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Successful Business With a Woman At the Helm

Audio article-

In these trying times, we need some positive stories, and what better story than a story of success?

 

Did you know that only 6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female? And while women make 47% of the workforce in the USA they only make 25% in computing roles. It is popular to say „we are all equal“ but can we back it up with practice?

So, where are our Marie Curies and Coco Chanels of today? Where is the inclusion and, in the end, proof that women can also be leaders – if we have only 6% to work with? Well, CMG Croatia might have the answer!

Trends are changing and now, more than ever, companies are trying to implement policies regarding equality of opportunities. For CMG, that came naturally – and that’s why we are thriving. As a successful business leader and president of CMG, Ana Tolić is more than qualified to give us her take on the subject.

Watch the full interview with Ana here:

Show video description
Hi, my name is Ana, and I'm president of CMG Croatia. Well, I think we are performing quite well. 65% of CMG Croatia leadership positions are held by women. While when we talk of CMG as a group, two thirds of the top management are women. So in today's world, when many companies are struggling with the gender bias agenda, trying to introduce different initiatives, KPIs program schemes, we kind of had that already established naturally in CMG, we never had a situation that a female person was paid less than her male colleague, and they were performing the same position or having the same responsibilities. And this inclusion and equality of opportunities, no matter of the gender, age, religion, were actually the basic values when our CEO, Rob Anderson founded the company 20 years ago. And I think it's super important to say that today, each CMG person, especially those who are decision makers, have the responsibility to build further on those values. Really believe that everything is about the right mindset and the right approach. You can say that CMG is a small company comparing to the big agencies that we are competing on the wall scene. But having that right mindset and defining more that we can do the best for our clients and the value we can bring for them is what brought us here and growing for so many years. Our clients and partners, they really recognize the value that we bring to them, and that quality actually comes from the quality inside of our team. So I'm especially proud when a CMG woman comes to me and says, look, CMG helped me to be better at my family affairs, to be more confident, to fight for some of my dreams and inspiration. And that means that we are not just bringing value for our clients, but we are bringing value to our people who are in CMG. And that means more than any salary or awards or something. This is then, when you have a really motivated person who then contributes to your company growth. I have never primarily defined myself as a woman in business, but rather as a business person. But I do understand that my experience might be a bit different than what the reality of the world is, especially in the advertising industry. And I think it's due to all of our amazing clients, colleagues and partners who never limited me or restricted me, but rather what was important is what I have to say and what my results are. So I have that responsibility, and all the women have that responsibility of building the culture where it matters, what you have to say and what your results are, not just what gender you are, what age you are. And I want to build CMG where women and everybody actually can have, not just professional careers, but have that balance with their private lives and be successful in the other roles they have, like being a wife, daughter, a mother. And here especially important is the support you have from your spouse. Because, as they say, a supportive spouse can kill a business sooner than a bad marketing plan. So having that right relationship conversations and support is what really matters in order to be successful. You I feel phenomenal and optimistic and really think it's about having that right set of mindset and attitude, not just about dreaming big of success, but working hard, staying focused, and surrounding yourself with people who reflect the same values as you do. And although really my professional experience was a bit different than what the reality is, I cannot say that, especially at the very beginning of my career, I was not intimidated. I mean, I was in the room with decision makers on some pitch or negotiating contract. You're one of the rare women animals, probably you're the youngest, being 27. But if I allow myself to be intimidated, then it's me who is failing, because I get my power from who I am, what I think, how I live, not what others expect me to do, and what others approve or disapprove. And really, that's why I believe that right set of mind and confidence helps you a lot to be successful and find your place at the table. You. So I absolutely see the trend changing, although not that fast as I would like to. And I also have to say, I don't see in the future female leaders. I just see leaders. And I think today more than ever in the history, we are in much better position to succeed, taking all of the resources that we have access to, to be smart, to be educated, to have the opportunities. And in order to speed up that trend, I think it's not just important whether we have our seat at the table, but it's about how do we behave when we are sitting at that table. Are we brave enough? Do we take risks? And of course, if you take risks, it also means that you are failing. And accepting that failure is actually part of your success will just be down. The trends of how do you position women in the future in business?