Karen has been invited to judge Canada's best work in the upcoming 2018 Marketing Awards. The star studded panel is headed up by Co-Chairs Lance Martin, Partner/Executive Creative Director, Union and Mia Pearson, CEO, MSL Canada and Co-Founder North Strategic and Notch Video, North Strategic Inc.
There's still time to get your work in front of this talented and accomplished jury. Entries will be accepted until Friday, February 9th, 2018, 5:00pm Eastern Time. Enter here.
On the road with Cannes Decoded
This winter Karen has been busy presenting Cannes Decoded to General Mills, BlackRock, The Globe and Mail, CIBC, Fuse Marketing and Havas. In the coming months she will be presenting to Manulife Financial, Environics, Mindshare, ATB Financial, Cossette and Fountain Tire.
If you are interested in an inspiring kick-off to year, book now.
The only thing Harvey Weinstein got right.
Weinstein ignited the conversation we've needed to have for decades. The reveal of his depravity by so many courageous women fuelled global outrage about the inappropriate behaviour we have endured in workplaces in all fields – including advertising.
Our pantheon of misogyny includes Neil French, Gustavo Martinez and Kevin Roberts. Up until now the ad biz sexism has largely been tolerated – a mere hiccup on the newsfeed. For the most part we have been guilty of simply averting our eyes or mumbling something incomprehensible about it being an HR issue.
A significant part of the problem is there still aren't enough women in senior roles of power. Take creative directors as a example: fewer than 10% are female. Bolstering the management ranks with women will help mitigate the problem. Fewer men can abuse their power if they're not in positions of power.
A glimmer of hope was provided by several international agency networks and global companies that announced earlier this year a commitment to a hiring quota. For every position, 50% of the candidates being considered must be female. It's a step in the right direction. We all need to hire, mentor and support more women, help them navigate a path to the top.
I met Laura Gregory of Great Guns, an award-winning international production company. That she owns and leads a successful company in a business so entirely dominated by men that it gives me hope. As does the creation of the Cannes Glass Lion award. But we still need more brave vocal advocates – like Cindy Gallop – who call people on their bullshit. It's no longer someone else's problem, it's our shared issue. Silence equal complicity.
This is the year that women found their voice, their platform and the support they deserved to tell the world their story. It's a watershed year, nothing will ever be the same again. And as a result, misogyny will no longer find safe places to hide. It's about damned time. As we bid adieu to 2017, we also bid adieu to the Joe Alexanders of the world. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Inspiring young creatives from around the globe.
This week Karen joins a star-studded line-up of industry speakers set to inspire young creatives from around the globe at at Creative LIAisons 2017.
Creative LIAisons is LIA’s way of giving back. By refraining from a fancy award show the whole budget goes to organizing this amazing event for young creatives.
“We are very happy to have Karen in Las Vegas this year. All of our 2017 speakers have one thing in common. They all believe that the investment that LIA makes in Creative LIAisons is an invaluable investment in the future of the industry,” said Barbara Levy, President of LIA.
Throughout the three-day event Karen will be taking part the "Woman's Journey" panel and will also be attending the women’s brunch for the young industry executives (21 to 30) from around the world where they will be having a frank conversation about gender inequality and how we can help each other. Finally, Karen has been invited to give a talk entitled, "Fourteen Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me."
To have Karen speak at your next event, click here.
The Globe and Mail's New Home
On September 14th, Globe and Mail Publisher Phillip Crawley and Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Saunders both welcomed guests to the newspaper's beautiful new home located in the King East Design District.
Karen took in the panoramic views of the city along with Amy Logan Holmes of Fengate Real Asset Investments (photo - left) and OMD’s CEO Cathy Colllier (photo - right).