Ahead of this year’s B&T Women In Media awards, the female leaders of leading DOOH provider QMS, give insight into their biggest career lessons to date as well as some of their favourite childhood adverts.
Tennille Burt – Chief Marketing Officer
Why do you think events like B&T WIMA are important?
Because of the positive momentum created by bringing smart women together. The sum of all our industry’s female contributors makes for a shared chorus of changemakers that cannot be ignored, and will propel the media industry into a future we can all stand proud and feel represented within.
What were pivotal moments in your career that contributed to your success and shaped who you are today?
Leaving media nearly 10 years ago to work in the major events and Not For Profit industries provided me with valuable lessons in the power of creativity, community, and diverse and equitable expression and representation. They’re lessons that have shaped me both personally and professionally, that I am passionate about advocating.
What advice would you give to the next generation of women in the industry?
Stop questioning your capability. Instead, talk up your accomplishments, your intention, and your vision in a way that gets you recognised because it also helps to identify the real level of achievements of all women. Stay curious, and always lead with empathy.
Jodi Rosenthal – Head of People And Culture
Do you feel like you can be yourself at work?
I feel like I can’t be anything but myself at work! I take great pride in waving my queer, immigrant, cat-loving, Broadway-infatuated, trivia-fanatic, reading- obsessed flag at all times. I think it’s essential to be able to demonstrate that level of comfort and authenticity in myself so that others may do the
same. It’s one of the elements I am most passionate about in my role at QMS i.e., creating a psychologically safe workplace.
What were pivotal moments in your career that contributed to your success and shaped who you are today?
The first was getting my initial job in media, which opened the door for an unexpected, but most welcome career for 14 years. The second was when I left media, allowing me to think honestly and deliberately about what I wanted to for the next phase of my career. The third was a couple of years working in organisations that gave me a masterclass in toxic culture but helped to create my own People & Culture philosophy – which is basically the anti-thesis of what I experienced! The final moment was the day I accepted my role at QMS and began my new exciting, challenging, and fulfilling career in People and Culture.
What’s the best way to get your opinion / thoughts / ideas across in an industry like ours?
I’ll say “loudly and frequently” because that’s certainly been my approach (!) but I will also say that you need to do so in an informed and conscious manner, being mindful of history, context, mindset, and impact. And buy-in. Buy-in is essential, so whatever you’re looking to express, test it out on a few colleagues, friends, mentors. Outline what you’re trying to convey and ask for feedback on whether it was received with the right intent and impact.
Laura Wall – Head of Programmatic
Who is a woman you admire that has changed the course of your career?
I have worked in media sales for many years and have been privileged to work with many of our industries most inspiring female leaders. In 2007 I worked at Nova under the leadership of Cathy O’Conner and Danika Johnston.
It wasn’t until after having my daughter in 2015 that I took a real interest in how technology is changing our industry, I remember my maternity leave in 2016 reading emerging trends and just before returning Melinda Gates spoke about the need to empower more women to want to be in the tech space. This got me thinking about what I wanted to do and then I returned from Maternity leave to help Shopper Media launch their programmatic OOH offering. So I guess you could say, if it wasn’t for having my daughter, I may not have had the time to reflect on what I wanted to do…
What was your favourite advert from childhood? Do you remember any?
We must admit that advertising has come a long way from when I was young (showing my age). In saying that, the jingles from ‘happy little vegemite” to “my dad picks the fruit that goes to cottees” are no doubt nostalgic for many Australians my age. I remember singing these in the playground with friends, and embarrassingly now sing them to my own children.
Karen Clements – Vic/SA State Sales Manager
Who is a women you admire that has changed the course of your career?
Edwina McCann is an inspirational, passionate and driven leader who is not only passionate about fashion, media and content but continually pushes all boundaries including spearheading the develop of the new Australian Fashion Chamber to support the local industry, promoting Women in Technology and driving equality for women in Australia. While balancing family and being the Publisher for News Corp’s Prestige Network and Conde Nast titles in Australia. Edwina manages to do it all with elegance and grace and was a driving force to why I worked across Prestige brands for several years during my career
What was your favourite advert from childhood? Do you remember any?
One I remember is the Nike – I wanna be like Mike. I liked the jingle and he was one incredible basketballer
What’s the best way to get your opinion / thoughts / ideas across in an industry like ours?
Clearly expressing your opinions/thoughts/ideas via concise communication.
Alana Begbie – Group Business Director – Vic
Do you feel like you can be yourself at work?
For me it’s important to be my authentic self at work and home. Having awareness of who you are and what stand for is important. Being honest, consistent, and allowing yourself to pursue passions, stand up for what you believe in, speak my mind and be open-hearted has allowed me to make true connections to those I work with.
What gets you up in the morning? (emotionally not ‘alarm clock’)
Curiosity of what the day will bring! But also my passion for helping others is what motivates me to get out of bed every day. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I know what I do makes a difference to someone else, it’s a very rewarding experience. Many people have helped me throughout my career to ensure I was safe and successful, so it is important to me that I do the same for others.
What advice would you give to the next generation of women in the industry?
● Be yourself and challenge the norm.
● Have a clear set of values, goals to reach, and changes you wish to make.
● Be self-confident and motivated and know that you will never stop learning.
● Be generous with yourself, investing in experiences that will help you grow and feed your passion.
● It’s ok to fall. Just make sure you take learnings from it and know there will always be people there to ensure you get up again.
● Be vulnerable if you need to be.
● Seek out mentors to help you achieve your goals.
The B&T 2023 Women In Media Awards will be taking place on Friday 25th of August at the White Bay Cruise Terminal. You can buy your tickets HERE!
Big thanks to our sponsors for making the awards happen.
