International Women’s Day 2026, themed “Balance the Scales,” is a reminder that as continued innovation reshapes marketing and advertising, equal representation in the rooms where decisions are made has never mattered more.
Across marketing, advertising, technology, legal and loyalty, women in leadership reflect on the structural barriers that persist and the responsibility leaders carry to create systems where women have influence.
All these leaders echo the same sentiment that equitable innovation does not happen by accident. It is built intentionally through sponsorship, measurable goals, inclusive product design, flexible work structures and the courage to challenge outdated norms.
Tipping the Scales and Sharing the Load, Dr Anna Harrison, founder, RAMMP
“Balance the scales” to me means designing systems, at home and at work, where neither side collapses under assumed obligation. Women are not underrepresented because they are less capable. They are underrepresented because the total system load is uneven. And that load starts at home.
Someone has to make the children’s sandwiches. Someone has to leave early for school pickup. Someone has to carry the mental inventory of who needs new shoes. As long as that remains coded as “women’s work,” workplace equality will plateau regardless of policy. Real change is creating networking formats that don’t default to masculine-coded rituals and teaching our sons to share the load, and make killer sandwiches.
Collaboration vs Compliance, Fabrizia Roberto, Fractional CMO, founder, www.fabriziaroberto.com
Women are often encouraged to be collaborative and consensus-driven, until that collaboration turns into compliance. When women challenge assumptions or hold a firm line, they’re more likely to be labelled “difficult” or “uncollaborative”, rather than decisive.
I’ve experienced this first-hand: being seen as collaborative when I agree and uncollaborative when I don’t – in particular when refusing to say “yes” simply to protect someone else’s ego. That’s not collaboration; that’s appeasement. And it’s a standard rarely applied evenly across genders.
International Women’s Day creates space to name these dynamics out loud and to reset expectations. If marketing and tech truly want better outcomes – better products, stronger brands, more sustainable growth – then they need leaders who can challenge thinking, place smart bets and act with conviction.
Reflecting on Diversity and Leadership in Adtech, Paige Gordon, manager, International Go to Market, Nexxen
Even in 2026, the higher you go up the organisational ladder in Australia, the more men you tend to see in the C-suite. Currently, around 70–80 per cent of executive leadership and CEO pipeline roles in ASX 300 companies are still held by men, and only a small handful of CEOs at Australia’s largest companies are women (Workplace Gender Equality Agency data). This highlights the ongoing imbalance at this level of organisations.
That’s what makes IWD feel relevant to me. It’s less about celebration for celebration’s sake, and more about taking a clear-eyed look at where things are genuinely working and where they still aren’t. Adtech isn’t short on talented women; if anything, we’re well represented across day-to-day roles.
But senior leadership still doesn’t reflect that reality. International Women’s Day is a moment to call out that disconnect, recognise the women already doing the work, and question why progression into executive roles continues to lag behind.
Balancing the Scales in Entrepreneurship, Pip Stocks, founder of The Startup Muse
Globally, 30 per cent of all businesses are run by women yet last year in Australia women-only founding teams raised less than 0.5 per cent of total venture capital, down from around 2–3 per cent in preceding years. This marks one of the lowest levels on record for female-led startup funding and definitely not progress. This is not a pipeline problem. It is an equity issue, a balance issue, with capital deployment a problem.
What makes this imbalance more troubling is that women-led businesses consistently demonstrate strong fundamentals. Research shows they often generate more revenue per dollar invested than male-led enterprises, prioritising sustainability, capital efficiency and long-term value creation.
Entrepreneurship for women is more than a career choice, it is a pathway to choice and financial security. With the right systemic changes, those female founders become future investors and only then, do we see a shift in balance.
Innovation as an Amplifier of Human Judgment, Aparna Watal, partner at Halfords IP
I believe innovation should amplify human judgment, creativity and fairness rather than replace it. For example, in legal practice, AI tools can reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency, but only if we build them with ethical guardrails and a diverse dataset. Otherwise they risk entrenching existing inequities.
Equitable innovation means designing systems that consider diverse perspectives, mitigate bias, and create opportunities for under-represented groups to lead, create and thrive. This is true whether you are helping a small business protect its brand, or shaping how new technologies are governed.
How to Accelerate Change, Bel Lloyd, customer success lead, Amperity
When it comes to ‘balancing the scales,’ we need to set measurable goals for gender balance, not just in entry-level roles, but in leadership and technical decision-making positions.
We also need to invest in bias awareness and inclusive leadership training so teams understand how to build and nurture truly inclusive environments.
This will further encourage businesses and leaders to commit to real action, not just discussion, from inclusive hiring and mentorship programs to addressing bias in how teams and tools are built.
Ultimately, real change happens when organisations commit to clear, actionable strategies, not just good intentions. And when women support each other to grow, lead and innovate together.
Change Needs Proactive Energy, Caitlin Stephens, chief of staff APAC, Eagle Eye
Change requires an intentional and proactive approach to ensure women receive access to the same opportunities. Who gets recommended for the stretch assignment? Who gets introduced to the investor? Who gets amplified in a meeting?
One of the most powerful tools I have in leadership is the ability to provide sponsorship, to be someone who highlights and amplifies the talents of women based on their merits and unique perspectives and to back this up with policies, and structures within organisations that aim to remove some of the traditional barriers that can hold them back. Think parental leave, flexibility, Women’s ERGs and our very own “Purple Women” initiative at Eagle Eye, mentorship and leadership development.
A Promising Future, Sarah Richardson, founder and director at Australian Loyalty Association
For me, International Women’s Day is a promise for a future where every woman and girl is heard, seen and valued.
A lot has changed in loyalty because women have had a seat at the table. Loyalty used to be much simpler. When I started, mobile phones were hardly in operation. Now it’s about understanding the complex customer journey, commercial modelling, relevance, data, personalisation, emotional connection and AI.
Real, tangible change comes from backing women to trust their judgement, giving them space to shine, and removing systemic barriers. Our business is like a rollercoaster. Hang on tight or jump off. I choose to hang on to see the next chapter of this wonderful journey and to work with the exceptional women and people on our team.
