The day has finally arrived, and the B&T Women in Media Awards 2018 are being held tonight! We think it’s imperative to recognise the fabulous women in this industry and their achievements, which is exactly why we hold these awards every year.
And why we’ve created a Women in Media Profile Series to showcase the myriad of inspiring women this industry has to offer.
Next up on this very long list is Danni Wright, head of strategy at Carat Sydney. She was one of only 30 future leaders selected to take part in The Marketing Academy’s exclusive ‘Marketing Leadership’ program for 2018 – making her pretty damn impressive.
Wright has been with Carat for the past ten years, across both UK and Australian markets, and was promoted only this year to her current role.
In fact, Wright has been with Carat her whole career.
“I started on a graduate scheme in the UK, and have since moved through many roles in both this market and the UK over the last ten years; over half of which has been spent specializing in my heartland of communications strategy,” she told B&T.
But despite working with Carat her whole career, Wright said she has never chased after a particular role.
“Ive never been one to set my sights on a specific role, with so much change in our industry this would perhaps be short sighted anyway.
“Regardless, what I continue to chase are three feelings, these feelings act as my compass, making sure I am moving in the right direction,” she said.
The three main feelings Wright chases are:
- Feeling like she is applying her self, and being challenged in a way that brings out the best of her skill-set
- Being true to her values and who she is as an individual
- Feeling like she is valued, and is making a difference to the business
And she loves understanding why people make decisions, and what feelings are driving those around her.
“My background and passion lies in the field of psychology, and so I take a lot of my inspiration from this space as well as from behavioral economics,” she said.
“I believe it is important to go straight to the source when it comes to understanding people, otherwise we risk getting caught up in the distractions of the new – which is often just the tip of the iceberg.”
It’s for this reason exactly that Wright believes diversity should come in forms other than male to female ratios.
“I believe what’s vital to our industry is diversity; it is only through truly fostering this in both leadership teams and throughout the organization that a business can truly thrive,” she said.
“For me this goes further than male to female ratios, and into the spectrum of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and even into personality traits such as introversion and extroversion.”
Which is why the best advice Wright could give younger women starting out in the industry is simple: be yourself.
“As women we need to redefine the current perceptions of what it takes to be a leader in business,” she said.
“True progress for women won’t come from our ability to morph into the current and largely male dominated dimension of leadership.”
B&T‘s Women in Media Awards 2018 will be held TONIGHT at Doltone House – Jones Bay Wharf. Find all other info on the website.
