Cannes Lions has today announced Chloe Gottlieb, EVP, US Chief Creative Officer R/GA as the Ambassador of this year’s See It Be It programme. She takes over this position from last year’s lead Madonna Badger, Chief Creative Officer, Badger & Winters.
Badger will keep on involved as Chair in this career development and acceleration programme for women in the creative communications industry. The appointment of Madonna badger will last for three years.
“In recruiting a Chair we wanted someone with a passion to change the ratio, the ability to lead and a prominent voice within the industry. We’re confident that in appointing Madonna we have found someone with all of these qualities and having been involved with See It Be It previously she also has first-hand understanding of the initiative”, said Louise Benson, Cannes Lions Executive Lead See It Be It.
Applications for the 2018 Cannes Lions See It Be It programme have opened today with Spotify announced as official partner.
The Festival has created an additional five places on the scheme, meaning that 20 women from the creative sector will take part in the career development and empowerment programme.
Louise Benson, Executive See It Be It Lead for Cannes Lions commented, “Over the course of See It Be It history we’ve had incredible responses from women applying to participate along with senior leaders offering their time and experience. Chloe is a shining example of the type of leader we strive to emulate, a truly talented Creative Leader who values mentoring and sharing her experience to foster others to become leaders.”
See It Be It was launched in 2014 to shine a light on the issue of gender imbalance at senior levels and galvanise the industry into action. The initiative serves as an acceleration programme aimed at identifying future female leaders in creative functions in the branded communications industry and tackling the gender disparity across the creative sector.
Leadership the center point of the programme in 2018
Building on last year’s theme of ‘Confidence’, the theme for 2018, set by this year’s Ambassador Chloe Gottlieb is ‘Leadership’. Participants will develop skills to lead from the inside-out and will realise a direct impact on confidence and ambition over time.
Potential candidates interested in being part of See It Be It 2018 should visit www.canneslions.com/see-it-be-it to find out more about the programme and how to apply. Applications open on 12 February with the final deadline for submitting on 16 March.
Ambassador’s role
As Ambassador, Chloe Gootlieb role will be to lead the group of highly talented women through a curated programme of executive training, exclusive seminars, a dedicated mentorship scheme and provide insights and guidance throughout the process.
Speaking on the announcement Chloe commented, “It’s such a privilege to be named this year’s See It Be It Ambassador. I have had the opportunity to attend See It Be It events with Madonna and have been blown away by how powerful the programme is. It’s an amazing opportunity for these hugely talented women to recognise and realize their own potential as creative leaders in the industry and develop a network of people who can support them to move forward while inspiring others.”
The Chair
The See It Be It Chair is a new position to help steer the course of the initiative and guide its evolution. For a three year tenure, Madonna Badger will act as spokesperson and advocate for the programme. Through her involvement as 2017 Ambassador and her advocacy for objectification criteria in the Cannes Lions judging process, Madonna can provide expert guidance and advocacy to ultimately get to a point where gender parity is reached and the programme is no longer required.
First free See It Be It events at NY and Toronto on 28th February
Building on the success of a series of global See It Be It events run throughout 2017 Madonna will join Chloe Gottlieb and guests on 28 February at the R/GA offices. The free to attend events are an introduction to the See It Be It community and provide some key insights around leadership and confidence.
Spotify joins the programme
In recent years, Spotify has engaged in a series of global initiatives internally and with partners to drive inclusivity and diversity across all of their business functions. Spotify’s Danielle Lee, VP, Global Head of Partner Solutions and Jackie Jantos, VP, Brand and Creative at Spotify, will be involved with See It Be It onsite at the Festival and throughout the year-long programme of events.
“The creative community is only as effective as the talent it employs. As the world becomes rapidly more diverse and multifaceted, it is imperative that creative talent reflects the world we live in,” says Danielle Lee, VP, Global Head of Partner Solutions at Spotify. “We look forward to partnering with See It Be It to enable women of all backgrounds to achieve their maximum potential in creative marketing.”
Image over the headline.- Chloe Gottlieb, EVP, US Chief Creative Officer R/GA as the Ambassador of this year’s See It Be It programme. © R/GA
