And isn't it interesting that Jan Gooding tries to spin a spat on Twitter as a "research poll"?
January 2018 Jan Gooding interview
'Why did we put up with it? Aviva’s Jan Gooding on her early days in advertising
Story of my CV: Jan Gooding gives a frank account of her career, including her “noticeably slower” progression compared to male colleagues and the fact she was edged out of one agency after having her first child, all of which has led to her current role championing diversity and inclusion.
(extracts)
"Despite becoming the first woman to get to board level at Burkitt Weinreich Bryant during her stint at the agency in the 1980s, Gooding says her career progress has been “noticeably slower” than her male counterparts.
“I was very shocked about that,” she says. “When I was in advertising I was told not to let anyone know I could type or they’d think I was a PA. I’ve never felt anti-men – I would not have done as well without the feminist men that saw the potential in me – but I don’t think the pace of change has been fast enough,” she argues.
so getting to board level around my 30th birthday is something I’m very proud of, particularly as I was the only woman on the board.
“There was no maternity policy when I went on the board so I was the person who had to write it. I remember the managing director coming to see me and saying ‘why are you writing the maternity policy – are you pregnant?’ They were outrageous times.
“After having my first child I had planned to come back to the agency as the new business director as I thought that would be the best way to have a more flexible working arrangement. But the agency thought – in a well-intentioned way – she’s got post-natal depression, if we sack her [it would look bad, so] we’ll give her a lump sum and she’ll recover. She’s married to the chair so maybe she’ll be better off working in a different agency anyway. My objection was that no one asked me.
“I look back on it now as all of us women do and think: why did we put up with it?”
“When I was at British Gas I met a very important man called Chris Jansen. He was the managing director of British Gas Energy and he was the man I first told I was gay.
“My marriage was in crisis and I’d fallen in love with a woman, and I simply went to tell my line manager I was having a difficult time at home so if I seemed a bit off in meetings or a little distracted he’d know why. Full marks to him; there was a slight raise of the eyebrow but he was absolutely solid and didn’t bat an eyelid. He asked me what he could do, whether I needed time off and said I could talk to him at any time, which was a huge support.
“He subsequently helped me when I moved to Aviva. He encouraged me to go for it and even helped to negotiate my package.”
Becoming an inclusion champion
Aviva, global inclusion director, group brand director, marketing operations director (2008-present)
“Amanda Mackenzie gave me a second chance to go and work client side when she moved to Aviva. She left very soon after I joined BT, so we had this sense of unfinished business.
“It was Chris Wei, who took over marketing when Amanda left and I became the brand director, who suggested I become global inclusion director. [Wei is now executive chairman of Aviva Asia.]
“It’s a role that arguably I was completely unqualified for – being the chair of Stonewall doesn’t qualify you to work in HR and be a diversity specialist – so when he called me to talk about the opportunity I asked for 24 hours to think about it. But I realised my marketing skills are entirely transferable. It’s about understanding people’s attitudes and behaviour and how to change them." (continues)
www.marketingweek.com/2018/01/26/aviva-jan-gooding-early-days-advertising/