Julie Anne Longano, executive director and founder of Peeps Consulting, is taking up the mantle as a mentor in the IMAA’s Female Leaders of Tomorrow program. Last time out, we heard from Mamamia’s Nat Harvey on why she’s involved.
B&T: How did you get involved and why this program specifically?
I was approached by a long time media connection of mine, Jenna Lambert who suggested I would be a strong fit for the program.
Over the past five years in media recruitment, I have done a great deal of organic mentoring and coaching; so this felt like a wonderful opportunity to formalise that process and focus on a young woman in an independent agency.
B&T: Why is mentoring women in the industry so important for its future success?
I believe it’s less about mentors passing the baton or handing over their industry secrets to the next generation and more about opening a long-standing dialogue and relationship with two different generations of women in media who will be key to each other’s professional growth and future possibilities.
As AI and tech change our landscape; mentors and mentees will have complementary insights and knowledge that will collectively help grow the industry through female-led relationships full stop.
B&T: Who are/were your mentors, and what did you learn from them?
I learned (and still learn) from the likes of Sarah Mazur, Cathy Thomas, Fran Vavallo, Peta Webster, Rachel Page and Nikki Clarkson. I learned the value of the fundamentals, of life-long learning, of reinvention, of integrity and of truly supporting women.
B&T: If you could offer one piece of advice to all future leaders, what would it be and why?
My advice to all future leaders is to ‘Pay it forward’ when they reach the big time in senior roles, to remember the specific actions of those who helped you learn and grow when they first started, and invest that (and more) in as many entry level people as possible.
This works towards ensuring kindness, compassion and generosity as the introductory experience of the young women getting into our industry in 2025 and beyond. If we can kick off like that it sets the tone for their entire industry life and, in some way, the actual industry itself.
