The flurry of industry events to mark International Women’s Day may be over, but for Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership (WACL) the drive for equality continues 365 days a year.

With that equality and equity in mind, WACL has announced the winners of the 2024 Talent Awards, which recognise and invest in the female leaders going above and beyond not just in their day jobs, but in support of those around them.

The awards, which are run in partnership with NABS, the support organisation for the advertising and media industry, were launched by Tess Alps in 2005. The awards are designed to encourage talented and inspirational women to stop, reflect on and prioritise areas of their development in order to accelerate their careers and achieve their full potential. Over the past 19 years, more than 270 women have received bursaries totalling over £500,000.

This year 21 people were chosen from 163 applications to receive bursaries of up to £1,500 each to fund a training course of their choice. Entrants spanned a mix of ages, backgrounds and locations, and are representative of the whole industry, media and creative agencies, brands, tech platforms, startups and more.

Notably over 50% of the courses are centred around leadership compared to 25% last year. Other courses ranged from strategy and presentation to service prototyping and creative writing.

“In WACL’s 101st year, we have been truly inspired by the talent, drive and determination of applicants to the Talent Awards. Not only are our winners the future of our industry as practitioners, but are championing gender equality and equity,” said Alex Goat, Chair of the WACL Talent Awards committee and CEO of Livity. 

She continued: “This year we heard with honesty and authenticity about the challenges facing our next generation of leaders as they rise in their careers. With training budgets more constrained than ever, as WACL and NABS, we are immensely proud to be able to offer 21 bursaries to changemakers from across the UK, to further accelerate their careers and support them in their journey through leadership. As we continue on our mission to accelerate gender equality across business and our industry, I cannot think of a more exciting way to support this than with the Talent Awards. I can’t wait to see what impact this year’s cohort will have.”

One exceptional winner is also awarded the annual Patricia Mann Award, for championing change and challenging the status quo to support other women and make a positive impact on the marketing and advertising industry. This year’s winner is Dhatri Navanayagam, previously Senior Strategy Director at EssenceMediacom, now independent consultant.

On winning the award Navanayagam said, “I care deeply about nurturing the next generation of creative, ambitious and resilient women leaders. I am delighted to have won a WACL Talent Award that recognises and champions the leadership potential of women from all backgrounds. I can’t wait to be part of this incredible support network of fabulous women leaders as I take the next step in my leadership journey. I strongly believe in the transformative power of advertising to drive positive change and I am especially honoured to have won the Patricia Mann award.”

WACL also awarded The Wendy Braverman Award for a leading light in the advertising industry across more than three decades, Wendy was a champion of talent, a dedicated supporter of NABS and long term WACL member. Introduced in 2021, the award is given to one of the Talent Award winners who truly reflects Wendy’s entrepreneurial flair. The judges awarded two women this year: Marianne Olaleye, Founder and Chief Brand Storyteller of JAIKU and Jennifer Quiqly-Jones, Founder and CEO of Digital Voices.

On winning the award Olaleye said: “It was very emotional. Having the backing of a network of women leaders that has existed for more than 100 years has given me a massive confidence boost, confirming that I have what it takes to go out there and set up my own marketing agency. I’m thrilled to have been given the funding for my chosen course, which will help me build and grow a successful agency and also, more importantly, to now be joining this network of incredible women leaders. Finding out about the award was very touching, and to hear what the women of WACL have said about me and my talent, as well as the support they’re offering, means everything to me. I am really excited to start this new chapter of my life.”

All winners will receive a membership to the Futures networking group, created and run by alumni of the Awards, as well as a copy of Gremlins by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, the founders of award-winning learning and development company Amazing If.

WACL supports women in the industry through all seasons of their careers. Last year the group launched an open-sourced menopause policy to help drive more inclusive policies.