Six finalists have been selected for the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) Female Futures Fund (FFF) executive coaching bursary. The bursary is an attempt by IAPI to improve the gender balance by honouring women candidates considered to be of high potential in Ireland’s advertising, media and communications industry.
IAPI received 26 submissions for this year’s competition.
The finalists are Eimear O’Sullivan, head of design, The Public House; Claire O’Brien, digital performance director, Omnicom Media Group (OMG); Eimear Fitzmaurice, strategy director, JWT Folk; Jane Gray, head of business development, Verve; Meabh Connellan, group strategy director, Dentsu Aegis and Ciara Markey, business director, Mediaworks.
IAPI chief executive Charley Stoney said the advertising industry has started to address the issue of gender balance at leadership level. Stoney said the last year’s IAPI Census reports showed that 38 per cent of executive roles are now taken up by females. Coaching was empowering for women, particularly those in male-dominated roles, she added.
Stoney is this year joined on the judging panel by executive coach Jill Walker, Charlotte Barker, Dynamo and IAPI board member; Mark Doyle, CMO, AIB and Gráinne Wafer, global brand director, Diageo. Wafer is also joint lead of Diageo’s progressive gender portrayal programme globally and is the group’s representative for the United Nations Stereotype Alliance, a platform which aims to eliminate harmful gender-based stereotypes from ads.
The six shortlisted candidates will present remotely on video call to the judges next week with the winners being announced on Friday, May 1. Two selected candidates will be eligible to avail of the fund. The bursary will fund six coaching sessions for each candidate with Jill Walker this year. The FFF coaching bursary is sponsored by Diageo.
