In this guest post, Leo Burnett Sydney’s group business director Belinda Drew reflects on what it means to be acknowledged within our industry and how we can use our powers for good.

In the last month, I have been honoured and humbled by the nomination of the B&T Women in Media Awards in the Pro Bono & Community category. An honour and an award that doesn’t just acknowledge greatness but one that deserves a moment of pause in our business; Pro Bono work.

We don’t make money, it’s not driven by the desire for fame or accolades.  I am here to say, it has come from the heart. This has given me time to reflect on what it is we do as a business. There are very few moments of pause in advertising. Very few.  I did not start in our business, thinking about any of these things.

I started, thinking about being the best I could possibly be and I have learnt a lot. It is not about the best of me, it is about the best that we can create as a team and in a world of creativity, we are in the business of change. We can make a lot of great things happen. And on Friday night, I realised…that is why I am here.

I was nominated in the B&T Women in Media Awards because Leo Burnett recognised something in our work for WWF-Australia, that was special. Something that meant more than advertising and something that meant more to me, than I ever realised I could possibly believe. We can make real change.

The importance of what we can do through advertising. There is so much good in what we do. We are in the business of engaging emotional needs and desires. But ultimately, I’d like to think we all want to do some good.

It is a humbling moment in advertising, when you remember, why it is we are here.

I would like to acknowledge the other women nominated in the category: Genevieve Murphy, Lee Tonitto, Linda Rocak, Nicki Willoughby and deserving winner Ali Krzyszton, who are influencing change within our community. And I’m sure there are some great men already doing this too.

As proud as I am to have this moment, I actually wish this category didn’t exist. I wish, that the responsibility of influencing cultural and social change, was a mandate of what we do every day.

My wish is that every person in the industry takes a moment to reflect on what we can create, realise that we can positively transform human behaviour for good, and get started.

I am honoured to be here. It has given me a moment.  But now I won’t take pause…because I know what it means to be here, and there is more good work to do.