Beyond quotas: The playbook for women in marketing leadership

As global diversity policies shift and businesses face some huge challenges, the time is now to go beyond mentorship and quotas to actively sponsor and train women for executive roles. Andrea Martens, CEO of ADMA, explores the leadership skills women need for real career progression.
 

Early in my career, I learned that waiting for opportunities to come my way wasn’t a strategy - it was a gamble. And as the old adage goes, the house always wins. In those days women in the workforce were definitely not ‘the house’.

I myself realised early in my career that if I wanted to move beyond marketing expertise and into true business leadership, I needed to take control of my own development. 

That meant upskilling in areas that weren’t traditionally associated with marketing - financial literacy, negotiation, operational leadership. It wasn’t easy - in fact, it was intimidating - but it was necessary. And now, more than ever, women in marketing need to take that same approach.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency has even recently published research warning that some of the best paid industries in Australia are facing a “promotion problem”. It revealed that in every industry, men are more likely to be employed in the highest earning roles, proportionate to their workforce, while in 17 out of 19 industries, women are overrepresented in the lowest earning quartile, compared to their representation in the industry.

This report highlighted a critical issue. Overwhelmingly, women simply aren’t being employed in the most senior and highest-earning positions in their companies.

We have seen how diversity policies have changed very rapidly overseas. While Australia is somewhat insulated from these changes for now, we can expect to feel the ramifications at some point.

That means there has never been a more critical time for women to take charge of their education. As diversity policies shift globally, the burden now falls on women to ensure they are positioned for leadership and prove, beyond a doubt, why they are capable. But businesses also have a responsibility.

While we have made progress in gender representation at entry and mid-level roles, the number of women in senior leadership remains significantly lower than men. Women face distinct challenges in career progression, from biases in performance evaluations to a lack of visibility in decision-making rooms. 

And while mentorship has long been a tool to help women navigate these obstacles, it’s no longer enough. Women must be proactive in their own career growth - actively seeking opportunities, backing themselves and taking responsibility for their own advancement. 
It’s time for businesses to move beyond quotas and mentorship programs and instead create a structured playbook that actively sponsors and equips women with the leadership skills they need, and want, to thrive.

Why skills matter more than confidence

An oft-quoted Hewlett Packard study found that men apply for jobs when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, while women apply only when they meet 100%. For years, this statistic has been used to push women to be more confident. 

But confidence only gets you so far. The real problem is that women, too often, aren’t receiving the training necessary to feel equipped for leadership roles.

Education is power, but education must be strategic. Women in marketing must move beyond mastering their craft and proactively build skills that prepare them for leadership. This means gaining expertise in financial and business acumen, negotiation, and operational decision-making.

However, women must also have a clear vision of where they want to go and use their skills development to help define that path. Women must be willing to take the necessary steps to drive toward their goal, no matter how many setbacks they face. 

That includes having the drive to constantly seek out further education for themselves, beyond what their core role requires. 

To ensure more women reach senior leadership, businesses can actively invest in their development through:

• Executive coaching that builds leadership presence

• Training in financial and business strategy to navigate boardroom conversations.

• Exposure to cross-functional leadership roles that provide real-world commercial impact.
   

It’s for this reason ADMA created the Capability Compass - to remove the guesswork from the learning and development. In this rapidly-evolving landscape, marketers need to stay on top of their own skillset more than ever, but unfortunately, upskilling often falls by the wayside. 

But leveraging tools like this will help marketing leaders support their team in their long-term career progression and identify clearly where their employees still need to grow - ensuring we are providing support far beyond someone’s entry to a business.

Sponsorship over mentorship: Creating real pathways to leadership

Mentorship is valuable, but it is often passive - offering advice rather than action. Sponsorship, on the other hand, is about advocacy and creating real-world opportunities.
 
A sponsor is someone in a senior role who actively puts forward high-potential women for leadership opportunities, ensures they are included in key business decisions and puts their names forward for executive roles.

But sponsorship is also a two-way street. To make the most of this relationship, women need to take the initiative to engage their sponsors, articulate their ambitions and demonstrate the drive necessary to make leadership a reality. It’s by this true collaboration that women and their sponsors alike can both benefit.

The marketing industry in general needs more sponsors, not just mentors. Women need leadership exposure to step into executive positions and businesses must actively create these opportunities rather than waiting for women to push their way in.

It’s these sponsors who can share crucial information about the leadership skills women in marketing really need in order to be able to progress to the C-suite.

And in my experience, the strategic skills women in marketing should develop include:

• Negotiation: I cannot overstate how important it is for women to have the ability to advocate for themselves. Not only is this important in salary discussions, it will also be crucial when it comes to securing funding and making high-stakes decisions.

• Financial literacy: While many marketers often have a basic understanding of how a business runs, this foundational knowledge isn’t enough for those who wish to hold more senior roles. Understanding P&L, revenue models and how marketing contributes to business success are all extremely important areas to learn.

• Influence and persuasion: These soft skills are often just as important as the hard ones and will help with aligning marketing strategies with C-suite priorities and business growth.

• Operational leadership: Exposure to the wider business beyond the marketing function will ensure these women are prepared to take on broader business responsibilities.

While quotas have helped improve gender diversity, they are only the first step. The next phase requires businesses to focus on leadership development initiatives that ensure women are prepared to lead when they reach senior roles.

This shift also requires businesses to recognise that leadership in marketing requires much more than just mastering one or two of the four Ps - it’s about all-around business skills. Women must balance resilience, tenacity and determination with warmth, care and a sense of humour - qualities that should define all great leaders, regardless of gender.

This shift also requires businesses to recognise that leadership in marketing requires much more than just mastering one or two of the four Ps - it’s about all around business skills. 

Companies must reframe their approach from simply hiring women to fill a gap to actively training and sponsoring them for leadership roles. This means implementing targeted leadership programs, fostering sponsorship networks and ensuring women have opportunities to lead high-impact, cross-functional projects.

Women in marketing are ready to lead. Now, businesses must step up and provide the structured support to make that happen.