Sound the Klaxons! It’s Wyse Women’s Sarah Wyse

Sarah Wyse from Allure Media is a bona fide role model for women in the media industry, And you’re about to read precisely why.

This year, B&T is thrilled to welcome her back for her third year judging the prestigious Women in Media Awards.

But that isn’t the only exciting thing she has been up to. Early in 2017 she launched Wyse Women, an organisation connecting professional women with flexible projects in the media, marketing and communications industry.

The story all started about this time last year. She gave birth to her first baby, and about four months into her maternity leave she was overcome by restlessness. Yep. She actually missed work.

She felt bad saying it but that was the reality for her, which was something she never expected to feel.

Wyse missed the mental stimulation of work. She missed discussion with adults, and being surrounded by like-minded individuals within the industry she chose her career in.

So, she put out a 28-question survey directed at professional women in the industry currently on maternity leave or just off it. Thinking she wouldn’t get many people answering, she was shocked with the response – 372 people completed it – and the results showed that 70 per cent of respondents missed work and showed a strong appetite to work again.

She wasn’t alone, and it was clear that this was an unaddressed issue in the industry today. And so off she set on her next mission: to find out what was actually out there for women in this predicament. Was there anything at all?

Turns out, there really wasn’t. And this was the birth of Wyse Women.

One of the central problems in the industry today is how senior female talent can be retained in the traditional work structure. To increase the participation of these women, there is a need to modernise the system to adapt to the reality and the demands of life today.

Women have varying family and life commitments that make fitting in the 9-to-5 frame difficult and complicated, and because of this there are many valuable professional women with amazing experience and value going to waste because their commitments clash with traditional workplace structures.

So far, the company has placed six women with major reputable companies across the industry, and currently they have 250 senior women on their database.

Women who are or who have just become mothers, those with illness, and those with family issues were among the most common people searching for this alternate style of employment.

But another is that many women stated that they were “burnt out”. That they could no longer do the 9 to 5, the commute to the city or even live in Sydney anymore.

“Women today want life integration,” Wyse said.

Something that Wyse is so thrilled with is how there are even a few men who are a part of the Wyse Women database. Men who understand the need and the desire to be better integrated with their family life at home while still having a fulfilling career.

Ultimately, her aim is to increase the participation of skilled professional women in the industry, and to empower women to reach their full potential. They are out there, and until now, they haven’t had the choices available to them that they need and deserve.

Is there a more fitting woman to be judging the Women in Media Awards? We think not.

And if you want to know which other impressive and inspirational women you’ll need to impress to take home a gong from the awards, click here.

To make sure you don’t miss out on this landmark event and learn about other inspirational women like Sarah, you can buy your tickets here.

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