Research from Women in Wireless (WiW) UK in association with Telefónica reveals the barriers and opportunities for women looking to progress in mobile and digital media industries

• Two thirds (66%) believe that organisational culture is the main reason why women are under-represented at senior levels in wireless and digital media industries, followed by a lack of career development opportunities at 20%
• 83% of women between 35-54 believe that it is harder for women to succeed in their careers than men, compared to 65% of 18-34 year olds
• Only 27% have taken time out of work to progress their development
• 30% of respondents state that they are using their professional networks to build successful business relationships. 52% do not use networks to identify mentors and sponsors to support their career and 41% use them ‘somewhat’
• 44% believe that their work-life balance is poor
• Just 31% of SMEs provide external training for employees compared to 50% of corporates; 30% of SMEs have short term career development plans in place for staff compared to over half (51%) of corporates
• 42% of respondents believe that companies should set up coaching/sponsorship opportunities to help women progress, followed by HR leadership programmes (40%), flexible working options (39%) and childcare support (24%)

LONDON, 22 May – Women in Wireless (WiW) UK, a volunteer-led organisation which aims to promote and develop female leaders in the mobile and digital media industries, has today announced the results of its WiW UK State of Play Survey. The survey results have been developed to raise awareness of the industry’s gender diversity issues and highlight the barriers and opportunities for women across SMEs and corporate organisations. The research, conducted in association with Telefónica, polled over 600 people working in the UK’s mobile and digital media industries, and looked at ‘Company Programmes’, ‘Personal Initiatives’ and ‘Perception of Organisational Culture’, and the impact that these areas have on career progression.

Initial insights

The study reveals that two thirds (66%) of respondents believe that organisational culture is the main reason why women are under-represented at senior levels in digital media and mobile industries, followed by a lack of career development opportunities (20%). The results also reveal a stark difference between the career development plans and company training programmes offered by SMEs and corporate organisations – just 31% of SMEs provide external training for employees compared to 50% of corporates (49% and 79% respectively when looking at internal training), and only 30% of SMEs have short term career development plans in place for staff compared to over half (51%) of corporate organisations.

When looking at the areas that women are proactively working on to help develop their careers, 61% have undertaken training, 60% have addressed feedback from peers or managers and 58% have increased their profile and visibility in the business.

Barriers to career progression

The Women in Wireless UK report reveals that 83% of women between the ages of 35-54 believe that it is harder for women to succeed in their careers than men, with 65% of 18-34 year olds agreeing. While more than 62% of respondents stated that there are opportunities to progress their career in their organisations, more than half (57%) say that there has been no opportunity for progression over the past year. Interestingly, of the people who did have the opportunity to be progress, the majority did not apply for the position due to a lack of confidence and personal reasons, such as pregnancy and childcare support.

Training alone is not enough

The research reveals that over two thirds (69%) have attended a training session over the past 12 months, 46% have actively sought internal training and 36% have sought external training. But while some companies are providing their employees with training, there is a discrepancy between what people are looking to achieve from company development programmes and what they are being offered. When asked about the schemes that companies should be offering in order to help them in progress their careers, ‘more training’ ranked seventh on the list, after ‘more mentoring/sponsorship opportunities’ (42%), ‘HR programmes to help women in leadership roles’ (40%), ‘more flexible working options’ (39%), ‘new or improved corporate culture’ (30%) and ‘childcare support’(24%). So it is clear that women looking to succeed in the wireless and digital media industries are seeking more than just training in their career development plans.

Driving personal initiatives is the key to success

A quarter (25%) of respondents ranked ‘self-belief and confidence’ as the number one factor which they believe will help support the progression of their careers. But while 42% of people said that ‘mentoring and sponsorship’ is a key factor which would support them in their career development, only 22% have actively sought an internal mentor over the past year, and 10% have an external mentor. Interestingly, only 1 in 2 (49%) of people surveyed said that they have a role model. ‘Managers’ (including ‘senior managers’ and ‘leadership team’) were seen as the top role models in business, followed by industry leaders including ‘Sheryl Sandberg’ and ‘Marissa Meyer’.

When looking at the initiatives that people are undertaking to help them progress, 44% go online to build their network of contacts, 42% attend industry events, 41% are members of networking groups and just under a quarter (23%) of respondents use Professional Associations.

Commenting on the survey results, Rimma Perelmuter, Co-Founder of Women in Wireless UK and Co-Chair of Development, said*: “The results clearly highlight that companies need to look beyond formal training to help women in our industry maximise their full potential – including flexible working options and facilitating access to coaching, mentoring and sponsorship.  At the same time, the data highlights that women in our industry would benefit from more proactively undertaking the right combination of personal initiatives to achieve a fulfilling career. To this end, WiW UK will be calling upon the results to develop tailored programmes on issues such as leadership, personal effectiveness and career planning in collaboration with Industry.”

Jennifer Macrae, Co-Founder and Team Leader of Women in Wireless UK**, added; “Women in Wireless was set up to help connect, develop and promote women working in the wireless and digital media industries. The organisation has been running in the US for several years and we have decided to build on its success by opening it up to women in the UK. The survey results are a call to action for the industry at large to raise awareness of gender diversity issues here and help develop programmes that really address the issues that women are facing in the rapidly evolving wireless and digital media industries today.”

Derek McManus, Chief Operating Officer, Telefónica UK and Board lead for Diversity and Inclusion, comments: “It is quite sobering to see that many women still believe that it is harder to succeed in their careers than it is for men.  As an industry, we need to do more to turn this around, and it’s up to senior management to ensure they’re doing as much as possible to encourage and inspire their female employees. Whether that’s running mentoring schemes to support women throughout their career, for example Telefónica’s Women in Leadership Programme, using positive role models of successful women in the industry or pioneering flexible working practices, all businesses can make a difference. It’s crucial that the industry works with organisations like Women in Wireless to take action.”

For more information on Women in Wireless please visit http://womeninwireless.org/. To become a member please join the WiW UK Linked In and Facebook groups.

–ENDS–

For more information regarding Women in Wireless, please contact: 

Ivana Farthing, Diffusion

+44 (0) 207 291 0230

Ivana.farthing@diffusionpr.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:

* Rimma Perelmuter is also CEO of MEF

** Jennifer Macrae is also Digital Wallet Market Development Lead UK and Ireland, MasterCard Worldwide

ABOUT THE RESEARCH:

• The research was conducted by Women in Wireless in association with People Analytics, Telefónica Europe.
• 616 people from across the mobile industry were polled. 67% of responses came from people working in the mobile and digital media industries, and other industries also included were wireless, payments, fixed line services and ICT. The survey was open to all, but 95% of responses came from women
• The research was conducted between December and January 2013
• The Women in Wireless UK State of Play report is available to download from [INSERT LINK]

ABOUT WiW UK:

Women in Wireless UK is a vibrant member-led organisation launched in April 2013 as part of the international Women in Wireless (WiW) organisation whose mission is to connect, develop and promote current and future female leaders in mobile and digital media. We do this through building a London-headquartered community, providing networking opportunities and establishing needs-based programmes for professional and personal development. Women in Wireless UK is therefore able to help our members develop their full potential and achieve rewarding careers. By recognising aspiring talent and role models, we aim to inspire our members and promote the next generation of women leaders in technology.

Background to the survey

Earlier this year WiW, in association with Telefónica, conducted an online survey polling 600+ industry colleagues about their views on gender diversity in the mobile and digital media industries. The aim of the survey was to understand any industry specific challenges we may face with a view to enabling WiW to better serve our community in pursuing challenging and fulfilling career paths.

On Tuesday, May 21, we will hold an event in London, revealing the results, and have brought together a panel of gender diversity experts from industry, academia and government to discuss the Survey’s implications, explore existing initiatives and make recommendations for promoting women leaders in wireless and digital media in the UK.

Request a copy of the report here:

[contact-form-7]
Format of the evening

18.00 – Registration and networking

18.30 – Opening and context

• Welcome/background and announcement of Kindle HD winner from the survey respondents! – Jen Macrae, Team Leader and Co-Founder of WiW UK
• The survey results – Aisling Campbell, People Analytics & Programme Manager, Telefónica
• How will WiW’s future programming reflect the survey results? – Geraldina Iraheta, Co-Chair, WiW Development Committee.

19.00 – Panel discussion on survey results and UK industry landscape

Chaired by Rimma Perelmuter, Co-Founder of WiW UK

Panelists

Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director, International of CourseSmart

Fionnuala brings with her more than 20 years of experience within the digital media industry. As the Managing Director for CourseSmart International, she is responsible for developing and launching CourseSmart’s global presence.

Previously Fionnuala served as the Director of Digital at The Random House Group Ltd, launching the digital businesses for ebooks, audio, apps and web.
At EMI Recorded Music, she served as the Vice President of New Media for Europe and International, where she successfully developed and executed a strategy for the company’s e and m-commerce business.

Fiona Dent, Director of Executive Education, Ashridge

Fiona is a Senior Faculty member at Ashridge Business School and the author of eight books including Women in Business: Navigating Success, which she co-authored with Vicki Holton.

Fiona has significant Programme and Client Director experience, and has worked with a range of organisations and clients on a national and international basis. She continues to write and research predominantly in the areas of influencing leadership skill, relationship management and women in business

Aisling Campbell, People Analytics and Programme Manager, Telefónica

Aisling is currently People Analytics Manager for Telefónica Europe and has held a number of Marketing and HR roles within Telefónica since joining the organisation over six years ago.

Prior to this, she worked with market research agencies in Dublin across a range of sectors including technology, media, finance and Government. She holds a BSc in Psychology from Queen’s University Belfast and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from University of Leicester.

Shahid Bashir, Senior Corporate Diversity Strategist, Diversity Works for London

Shahid manages the Mayor’s business diversity programme which contributes to the growth and sustainability of London’s economy by supporting businesses to develop, diverse workforces, supply chains and inclusive workplaces, increasing their capabilities to access diverse markets. His approach focuses on building people centered organisations and supporting businesses to improve performance through leveraging the power of diversity and inclusion. He is currently developing a Diversity return on investment tool and writing his first book, “Diversity isn’t a dirty word” (working title), which is a no nonsense guide to doing diversity within organisations.

20.00 – Q & A to panel

20.15 – Summary and invitation to networking – Jen Macrae

10.00 – Event Close

As usual for WiW, networking with old and new friends is also a feature of the evening. Thanks to our hosts, Telefónica Digital, for hosting us at their offices and providing refreshments!

Women in Wireless UK

FRIDAY 5: ROUND UP OF THE TOP 5 STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Consumer Confidence in Mobile Commerce Grows

by: Internet Retailer  http://bit.ly/13AjBJb

2. IBM: Mother’s Day mobile sales up 23%

by: Chain Store Age http://bit.ly/Z0ecM4

3. Google exec: Mobile has a measurement problem, not a conversion one

by: Mobile Marketer http://bit.ly/17CDh2j

4. Retailers embrace in-store mapping via smartphones to facilitate shopping

by: Mobile Commerce Daily http://bit.ly/YNIRKh

5. Use mobile to lure customers to stores, keep them there: Google

by: Luxury Daily http://bit.ly/10Jfer0

THE TOP 5 JOBS OF THE WEEK

Lead Accounts Services Manager

Company: Jumptap

Location: Boston, MA

http://bit.ly/185chX1

Digital Marketing Strategist

Company: Acquity Group

Location: Chicago, IL

http://linkd.in/15RUANb

Mobile Advertising Sales Manager

Company: TuneIn

Location: New York, NY

http://bit.ly/12fsh4P

Director of Marketing, Mobile

Company: Owler

Location: San Mateo, CA

http://bit.ly/105UWbj

Product Manager – Mobile Adveritsing

Company: Yellow Pages

Location: San Francisco, CA

https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=YELLOWPAGES&cws=1&rid=5142

FRIDAY 5: ROUND UP OF THE TOP 5 STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Two-Thirds of Small Business Owners Now Use Mobile Technology by MobileMarketingWatch

Among the small businesses that are using mobile technology, the top two ways are email and social media marketing, and they have a considerable lead over other uses:

73 percent conduct social media marketing 71 percent conduct email marketing

(Read full article)

2. Personalization, new technologies top priorities for mobile marketers: MMA Forum 2013 attendees by MobileMarketingWatch

“One concern is the ability to reach their customers in a timely and relevant fashion.

They want to reach, but they want to maintain relevancy as well.

On the app side, it is about consumer engagement and sending relevant messages. Also, trying to understand how to get the best return on investment.” (Read full article)

3. Study: Mobile Marketing Industry to Employ 1.4 Million In 2015 by Ad Age

Mobile marketing spending is also predicted to increase, jumping from $6.7 billion in 2012 to a nearly $20 billion in 2015 for a compound annual growth rate of 52%.

(Read full article)

4. Publishers focus on centralizing mobile strategy to meet brand needs by BtoB

ALM had seen its audience migrate from BlackBerry phones to iPhones, and the publisher had noticed a distinct digital usage pattern. Attorneys access ALM content on their way to the office, at the end of the workday and before bed—all times of day that they are likely to be using a mobile device. (Read full article)

5. Mobile Marketing Spend Hits $6.7B In 2012, Forecasts Soar by MediaPost

To highlight the role that mobile marketing is already playing in the economy, the 118-page report noted that such activity added a half a percentage point to total U.S. output last year, when measured against the $33 trillion in domestic sales. That proportion is expected to rise to 1.05% of total output by 2015. (Read full article)

THE TOP 5 JOBS OF THE WEEK

Senior Mobile Strategist

Company: R/GA

Location: New York, NY

Senior Creative Technologist

Company: Mullen

Location: Boston, MA

Product Manager, Mobile

Company: Tube Mogul

Location: Emeryville, CA

Account Manager

Company: Tapjoy

Location: Chicago, IL

Mobile Media Manager

Company: Modis

Location: Los Angeles, CA

FRIDAY 5: ROUND UP OF THE TOP 5 STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Mobile Isn’t for B2B or B2C, It’s for Everyone via Clickz.com

90 percent of people now use multiple screens sequentially to accomplish a task over time, and 98 percent of those people move between devices in that same day to accomplish a task. It’s in every marketer’s interest to be able to reach users with the right message on the right device at the right time. In mobile, just like in search and social, everything is “to consumer” regardless of your type of business. (Read full article)

2. Mobile Is About Enablement, Not Transactions via Mediapost.com

Another company that truly understands the power of mobile is Amazon.com. Analysts estimate Amazon gets an estimated 8% of its revenue from mobile channels. The site has become a product information portal for product availability, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. (Read full article)

3. Why real-time bidding can save the mobile ad market via Gaurdian.co.uk

The overheads of planning and buying a traditional display media campaign cost an agency more than £24,000, a fixed cost regardless of whether the budget is £100 or £1m. And adding just one more line item (ie, a publisher) to a media plan is still a big deal: 42 steps managed by a dozen pairs of hands, which takes the agency roughly 15 hours to execute on. If this manual process is still holding up the growth of display around the world, imagine the impact on mobile. Bearing in mind the relatively small audience sizes and upfront costs, it’s no wonder direct mobile sales just haven’t been an option. (Read full article)

 

4. Small Businesses Turning To Digital, Mobile via Mediapost.com

Despite the rise in other forms of digital communication, 41% of small businesses are using e-mail to reach consumers — a nearly 25% jump over last year. Nearly a third have adopted mobile-friendly Web sites (those that are viewed more easily on smartphones), and 36% have begun to use LinkedIn as a way to extend awareness of their business (a 16% increase over last year), while Facebook participation declined slightly. (Read full article)

5. Buyers Are From Mars, Sellers Are From Venus via adexchanger.com

There are a number of alternative measurement methodologies – last click, post view, fractional attribution and multi-touch attribution – but they’re fraught with their own issues. Giving credit to only the last piece of advertising clicked doesn’t seem right, and giving credit based on a view or a cookie might be even worse. Attribution promises to solve these thorny issues but ultimately requires judgment calls to be made. And judgment calls undermine the point of measuring in the first place. (Read full article)

 

THE TOP 5 JOBS OF THE WEEK

Account Executive

Company: DataXu

Location: Chicago, IL

Director, Media Relations

Company: Crackle

Location: Culver City, CA

Mobile Advertising Internship -Account Coordinator

Company: Mobile Theory

Location: New York, NY

Business Development, Mobile Industry

Company: HasOffers

Location: San Fransisco

Strategy Director, Central Region

Company: Millennial Media

Location: Chicago, IL or Atlanta, GA

Sponsored By

Join Women in Wireless Dallas for an evening of cupcakes, cocktails, and conversations with other professionals from leading mobile and digital companies on Tuesday, May 14^th. The evening networking reception, sponsored by Jumptap, will be held at the exclusive Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and is open to all Women in Wireless members. Attendance is free, but advance registration is kindly requested.

Date:             Tuesday, May 14th

Time:            5-7 pm

Register:      Click here

Companies: Founder of Amy Stern Consulting LLC and Aim High Videos
Location: NYC Metro area

1. A little on your expertise…

I do sales consulting for organizations and companies that have the “telecom and broadband blues”. I help companies solve their telecom and broadband needs, whether that entails expanding and adding capacity, saving money, working on a disaster protection plan, or fixing a service problem. My background of 30 years at Verizon doing wholesale marketing, product management, sales, new product launches, tariffs, pricing and contracts prepares me for that.

My other passion is making videos. I make website videos and short documentaries. I work a lot with people who have an interesting personal story to tell, and with organizations that have a message to get out. In the short time that I’ve been doing this, I’ve had videos selected to appear in 5 film festivals.

2. Why did you join WIW?

I was originally approached by WiW to be a mentor. I love helping younger women with their careers. I hope there are people out there mentoring my daughters in their respective fields, so it makes sense for me to be a mentor in my field.

I’ve always been active in women’s groups; I was one of the first presidents of Wharton Women in the 1970s. What makes WiW special is that it’s got a good balance of business, networking, and fun.

3. What is your favorite thing about mobile?

I love the freedom mobile gives you to be anywhere and still manage your life and your business. I also love the potential mobile creates to help so many underprivileged people around the world with things like telemedicine, education, and the ability to start businesses.  I have done some consulting on telemedicine in  rural America and in Africa, and it’s really amazing what a difference mobile can make.

4. What do you think is the hottest trend in wireless right now?

Right now I think transactional capabilities like mobile billing are the hottest trend, but in the long run, anything that helps consumers to manage, sort, and store all of their information seamlessly will be the winner.

5. What is your favorite app?

It has to be GPS, but that’s because I have such a bad sense of direction. I could also say I love any video streaming apps, although that’s self-serving since I produce videos.

You won’t want to miss this award winning presentation and networking event!!

Thursday, May 9,
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Women in Wireless presents AOL’s award winning: “7 Shades of Mobile” presented by Vicki Draper

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

New York City, AOL Headquarters
Cocktails & Appetizers will be served
Venue: AOL Offices

Space is limited so registration here on EventBrite is essential if you will be attending.

RSVP HERE

Women in Wireless  |  www.womeninwireless.org
The mission of Women in Wireless(WiW) is to develop and advance women leaders in mobile and digital media. Our organization is well-established in the US with chapters in San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, London and New York.

RSVP HERE

Please bring your old phones to the event to Donate!
Women in Wireless supports Grameen Foundation’s “Recycle to Eradicate Poverty” initiative by collecting donated cell phones, PDAs, pagers and inkjet cartridges. Proceeds from your donations provide microfinance loans to women entrepreneurs to create sustainable, small businesses. You can help break the cycle of poverty for the world’s poorest people, especially women and their children.

Learn more at grameenfoundation.org and recycletoeradicatepoverty.com.

FRIDAY 5: ROUND UP OF THE TOP 5 STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Mobile’s Elite: Younger, Richer Than Marketers Realize via Mediapost.com

Forrester reports that 22% of American online adults are actually furthest along in this mobile shift, connecting frequently and on multiple devices. Calling this elite group “Adapters, Immersers, and Perpetuals,” Forrester finds that on average, they are 34 and earning more $95,000 per year. They are likely to use dozens of apps daily, and are driven by convenience and impatience. They are also more open, with 43% willing to exchange personal information if they feel they are being rewarded with something of value. (Read full article)

 

2. Mobile Commerce Meets the Mobile Moms via Mediapost.com

Alliance Data surveyed mothers, the majority of whom had one to two children, and found the top reasons that most mothers (56%) use mobile devices to shop is that it’s fast/easy, they have no time to go to a mall or store and they can more easily compare prices. (Read full article)

3. Tumblr Brings Its Native Ad Format To Mobile via Mediapost.com

The app gives publishers an opportunity to take over that experience and not have it mediated in quite the same way by Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. I maintain that one of the most important ramifications of the smartphone and tablet revolution is that it calls attention to just how visually crappy and experientially fragmented the Web always has been as a media experience. (Read full article)

4. Mobile social advertising makes quantum leap forward via MobileMarketer.com

With social media use increasingly taking place from mobile device and smartphone adoption continuing to grow, the convergence of social and mobile holds out significant promise to enable marketers to deliver more contextually-relevant ads. Taken together, the recent advances made by Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are helping mobile social deliver on that promise. (Read full article)

5. Is mobile a more important ad medium than TV? Facebook thinks so via MobileMarketer.com

While mobile is often called the second screen, in reality users are carrying their mobile phones with them everywhere they go throughout the day, using them to consume snippets of content along the way. As a result, many users are spending more time with a mobile screen than they do on traditional media.

However, it is not just mobile’s always-on nature that is attractive to marketers. There is also the fact that consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones for shopping-related activities and to engage with social media outlets, opening up brand new, still-to-be-explored opportunities for leveraging mobile. (Read full article)

 

 

THE TOP 5 JOBS OF THE WEEK

Regional Sales Manager

Company: Xaxis

Location: New York, NY

Advertising Campaign Manager

Company: Pandora

Location: Santa Monica, CA

Account Executive

Company: Appsavvy

Location: Chicago, IL

Mobile Business Advisor

Company: Thumbly

Location: Atlanta, GA

Fiksu Evangelist

Company: Fiksu

Location: Boston, MA

FRIDAY 5: ROUND UP OF THE TOP 5 STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Women Shoppers Want to Shop in Stores, but Open to Mobile Deals While There via Mediapost.com

In the no-kidding department of research, a new study found that even though more than half (53%) of women have up to five shopping apps on their smartphones, most (76%) prefer to shop for clothes and shoes in a retail store rather than through an app.

While hardly a surprise, the same study also contains some insights for how marketers and retailers can engage with female shoppers on location. (Read full article)

2. Los Angeles Girl Scouts Will Get Game Design Merit Badge! via IntoMobile.com

GSGLA Chief Executive Officer Lise Luttgens added, “Girl Scouts has a long history of developing pioneers in the fields of science and technology, so we are excited about collaborating with Women in Games International to ignite girls’ interests in [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] STEM-related subjects.” (Read full article)

3. Is mobile a more important ad medium than TV? Facebook thinks so via MobileMarketer.com

Smartphone penetration in the United States reached 57 percent earlier this year, according to comScore, meaning there are already a significant number of Americans marketers that can potentially reach consumers via mobile phones. Adoption levels have not stopped growing, either.

(Read full article)

4. Study: Mobile And Tablets Driving US Paid Search Spend  via www.adotas.com

Consumers increased click volume on smartphones by 86 percent YoY.  And despite a 10.4 percent drop in smartphone CPC, total advertiser spend on smartphones was up 68 percent YoY. Total spend on tablets went up 135 percent YoY. (Read full article)

5. IAB Mobile Marketplace: Understanding the Full Value of Mobile With Google via Clickz.com

“Mobile is paving new paths between customers and conversions. Nowadays there are many new types of conversions and companies need to recognize the value of each of these. There are lots of options available to market your brand and create engagement amongst multiple screens. Context drives device choice. Brands need to understand consumer behavior and develop a mobile specific strategy in order to drive purchases,” (Read full article)

THE TOP 5 JOBS OF THE WEEK

Manager, Business Development

Company: Jumptap

Location: San Francisco

Mobile Sales Specialist West Coast, Branded Solutions

Company:  Time, Inc.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Media Planner

Company: 22quared

Location: Atlanta, GA

NFC Solutions Architect, Locals only

Company: Activesoft

Location: Waltham, MA

Strategy Director

Company: Millennial Media

Location: Chicago, IL