Leading the charge: TEAM LEWIS' Keso Kendall on work-life balance and collaboration

The marketing and advertising industry is a rapidly shifting realm where emerging trends, technologies, and creative ideas come together to reshape how brands communicate with its audiences. As the landscape evolves, it’s crucial for those in agencies to stay ahead of the curve — embracing change, exploring new possibilities, and challenging the status quo.

While female leaders are steadily rising to the top, there's still much work to be done to accelerate gender equality and ensure that every voice has an opportunity to be heard. This International Women's Day, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE celebrates the voices of women who are making waves in Singapore's creative, media and advertising landscape, breaking barriers and paving the way for the future generation of leaders.

Hear from Keso Kendall, senior vice president at TEAM LEWIS, APAC, on what she has to say: 

Don't miss: International Women’s Day: What 'accelerate action' means to SG marketing leaders

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How do you define leadership, and how do you believe women bring a unique perspective to leadership roles?

Kendall: 

Leadership is part coaching and guidance, part giving people the latitude to think for themselves and part providing the direction, strategy and vision for a team to rally around.

It’s about being there to support and lift up in tough times and to celebrate and reflect when things are good – making people feel empowered and like they are growing along the way.

I think a lot of what we have traditionally seen as leadership qualities are those more associated with male characteristics. As we see more women move into leadership positions it’s been great to see more diversity in what we think a ‘leader’ needs to embody.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What were some of the most significant challenges you've faced as a woman in the industry, and how did you overcome them?

Kendall: I started out in B2B technology and so spent a lot of my first years in the industry feeling like I needed to prove my technology credentials and demonstrate to the senior stakeholders and journalists that I worked with that I actually understood the technology that my clients provided.

The next big challenge I faced was returning to work after having my son. Understanding what my new routine and boundaries needed to be after giving birth took some figuring out, as did what I wanted next from my job in this new stage of my life. This seems to be a common theme – all the woman on the team who have come back to work after maternity leave want to know what’s next for them and where their roles are going, as they begin to understand their new identities as mothers in the workplace.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What is one bold step you are hoping to take to 'accelerate action' in the industry?

Kendall: Mine is continuing to think about how we can create environments in which people from diverse backgrounds can be successful and seen.

This means offering a variety of ways for people to share ideas, work or collaborate, as well as providing clear coaching and feedback.

We will also continue to partner with causes and organisations that we feel passionately about, like our ongoing work with HeForShe, the UN Women Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality, on their recent IWD report.

MARKETING-INTEARCTIVE: What advice would you give to women starting their careers in the industry who want to make a meaningful impact and stand out?

Kendall: My advice is the same to anyone regardless of gender or background:

• Leverage what’s unique or different about your perspective to bring a fresh approach.
• Don’t be afraid to speak up if you think something should be done differently.
• Be humble and observant when you don’t have the answer, you can learn a lot by listening.
• Think about the example you are setting those around you and try to lead the way you would like to be led.

Join us this coming 23 - 24 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging The Norm; Technology For Transformation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!

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