Statistics On Male And Female Leadership In Advertising – Gender Representation & Equity Insights

“Who holds the power to shape ideas in advertising?” It’s a question that decides which campaigns win awards, which clients get convinced, and who gets noticed in the room. Men and women often enter the industry in similar numbers, yet the view from the top shows a very different picture. Leadership titles, creative authority, and career momentum often move in unequal directions, and the data make that clear. In this blog, we’ll explore the global leadership picture in advertising today, where men and women diverge across authority and career paths, and the policies that are helping close the gender gap.

How Are We Defining “Leadership” In The Advertising Industry?

Leadership in advertising refers to roles where influence stretches past managing daily tasks and into shaping ideas, budgets, and people. These positions decide the creative direction of campaigns, steer long-term client relationships, and set the tone for how teams operate. Titles such as Chief Creative Officer, Managing Director, Head of Strategy, senior account lead, and media or production head are part of this scope because of the authority they carry in decision-making.

Globally, women hold less than 30% of these senior roles, even though they represent nearly half of the advertising workforce. This matters because decisions at this level ripple outward, affecting career opportunities, pay equity, and even the narratives that global brands project to their audiences. With this foundation set, we can now explore what the global leadership picture in advertising looks like today and why the distribution of these roles reveals so much about the state of the industry.

What Does The Global Leadership Picture In Advertising Look Like?

The numbers show both progress and persistent gaps. Here’s the current global snapshot:

• Advertising agencies today rely on a diverse talent base, with major holding companies reporting workforces where women make up more than half: WPP (58%), Havas (57%), and dentsu (53%). This signals that the industry starts with strong gender diversity at the entry and mid-levels.
• At the executive level, agency C-suites are inching toward parity but are not there yet. In a mature ad market used as a bellwether, women hold roughly 38-40% of agency C-suite roles (UK IPA Census: 37.9% in 2023; 39.9% in 2024).
• On the brand side, marketing shows stronger female leadership compared to agencies. Among U.S. client-side marketing teams, women account for 57.7% of senior leadership and 59.9% of CMOs, both series highs, underscoring how female leadership is already the norm in many marketing organisations.
• At the same time, representation at the top still feels thin to many women. Globally, only 58% of women say they “see people like themselves in senior positions” (vs. 61% of men), signalling a visibility gap even when overall headcounts improve.
• Progress toward achieving gender parity remains slow, with the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report estimating it will take another 131 years to close the global gender gap at the current pace.
• There is a significant gap in representation between the overall workforce and senior leadership. While women account for 41.9% of the workplace, their share of senior leadership roles (Director, VP, or C-suite) is substantially lower at 32.2 percentage points.

These numbers outline how leadership in advertising is distributed today. The next step is to see where men and women diverge most clearly across creative authority and decision power.

Why Gender Still Shapes Who Holds Creative Authority?

Creative authority and decision power shape which campaigns are made, how budgets are spent, and ultimately, which voices get amplified in culture. Here is the data that shows that men and women follow different paths:

Creative leadership gap

Globally, women hold only 12.6% of creative director roles, with the UK at 12% and the U.S. around 15% (Muse by Clio, Creative Equals). This makes creative leadership one of the most male-dominated functions in advertising, despite women forming nearly half the workforce. The lack of representation here means fewer female perspectives are embedded in the industry’s most visible work.

Media decision power

In media buying leadership, women occupy just 22% of senior roles worldwide (GroupM, 2023). With media spend shaping billions in campaign budgets, this concentration of decision power heavily influences which platforms and audiences are prioritised. Lower female representation in this space often reduces diversity in media strategies and content placement.

Production leadership representation

Across global production houses and agency production units, women hold 28.2% of senior positions. This imbalance means decisions on large-scale content execution from casting to resource distribution often remain outside women’s control. Without balance in production leadership, opportunities to bring more inclusive stories to life are often missed.

Executive functional split

Studies of agency structures show that women are overrepresented in HR and operations leadership but women remain underrepresented in revenue-driving positions. At the manager level, men hold 60% of line roles (which have profit-and-loss responsibility), while women hold only 40%. This gap widens at every step of the corporate ladder.. This division reinforces a perception of women leading supportive manager roles rather than those tied directly to creative or financial authority.

These divides in authority reveal who gets to influence the biggest decisions. The next step is to see how men and women move differently through career paths in advertising.

How Do Career Paths Differ For Men & Women In Advertising?

Career paths in advertising often begin on equal footing, but progression into senior leadership highlights clear differences in how men and women advance.

Promotion velocity

Globally, women are 21% less likely than men to be promoted into a managerial role, even when they start at the same period and level. This early gap shapes the trajectory of leadership representation over time.

• Many women report that the first promotion into management is the hardest step, as decision-makers often rely on informal networks and subjective judgments.
• Delays at this stage create a compounding effect, where each subsequent move into higher responsibility becomes slower, limiting the overall pipeline to leadership.

Leadership pipeline drop-off

In advertising agencies, women represent the majority of junior hires but fall to fewer than one in three roles at the vice president level or higher. The steady decline illustrates how early imbalances accumulate.

• The “leaky pipeline” often becomes most visible at mid-career, when external pressures and limited sponsorship affect upward momentum.
• Fewer role models at the top can make leadership progression feel less attainable, discouraging talented women from pursuing the next step.

Attrition patterns

Surveys show that women in advertising are more likely to exit mid-career than men, often citing burnout, lack of support, or limited advancement opportunities.

• High turnover during these recent years has reduced the pool of candidates eligible for senior leadership positions later.
• This pattern often leads to leadership tables that are less diverse than the entry-level workforce they were built from.

Return To Work Challenges

Women lose 37% of their earning power when they spend three or more years out of the workforce, a setback that not only impacts long-term financial security but also makes re-entering leadership tracks significantly harder.

• Re-entry programs are uneven across agencies, meaning many women return at lower levels than where they left, stalling their career progression.
• This disruption not only slows individual career advancement but also weakens the overall gender balance in leadership succession.

Visibility Gaps

Research by Catalyst found that women with sponsors are 27% more likely than their unsponsored female peers to ask for a raise

• Without strong advocacy, women often need to rely solely on performance metrics, while peers benefit from visible backing.
• The absence of sponsorship creates slower visibility in high-stakes projects, which are often the stepping stones to leadership.

These trends reveal the pressures that shape long-term careers in advertising. The next step is to understand why some leaders stay committed while others move on.

Why Do Leaders Stay Or Step Away From Advertising?

Leadership careers in advertising often hinge on the conditions agencies create and the pressures leaders face. Data highlights both the reasons leaders remain and the factors that drive them out.

Leaders Who Stay In Advertising

Some leaders continue to find meaning in advertising, drawn by the creativity, influence, and sense of purpose that keep them invested despite the challenges.

• A Deloitte survey found that 76% of executives in the creative industries, including advertising, feel a strong sense of purpose in their work because they can see its direct impact on culture and brands, reinforcing their commitment to long-term careers in the field.
• A survey featured in Adweek revealed that 68% of senior advertising leaders cite “mentoring the next generation of talent” as one of the most personally rewarding aspects of their job, as it strengthens both team capability and industry legacy.
• A survey by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) revealed that 65% of senior agency leaders consider their “strong, collaborative relationships with clients” to be a key reason for their continued passion for the industry.
• 65% of leaders with flexible work arrangements say it is the single biggest factor in staying. Flexibility allows them to balance demanding client work with personal responsibilities, reducing exit risk.
• A survey of creative professionals found that 85% of those with high job satisfaction reported having “significant autonomy and creative freedom” in their roles, which directly fuels innovation, originality, and better campaign outcomes.

Leaders Who Step Away From Advertising

Others eventually reach a point where the pressures of the industry outweigh its rewards, leading them to walk away in search of balance and sustainability.

• Over 40% of women in advertising leadership report burnout, compared with 30% of men (IPA, 2023). Intense client demands, unpredictable hours, and pressure to constantly deliver creativity push many out of the industry.
• Women leaders in advertising earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to global surveys (WFA, 2023). Persistent pay inequity erodes trust and is cited as a reason for departure by nearly half of those who leave.
• A survey of marketing and advertising professionals found that 58% are currently experiencing burnout. This level of exhaustion not only affects creativity and productivity but also raises turnover risk in an industry that relies heavily on fresh ideas and sustained energy.
• Nearly 60% of women returning from career breaks struggle to re-enter at the same level. This setback discourages many from staying in advertising, pushing them to pivot into other industries instead.
• A global study of advertising and media professionals found that 70% are currently looking for a new job, with burnout being a primary driver. This signals a serious retention challenge for organisations, as constant turnover disrupts client relationships, drains institutional knowledge, and adds significant recruitment and training costs.

The reasons leaders stay or leave highlight where the system supports growth and where it fails. The next step is to look at the strategies that can close these gaps and drive faster progress toward balance in leadership.

Which Strategies Drive Faster Gender Balance In Advertising Leadership?

Shifts in leadership balance come from operating models that directly address barriers to progression. Research highlights the approaches that are moving the needle most effectively.

Pay Transparency

PwC’s 2023 Global Gender Pay Report found that agencies using structured pay bands reduced wage gaps by 14% within three years. In markets like the UK, mandatory reporting has already led several holding groups to make pay adjustments across senior roles.

• When pay is visible, female employees know what to expect at each level. This builds trust in the system and encourages more leaders to aim for top positions.
• Agencies can publish salary ranges for roles and conduct annual reviews of compensation data. Regular audits help ensure gaps are corrected before they widen.

Flexible Work Models

Companies that enforce a rigid, full-time in-office work model risk losing up to 39% of their workforce. When well-structured, flexible models maintain productivity while giving employees greater control over how they manage their time and energy.

• Advertising is known for long hours and heavy client demands. Flexible schedules allow leaders to manage these pressures without stepping away from the industry.
• Agencies can make hybrid work standard for senior levels(C-suite level) and clearly communicate client expectations around availability. Normalising flexibility across the board removes the perception that it is a special concession.

Structured Sponsorship

Employees with a sponsor are 22% more likely to ask for and receive a pay raise and 25% more likely to be assigned a high-visibility “stretch assignment. In agencies with structured programs, more women reached creative director and managing director positions within five years.

• Mentorship builds skills, but sponsorship ensures visibility. Leaders with advocates in senior rooms are more likely to be chosen for high-stakes projects and promotions.
• Agencies can assign senior sponsors to emerging leaders as part of development programs. Sponsors should be tasked with actively putting forward their candidates for pitches, awards, and leadership opportunities.

Returnship Initiatives

A McKinsey study quantifies this problem, showing that for every 100 men promoted from an entry-level role to manager, only 87 women receive the same promotion, creating the leadership gap that returnships help to close.

• Career breaks often push women into lower roles on their return, stalling momentum and limiting long-term progress.
• Agencies can design returnships with refresher training, tailored coaching, and structured mentorship. A clear timeline for re-entry helps leaders regain pace without losing seniority.

Board-Level Accountability

A global study found that companies with at least three female directors had a 10% higher Return on Equity (ROE) and 37% lower earnings risk compared to companies with no women on their board, showing how gender diversity at the top directly links to stronger financial stability and resilience.

• Diversity becomes a business priority when it is tied directly to executive compensation. It ensures equity goals are tracked with the same seriousness as revenue.
• Agencies can add gender targets to executive scorecards and tie part of bonuses to progress. Publishing annual results creates external accountability that reinforces internal commitments.

Inclusive Leadership Training

Employees who feel included are 3x more likely to report having an “excellent quality of life” and are twice as likely to feel that they truly belong at their company. Agencies that linked inclusion to performance reviews reported steady pipeline growth.

• Everyday decisions from project assignments to recognition shape career trajectories. Training helps leaders identify biases that might otherwise go unnoticed.
• Agencies can integrate inclusive leadership training into evaluations and track outcomes over time. Making this part of the performance criteria ensures it becomes a sustained practice, not a one-time initiative.

The strategies shaping progress today show what works in practice. The next question is how these efforts will evolve and what the future of gender balance in advertising leadership might look like.

What’s Next For Gender Balance In Advertising Leadership?

Progress is visible, but the pace remains uneven. The coming years will show whether agencies can convert steady gains into lasting equity across creative and executive roles.

Global Shifts In Leadership

LinkedIn’s latest analysis (covering 74 countries) shows women now hold 30.6% of leadership roles worldwide as of late 2024. If current momentum continues, women could make up more than a third of global leaders by 2030, but only if agencies commit to stronger accountability, cross-market equity benchmarks, and future-ready models of leadership that prioritise flexibility, sponsorship, and data-driven tracking.

Creative Leadership Opportunities

In the U.S., the share of women in creative director roles rose from 3% to 29% over roughly a decade, according to The 3% Movement, evidence that focused programs and sponsorship can move the needle when they’re sustained. This momentum creates room to scale mid-career accelerators, award visibility, and sponsor-led promotion tracks that feed the next wave of creative leaders.

Rising Client Expectations

Client behaviour is shifting in two visible ways. First, some major advertisers now tie agency relationships to team diversity: HP’s diversity scorecard required targets on its account, and within a year, women made up 61% of HP agency account teams and 51% of senior leaders supporting the business; HP also reported a 20-point jump in women on account teams after launching the program. Second, consumer pressure is intensifying; 75% of people say a brand’s DEI reputation influences purchase decisions, which pushes brands to expect clearer proof of progress from their agencies.

Talent Pressure

 Nearly half of younger professionals 44% of Gen Zs and 43% of Millennials, report that they have rejected a job or assignment because it did not align with their personal ethics. For agencies, this means representation now plays a direct role in retention. Generational expectations are making equity a business-critical factor in culture and growth.

Technology-Driven Measurement

Accenture’s Future of Work study (2023) reported that agencies using analytics to track pay, promotion, and turnover closed gender gaps 1.5x faster than those using traditional HR methods. Technology gives leaders real-time visibility into patterns that were previously overlooked. Agencies that invest in measurement tools can identify risks earlier and act with precision.

The evidence shows that progress is real but uneven. With client pressure and shifting talent expectations, advertising is proving that steady action can reshape who leads.

Conclusion

The numbers make one thing clear: achieving gender equality in advertising leadership is no longer a side conversation. Key findings show a significant variation in women’s representation, with a clear majority of top jobs still out of reach for young women. Too often, a woman hired into leadership finds herself the only person in the room, navigating unique women’s experiences while aiming for greater visibility. Investing in education, building inclusive cultures, and treating the representation of women in leadership as central to society is how the industry secures its future. The next decade will be defined by the choices made in this one.