Power to change the narrative

Missy Foristall of DEPT expounds on the importance of mentoring and creating growth opportunities for women

出自 India Fizer , AdForum

DEPT®
互联网及数字媒体全服务广告公司
Amsterdam, 荷兰
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Missy Foristall
Global COO and CEO Americas DEPT
 

In our ongoing series highlighting incredible women creating change and progress in the industry, we chatted with Missy Foristall, Global Chief Operating Officer and Americas CEO at DEPT® Agency, about improving representation and the importance of mentoring younger women in the industry.

 

Can you tell us a bit about your role and your journey to arriving there?

I have a dual role as Global Chief Operating Officer and Americas CEO at DEPT® Agency. The mix of work plays to the parts of my personality that love bringing order and efficiency to an organization while allowing for the creativity of working directly with clients and the momentum of building a quickly growing business.

I’ve always been in roles focused on driving innovation and digital transformation for both consumer and enterprise brands, from my years as Managing Director at Razorfish’s New York office to leading digital marketing groups including Martha Stewart, JP Morgan Private Bank, and most recently IBM.

DEPT® was truly the right fit at the right time. I was searching for more meaning in my work and looking to get back to my agency roots when the opportunity at DEPT® came along. At the time they were pursuing B-corp status and extending their already global footprint more aggressively in the US. My background made it a perfect fit, and the timing allowed me to play a large part in building the brand in the US, which we will be showcasing in our Prepare to Pioneer events this spring.

 

What barriers do women still face in our industry and how can we challenge them?

While women are taking more leadership roles in our industry, diversity drops in the c-suite. Fewer than 1% of Ad Agencies in the US are owned by women, while 8.8% of fortune 500 businesses have a female CEO. Clearly, we have a long way to go. Certainly the burden of that change lies in existing leadership in creating growth opportunities for women, but also in encouraging and celebrating women who advocate for themselves and take risks.

As women, we also have a duty to stop perpetuating inequity in the content that we are producing - in the diversity of the images we are showing, the roles women are playing, and the biases in our messaging.

 

How do you use your position to build equitable teams that are diverse and balanced?

If I could only give one takeaway on building diverse and equitable teams it would be that if you are only focused on the numbers, you will fail.

I speak openly with our teams about equity and diversity, and I’m transparent about our challenges and opportunities. I’m incredibly lucky to have a team of strong leaders who feel as passionately about it as I do. But passion doesn’t always equal results. That’s why I partner closely with our leadership and HR teams to build programs around DEIB, and mentoring for development. I love mentoring other women, and I get as much, if not more, out of the relationship as they do! As an executive, it can be easy to lose touch with the challenges and cultural changes that impact women early in their careers. Mentoring gives me visibility into the roadblocks women face, and my position gives me the power to change it.

 

Who are your female advertising icons/role models and why?

Wenda Harris Millard is a powerhouse who I was lucky enough to work for at MediaLink. After years in traditional media, she took a risk and dove into digital media in 1996 - something I’m sure was pretty scary to do at the time in a very male-dominated culture. She is now a cultural icon in media, marketing, and technology. The industry looks to her for advice, given her years of proven success. Beyond her achievements, she is an incredible mentor to many women and men in the industry and makes time to listen to them and give advice, motivating all of them to advance their careers. For every big move in my own career (including hiring me!), she has been a sounding board, a cheerleader, and an advocate.