Content Everywhere: meeting the diversity challenge

Telstra itself believes it is bucking the trend, even though only 25% of its 24-strong team at IBC were women. As the company concedes, there is still much more it can do, “but this percentage felt higher than many other companies with whom we met” at IBC, it says.

Roland Sars, CEO of Media Distillery, acknowledges the challenge of recruiting women for tech roles, “particularly in our specialist field of AI, which is increasingly important in media and entertainment. We have made progress with recent hires, but recognise we still have a long way to go,” he says.

Meanwhile, Stefan Lederer, CEO of Bitmovin, points out that the media and entertainment industry is a creative and influential space that needs a vibrant, diverse community of talent to help propel it forward.

“However, it’s not just enough to recruit more diverse people. We need to ensure we are working tirelessly to create an inclusive environment where people from underrepresented groups feel listened to and supported, and this requires every leader in the industry to embrace the different experiences of a diverse workforce,” he says.

So how do female executives and leaders at Content Everywhere companies rate the current level of diversity in the media and entertainment sector, and what measures are their companies taking to improve the situation?

Voices for change

Catriona Tate, sales director at Accedo, says the lack of diversity is still a major problem in the industry and solving it requires significant effort to recruit and retain staff.

“Like all software companies we’ve room to improve, but we measure and publish our diversity goals and policies, we actively seek diverse job candidates through partnerships and networks, we write inclusive job descriptions, run diverse interview panels, train for unconscious bias and ensure 30% diversity in job shortlists. We author inclusive content and celebrate events such as International Women’s Day,” Tate says.

Geetanjali Dogra Mehta, events and content manager at Magnifi, also observes that while the number of women has increased in the industry, they are not well represented in senior positions. “The lack of female role models in senior positions makes it harder for young women to envision those career paths and so discourages pushing for them,” she says.

Mehta adds: “That said, women in sports are leading the charge in representation by garnering higher viewership, once retired, many invest in the sports industry. There are also organisations like BCCI where both men and women receive equal match fees. A lot of events are being driven by organisations like RISE and Grip, platforms for women to become mentors. These allow women to be spotlighted and inspire others.”

Sara Khan, general counsel and GM EMEA at LTN, says it’s important to recognise that the skills needed to succeed in the industry can, and should, come from many different places.

“At LTN, we actively seek out people who we know will bring fresh ideas to the table. We focus on hiring individuals with backgrounds that are complementary to those of the team members that we already have and who can push us to go further and innovate faster. Our practice of hiring to promote innovation manifests itself in a workforce that is increasingly diverse not only in terms of skill-set but also in terms of ethnic, racial, and gender diversity,” Khan says.

Gosia Samsel, sales manager at Spyrosoft BSG, agrees that the Content Everywhere and M&E sectors definitely need to improve when it comes to diversity.

“Women are still under represented, especially in technical and leadership roles. This lack of diversity can slow down innovation, as different perspectives are important in driving creativity and new ideas,” Samsel says.

In the view of Jane Sung, COO of Cinedeck, diversity in the sector has been steadily increasing over the years, “but at a pace that is too slow for many, and there is more to be done. There are a few ways that companies can promote diversity in the workplace, for everyone – including but not limited to women, people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community and neurodivergent individuals.”

Lelde Ardava, sales and account manager at Veset, adds that it continues to be important to encourage women and underrepresented individuals to get involved in the media and entertainment industry. “At Veset, we specialise in cloud playout, and we believe that it is vital for the content that is distributed to be created by a wide range of colourful, unique and diverse talent, on and off screen,” she says.

Lalita Tadikonda, SVP, corporate strategy and business development at Evergent, also notes that the global media technology industry still has plenty of work to do in fostering a more diverse workforce and embedding sustainable business practices. “The next generation of talent wants to feel part of a socially responsible, environmentally conscious industry,” she comments.

What measures are companies taking to promote diversity in the workforce?

As with any sector, even in 2024, says Ajey Anand, CEO at Norigin Media, women tend to gravitate to certain domains such as marketing, design and also quality assurance.

“These are important within any professional value chain, but are still supporting roles. It comes down to effective and inherent curiosity or creativity that women bring to any sector. We see fewer technical and architect level roles taken by women, but I actually think that’s more of a western world situation, unlike in Asian countries like India and China, where many women take on high positions across such roles. It starts with education and interest that comes with a cultural aspect too,” he comments.

Some countries are aided by more progressive and supportive laws, as noted by Anand’s colleague at Norigin, Valerie Massie, sales and marketing coordinator.

“I think a lot of gender diversity issues are addressed through the Norwegian laws so we don’t have as many of the same issues seen globally. For example, maternity leave and paternity leave, family benefits, healthcare,” she says.

Accedo’s Tate notes that children sometimes make career choices early on, “so a strong female workforce starts in school, making the right subject choices and simply knowing careers like ours exist. Schemes like the Rise Academy start in school and Accedo raises awareness via local universities. Once in work, role models need to be visible ascending the ranks and women need to be flexibly supported to accommodate maternity, childcare, menopause and caring responsibilities women still disproportionately shoulder.”

As noted by Media Distillery’s Sars, companies can implement plenty of measures to change the status quo.

“We have made it a priority to create a recruitment process that appeals to women by crafting inclusive job descriptions and involving diverse perspectives in hiring decisions. Research suggests women are less likely than men to apply for a job when they don’t meet all elements of the published criteria. We aim to counteract this self-exclusion through thoughtful wording of our advertisements,” he says.

Media Distillery also focuses on pay equity, benchmarking salary scales to prevent discrepancies that can occur when men are more willing to negotiate on pay. “Additionally, we emphasise work-life balance through flexible work hours, remote working options, and unlimited vacation policies, fostering an environment where all employees can thrive,” Sars says.

Of course, these challenges are not unique to M&E, Sars adds, “and while industry-wide initiatives like Women in Media and RISE are valuable, we believe that creating a supportive, equitable workplace is key to retaining and attracting more women in tech generally.”

Kahn says LTN, “like other companies across the media and technology industries, still has plenty of steps to take in attracting and nurturing the next generation of top talent, including those from diverse and underrepresented groups, and we are not yet where we want to be, but we are seeing progress. Our representation of women on our executive management team, for example, has increased by 300% in the past five years.”

Samsel from Spyrosoft BSG suggests that one effective approach is through mentoring and career development programmes that focus on supporting women.

“Rise, for example, is an organisation that helps women in broadcast technology by providing skills development, networking opportunities and career support. I’d like to see more companies working with groups like Rise to help bring more women into the industry. This could mean setting up internal mentoring programs, providing leadership training, and creating flexible work environments that make it easier for women to pursue their careers without facing unnecessary barriers.

Bitmovin’s Lederer opines that the best way for the industry to build a more diverse team is by ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is a key consideration in everything from recruitment to implementing new company policies and communicating them. “At Bitmovin, we’ve worked to revamp our recruitment process – from the job ads to the interviews – to make it more inclusive. We also provide a mandatory DEIB course for all employees and host multiple DEIB-focused workshops for employees,” he says.

Lederer adds: “One thing I recommend all leaders do is to embrace the perspectives of your team. For example, we regularly host Happy Hours for our partners and customers across the world, but one of our female leaders rightly pointed out that we should mix it up and also offer breakfast briefings to make them more accessible for people with family commitments or people who may just not feel comfortable rocking up to a Happy Hour alone. It was a great insight and one that we implemented straight away. Listen to your team!”

Sung suggests that perhaps the most important way to promote diversity in the industry is by implementing and committing to a diversity policy and making an effort to actively close the gender gap. “This includes everything from equal pay, fair maternity and paternity considerations, diversity within roles, sector diversity and a positive work atmosphere. At Cinedeck, we are proud to represent and work alongside women of all backgrounds and cultures, including Ukrainian war refugees. Our team would simply not run without our talented and diverse members.”

As well as this, Sung notes, “the importance of building a strong network cannot be understated. For underrepresented individuals interested in the M&E sector, they need a network to build on. Companies in the industry can do their part by actively encouraging new diverse talent and providing new and exciting opportunities for networking. By taking it one step at a time, companies can make a difference.”

Veset’s Ardava recommends actively encouraging and promoting diversity. “You can do this by incorporating a strong and steadfast diversity policy, ensuring equal pay, holding diversity networking events and cultivating a fair and positive work environment. By implementing just one of these, companies can immediately make a difference, encouraging people of all backgrounds, identities and cultures to venture into the industry,” she says.

Within our businesses, Ardava continues, “it is also essential that we continue to proudly display celebrations of identity, as well as recognise and maintain a good level of role diversity. As our industry continues to evolve, we strive to create a different story on diversity for women and underrepresented individuals not just within our teams and business models, but in ourselves.”

Tadikonda asserts that diversity and inclusion are embedded in Evergent’s core values.

“Currently, over 40% of our leadership team is made up of women, and ethnically diverse individuals represent more than 75% of upper management. We have a strong commitment to fair hiring practices, and we actively work to create a culture that is inclusive and supportive,” she says.

Tadikonda notes that this extends beyond gender and ethnic diversity to include social and charitable initiatives in local communities where Evergent operates, “alongside sustainability drives such as the DPP Committed to Sustainability programme and close cooperation with our partner Accedo — all of which is interconnected with building a fairer, more responsible industry that people want to contribute to. We were also incredibly proud to support the IBC Pride event alongside Quickplay, Google Cloud and Caretta Research at IBC2024, championing the LGBTQ+ community and allyship in media and entertainment.”

She adds: “Young women entering the industry want to feel part of an exciting, dynamic industry — media technology is exactly that but we need to do a better job of showcasing progression paths in female leadership. Ultimately, I see diversity as a business issue; companies with diverse teams and open cultures are better equipped to innovate, adapt, and succeed in a global marketplace.”

As concluded by Samsel, “progress has been made, but there’s still work to be done to attract more women into these sectors. With better mentoring and a greater emphasis on inclusivity, we can move towards a more balanced industry. This shift won’t just benefit women—it will enrich the entire industry by bringing in a broader range of ideas, experiences, and approaches to problem-solving.”