (and why), what is being done to promote inclusivity in our industry, plus the practical ways in which we can change the script."

M&C Saatchi Abel was the first agency to help SheSays promote the survey industrywide. "The advertising industry has made strides to diversify, but it is vital to see an organisation such as SheSays actually working to quantify these changes," says Mike Abel, founding partner and chief executive officer of M&C Saatchi Abel.

"We wanted to get involved because the survey speaks directly to one of our core principles (diversity of thought) in culture, race and gender," says Makosha Maja-Rasethaba, head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Abel.

"Women make up over 60% of our agency across all departments, while over 60 % of our agency are people of colour. It is not possible to believe you are thinking creatively if that thinking is made up of only one half of the population," adds Maja-Rasethaba.

"This is long overdue research that will not only hold the industry accountable but will allow us to ensure the conversation happens across gender and not only women-led," Maja-Rasethaba concludes. 

The findings of the survey will be discussed by a panel of industry leaders including:
  • Mpume Nkobese: Joe Public Connect
  • Neo Mashigo: M&C Saatchi Group South Africa
  • Camilla Clerke: HelloFCB+, and
  • Jarred Cinman: VMLY&R South Africa.
This panel will be moderated by Pride Mautatlala from the Foschini Group. The virtual event will be at 16:30 on Thursday, 27 August on Zoom. It will be open to the public and admission is free. Individuals can book here to attend.

The full report is available to read here.

For more information, visit www.mcsaatchiabel.co.za. You can also follow M&C Saatchi South Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.