Start getting excited, because Changing the Ratio is mere days away! This event will provide attendees with game-changing ideas and the tools they need to drive diversity and inclusion in their own organisations right now.
An organisation leading the way in having a diverse and gender-inclusive workforce is Adrenalin.
Director Bernie Johnson said that this year, the company is focusing on supporting women in the digital space as men still outweigh women – and something needs to change, which is exactly why they’re supporting Changing the Ratio.
“Changing the Ratio is about supporting and fighting for more culture, diversity and inclusion in the industry, and that’s very much a part of Adrenalin’s core DNA,” he said.
“There are significant gender imbalances across the digital industry, especially in senior creative and technical roles, so we’re actively supporting this initiative to help create awareness and build a community around the movement.”
Adrenalin is currently working towards a 50/50 gender split by the end of this year, an effort all agencies should follow suit in.
“We’re not far off our target, but another focus is promoting and upskilling women, especially in the technical roles like coders and web developers in our agency,” Johnson said.
Adrenalin also supports the UNSW New Wave Founders program, which champions female entrepreneurship and provides pathways for female-led start-ups to succeed.
Mary Liu, a project manager from UNSW, worked with Adrenalin on the program – and said the university aims to become the best university for female entrepreneurship by 2025.
“The program is set up to launch more female-led startups on campus and to support existing UNSW female founders through a series of different mechanisms,” she said.
“Adrenalin Media has been extremely supportive in all aspects of the program.
“From running the workshops to supporting founders post workshop, it is really great to see how much value they place reaching diversity and inclusivity.”
But that’s not all. Adrenalin also runs a series of events called #AdrenalinSessions which are hosted at their creative space, Adrenalin X, for industry professionals in the digital space.
“We’re very excited about our next event ‘Leadership for Women in Digital’ coming up on 20 June because we have three incredible female trailblazers discussing their personal experience on career progression, and how to acquire key leadership skills as a woman in digital,” Johnson said.
“We believe that the progression of women in the industry – and in the workplace in general – needs to be championed at every level.”
Johnson also called on other media and advertising companies to become more diverse and inclusive – similar to Australia’s diverse society.
“The media and advertising industry is at the forefront of creativity, helping to architect ideas and campaigns that have the ability to impact social trends and change,” he said.
“Promoting a focus on diversity within these organisations at a cultural level is critical to ensure that the commitment to change can permeate through some of the ideas and campaigns that are being brought to life.
“Therefore, as an industry, it’s our collective responsibility to reflect this equal representation and foster divergent thinking. By taking an active stance, we’ll hopefully see the crucial change in our industry that will spread to the broader community.”
Changing the Ratio will be held on May 28 at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre in Surry Hills. Grab tickets here, and for all other information, head to the website.
