Suzanne has worked for Google and brands such as Coca-cola in the past before joining MOFILM. Throughout her career she has been a strong advocate of diversity which she can speak about in depth and discuss the problems that the industry is still faced with. MOFILM is led by a strong female team who are keen to try and come together with the filming community to help give everyone an equal opportunity.
MOFILM works with thousands of Directors all around the world giving brands access to a huge range of creative talent and a higher chance of hitting the brief perfectly - it's a unique model.
How would you describe the overall culture at your company and would you say that there is a separate female culture?
We've created a culture that encourages collaboration, team work and creativity. It comes from the core of our offering, in a belief that many voices are better than one, which informs how we operate as a team. We value diversity in all it's form, and that approach creates an inclusive culture that values every voice but doesn't create sub cultures.
In your opinion, what do you see as being the biggest change in the advertising industry since women have begun to break the “glass ceiling”?
There has definitely been increased representation at the top and with this brings new talent which has been fantastic to witness. However, we still need a structure that supports the modern family, not just to widen the talent pool but to also keep them from leaving an industry that desperately needs diverse voices.
What are some of the challenges that women still face in the industry?
The biggest challenge continues to be at the top. In 2018 we slipped to 4.8% of the fortune 500 being led by female CEOs, that's down from 6.4% in 2017. If we're moving in the wrong direction in terms of representation at this cultural moment where the financial value of diversity is more understood than ever, and investment in diversity strategies reflect it; we are fundamentally failing women in addressing the unique paths and support structures that are needed to allow more of them to rise to those levels of leadership.
What steps do you take to ensure you achieve a healthy work-life balance?
Simply put, it's discipline. Creating reasonable boundaries and making exceptions the exception, not letting them creep into becoming the norm. I live by my calendar and every Sunday night spend an hour planning my week ahead. I communicate it to my team and audit my calendar to make room for the priorities and make it fully transparent to my team.
What professional achievement are you most proud of?
There are many personal achievements I could point to, but when I truly reflect on the arc of my career to date, and the moments that I look back on as true highlights, it's seeing the successes of members of my team or people I have mentored. Helping provide guidance, carving time out to actively listen and ask questions that have helped people think differently about the next step in their career, or how to overcome work through a particularly challenging moment are the times I feel most proud.
Tell us about a mentor that helped guide you in your career. What made them so special?
First I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for women to invest in finding a mentor and making time for regular connects with them. There are many formal mentoring programs through organizations that support women in the industry, but I have found that the best mentors are those that are derived from a natural connection vs formal match making. I also highly recommend a roster of mentors, you can never have too many! Many of us find our mentors at the companies we work at, but it's as important to have a mentor who can provide guidance and insights that are not colored by their inside knowledge of your organization. At the moment I have two mentors on my roster, one male and one female and each of them with unique leadership styles and as a result often provide me diverse perspectives on how to approach a challenge which ensures I always have a diverse view on any challenge I'm addressing.
How do you as a successful woman plan to inspire the next generation of women?
Beyond ensuring I always make time for mentoring others, I now have the opportunity to shape the culture of work in my organization. To tackle some of the fundamental things that I believe make women's abilities to rise to the top of organizations so challenging. We are having discussions about what a fluid workforce looks like and how to enable our teams to have skills that allow them to flex between projects or jobs. Creating working environments that were not built on the principal that there is one working member of the household and another at home is not just good for women, it's good for families in a time when nearly 60% of US families have both parents in the workplace.