Veronica Stevenson – Diversity Drives Everything

This month we chatted to one of our Agency Account Directors, Veronica Stevenson, who talked us through her various work as a charity ambassador, her experience at Clear Channel, and her thoughts on diversity in the media industry.

Occasionally you meet employees who stand out by excelling not just in the workplace, but through their work giving back to communities and charities. This month we chatted to one of our Agency Account Directors, Veronica Stevenson, who talked us through her various work as a charity ambassador, her experience at Clear Channel, and her thoughts on diversity in the media industry.

“I’ve worked in Marketing Communications for nearly 10 years, and specifically in media for over 5”, Veronica begins. “I moved over from Australia a couple of years ago, and I absolutely love it here. I have the benefit of having worked in various types of media over the years, but moving into Out of Home (OOH), I’ve really found my area. My role as an Agency Account Director is positively challenging and quite unique. I help maintain our relationship with our specialists, but also bridge the gap between agencies and media owners too. I’m there to add that bit extra to briefs and there to educate and build clients’ awareness of OOH, as well as let them know how Clear Channel’s proposition can add that extra value and creativity to a campaign.”

“I love my job, and it’s great to have the opportunity to meet lots of like-minded, creative people. A lot of the time this even leads to building close friendships.”

In her spare time Veronica explains how she likes to relax with friends and family, as well as being a keen traveller; she books a new flight somewhere every payday. But what stands out, and what she says takes up most of her time is her charity work.

“I am currently a charity ambassador for NABS”, Veronica explains. “NABS is an amazing charity that supports those in the advertising and media sector. Clear Channel are a corporate sponsor, which allows employees to take full use of all the free workshops, masterclasses, and mentoring sessions that the charity run. I love working with NABS, and I know from working that they’re a fantastic resource for those working in the stressful and fast-paced world of media. The speed mentoring sessions I know have already been hugely popular here at the company, but one of the best things NABS also provide is a free advice hotline number that people can call to have a confidential chat about personal and professional worries they may be having.”

Veronica is also a member of the Bloom – a professional network for women in the media and communications industry.

“I’m extremely proud to be working in the leadership team for Bloom – helping support and empower women to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. They run a fantastic mentoring programme, where women with over 7 years’ experience in Marketing Communications are paired up with women with 1-5 years’ experience to mentor and guide them. We now have over 170 members, and the networking side of it is just as important as the mentoring. When I moved over from Australia I didn’t know lots of people, so being introduced to Bloom was awesome and I really felt there like I’d found ‘my people’.”

“Bloom also run an array of events throughout the year, providing accessible “take-home” content on important topics and themes. We like to invite men to our events, as we feel it’s just as important to be driving inclusivity and collaboration so that we can drive the industry forward together.”

If all that wasn’t enough, Veronica also works closely with Media Trust; an organisation that bridges the gap between smaller charities and the media industry.

“Clear Channel is also a charity sponsor and partner with Media Trust, and they do some great work supporting small charities that just wouldn’t have the money or resources to create a detailed marketing plan or campaign.”

“For International Women’s Day this month, I attended the Media Trust event held in London, helping charities that support, campaign and advocate for women and girls. Working in small workshop groups, people from all across the media industry worked together and assessed the various charities’ goals and how we in the industry can help.”

Veronica went on to discuss how important is it she feels to give back when you can, and how important it is having a supportive and diverse network around you. We then went on to ask her opinion on diversity and equality within the industry generally, and in light of Clear Channel’s introduced Fairness value.

“As an industry I believe we’re doing really well and making positive steps. Clear Channel especially is great and I believe we are looked up to as a leader in this area. I also believe we’re lucky to have such a supportive senior team driving initiatives on diversity and fairness, which is not present in many other companies.”

“There’s obviously still lots to do, and personally I’d still like to see more work done in the industry on maternity/paternity leave, and flexibility in general. I’d also like to see more progress in neuro-diversity and equality. But, yes, I think our industry certainly is getting it, as well as the significance of it. It’s important to remember that diversity spikes everything. It drives productivity, efficiency, creativity, and ultimately profit. Everything is driven by diversity. And ultimately diversity equals equality.”