Changemakers: Publicis’ Agathe Bousquet on how to bolster female representation

Publicis's Agathe Bousquet discusses why more female representation in the creative industries is needed and the role men play in making it happen.

Transcript

00:00I discovered at that time the power of creativity in order to change things, to mobilize people, to act in general.

00:11We have the power of communication in order to make them understand, to make them change.

00:18So we are here to propose ideas, but we need our clients and our agencies to put money on that

00:25in order to show how strong we are in our power to act for more ecological transition.

00:32And I realized at that time that the way you push the boundaries and you can act more and more is by contributing.

00:43It's not about showing your shoulders. It's all about giving and giving again, working and working again.

00:52When I look at France, for instance, which is the market I know, when I look at the biggest agencies or groups,

00:58they are by women today, like in BOTC or many, many agencies, of course, publicists in France,

01:05but there are many women and it was not the case 20 years ago.

01:08But still, we have to continue to push, especially maybe on the creative side,

01:16or also in terms of production or in order for them to be well represented.

01:21We need to look at figures, actually, because if you don't look at figures, at the end of the day,

01:26you can always, without really knowing it, without really wanting it,

01:31you can really promote the people who ask for a promotion more than the people who are too shy to ask for.

01:39Of course, you're going to work hard. Of course, you're going to have ideas that sometimes are just put on the side,

01:44but you have to fight for them and find your boss.

01:48You have to choose your boss. You have to choose the person you want to work with.