One thing is crystal clear: mentorship and sponsorship of young women entering the media profession is absolutely vital. From journalism and media owners to media agencies and on to creative advertising shops, mentoring is where the magic of empowerment begins.
On a cold Cape Town winter’s evening, I made my way to the Silo district of the V&A Waterfront for the graduation of the second crop of dentsu School of Influence (dSOI) candidates. There they were, glamorous and groomed, cellphones clicking, every stylish selfie perfectly composed.
But that was just the surface. Sitting beside me was one of the 2024 graduates, a young woman from Saldanha who now works for dentsu’s influencer division after graduating from the dSOI. Two years ago, she couldn’t have dreamed of having such a career. It was a life-changing experience. And she’s now living a new reality.
Inspired and inspiring
Three of the 2025 dSOI graduates and their mentors share their stories in this edition of Women in The Media. The mentees talk of the lessons they’ve learned, the confidence in their new abilities and their futures. For the mentors, the satisfaction of watching their charges flower and grow and learn to own their space is what keeps them inspired.
We have more on this theme. Farah Wael, director of advocacy and engagement at WAN-IFRA Women in News, outlines how the WIN Guild pledge contains concrete plans to implement structured mentorship programmes in their newsrooms, to formalise succession planning and adapt successful models from their peers to their organisational contexts.
Collective action
IMA agency’s Michelle Lourens was this year’s Open Chair candidate to attend the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Open Chair was founded by Suhana Gordhan and Fran Luckin back in 2017 to connect young women with established professionals and create a supportive space for growth and leadership within the industry.
Founders of Ko.Kreate, Koketso Masisi and Kgothatso Maditse, write about creating a community of women in advertising to tackle the ongoing challenges, from the pay gap to being penalised for being a mother.
Their stories are a powerful reminder the power lies in collective action.
Thank you to our contributors and our commercial partners for once more making this issue of Women in The Media one to be proud of.
The Media.
Got to love it.
CLICK ON THE COVER TO READ WOMEN IN THE MEDIA 2025
