Creative Equals has launched a hard-hitting campaign to push back against the steady stream of female creative talent leaving the industry.

In the midst of a 25% decline in female Creative Directors in the UK, the campaign features an image of a folding chair alongside the strapline: “If they don’t offer you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair”.

Created by That Lot, who generously created the campaign for free, the work promotes Creative Equals ‘Back-to-Work Accelerator programme, which was previously known as the Creative Comeback. Diageo is the ongoing sponsor of the programme.

2025 marks the sixth year that Creative Equals has run a programme to support women out of work back into the industry. It comes amid a decline of female leadership in creative roles.

Data from the IPA Census reveals that a talent crisis is afoot. The data shows that creative leadership (which includes Chief Creative Officers, Executive Creative Directors, Heads of Creative Department and Creative Director roles) is the only area to report a decline in the proportion of women in both of the last two years. The figures fell from 30.2% in September 2022 to 27.0% in 2023 and again to 25.6% in 2024.

Creative Equals' new campaign is designed to urge the industry to address this backward slide through its Back-To-Work Accelerator, which supports women out of work, back into roles within the industry. The campaign will run on outdoor sites, including on the Shoreditch Showcase and online.

The free to attend three-week programme aims to provide the tools and knowledge to navigate today’s recruitment landscape. As well as share the insights needed to land a job back in the industry. Participants will get the chance to build their portfolio by working on a live brief with ongoing programme sponsor, Diageo.

Emma Murphy, Community Director at Creative Equals, explains: ‘If there’s no seat at the table, we say: ‘bring a folding chair.” 

Murphy points to data from the Major Players 2025 Salary Census, another benchmark, which shows a 5% decrease in the number of women and non-binary individuals across the Creative Industries, equivalent to 120,000 departures. “This signals a concerning trend around the retention and advancement of women in the Creative Industries: what is going on?” Murphy asks.

Paul Hewitt, Executive Creative Director at That Lot, added: "Creative Equals' role in our industry is more important than ever right now. It feels apt in a time where governments and organisations are abandoning their DE&I promises. At the heart of this campaign is the folding chair - the chair itself acts as a reminder for you to take your rightful place at the table in this industry - no matter your background and circumstance. Because in these times, this industry needs your creativity more than ever before.
Bring your chair and take your seat.” 

The free to attend programme will run in June 2025 for creative women and gender non-conforming people. It’s designed to accelerate the creative careers of those who have taken a break from the industry due to life's consequences (caring, illness, economic hardship, maternity leave etc)​, giving their diverse perspectives a much needed seat at the creative table and keeping them in the industry.

After an upskilling bootcamp with world class creative workshops from D&AD, participants will work on a real, live brief from Diageo, finishing with a full week of employability support sessions.

The programme kicks off on 2 June 2025 and is open to up to 30 women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming creatives who have worked in the marketing, advertising and media industry and are currently looking for a way back in.

Murphy added: “The idea of a ‘Folding Chair’ isn’t just a programme - it’s a call to action. We’re not here to quietly knock. We’re here to reshape the table itself. The creative industries need these voices more than ever. After all, women make 70-80% of all purchasing decisions across most major categories, for example, 70% of all travel purchases are made by women.”

She continued: “In 2025, it has not gone unnoticed by female creative communities that many senior women have been made redundant in the latest round of mergers and AI-related layoffs. Without senior role models of all intersections, who do young talent aspire to be?”

Applications are now open, and close on 6 May 2025. To find out more, please click here.