The analogy, taken a step further, sees this signature concept of Growthn as providing a rich, supportive foundation, yielding empowered, energised people, enabling its ‘crop’ to grow to the best of its ability and to weather the industry’s storms with strength and resilience.
It is a powerful testament to this approach that key women within Joe Public United have naturally risen through the ranks to take their rightful places amongst the leadership, with female managing directors across every one of the group’s seven specialist businesses – namely Joe Public, Joe Public Connect, Joe Public Engage, Joe Public Ignite, Joe Public Shift, Joe Public Maximise and Joe Public School of Growth.
This is especially significant as South African business as a whole grapples with gender inequality in leadership. The country’s advertising industry is 45% female, with women making up only 3% of directorships, with a tiny 2.4% in CEO positions and as little as 9.2% occupying chairperson seats.*
But South Africa is by no means unique in its challenges to overcome these vastly skewed statistics.
This year, as the eyes of the world’s advertising and marketing industries collectively turned to the south of France for the annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, the spotlight fell sharply on the topic of gender inequality worldwide.
Thanks to the efforts of Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg and her non-profit organisation, Lean In, Cannes 2018 saw the incorporation of the new “Glass Lion”, aimed at awarding creative work that highlights themes of gender and that specifically tackles inequality or prejudice.
In the midst of this global conversation, it is therefore an especially proud moment in Joe Public United’s history to be able to take stock and to see the fruits of Growthn in this context, and celebrate the women who put themselves at Joe’s table, enabling the company to effortlessly embrace the global zeitgeist.
*Source: http://amplifier.org.za/2017/08/28/a-history-of-women-in-advertising/
