Gill Harrison, training and application manager of William Smith
Finding a balance
As a woman whose role involves documenting and communicating with the sign and wide-format print industries on a daily basis, I have noticed first-hand a disparity between men and women in the field.
This can be seen on visits to exhibitions and events both in the colleagues operating the exhibition stands and in the visitors attending events. It can also be seen during trips to conferences, and site visits to workshops and factories.
There are also a number of statistics which give weight to my observations. The ISA (International Sign Association) found in 2019 that throughout the wider economy, for every 100 men in business leadership and managerial positions, there were 66 women.
Despite this, research has found there are a number of benefits to having a balanced workforce. McKinsey found that the US could add up to $4.3trn (£3.2trn) in annual GDP by 2025 if women attain full gender equality. As well as this, McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their senior teams are 21% more likely to experience above average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile.
O Factoid: According to data from an All in Census, women were found to be six times more likely to be personally discriminated against because of their gender O
Within the sign industry, a lack of skilled workers coupled with an aging workforce is a major issue right now. Many of the women I spoke with whilst writing this feature raised this issue, and the general consensus is that rather than tackling the lack of women specifically, the industry should be looking to hire new workers in general. In doing this, there is the opportunity to employ more workers, including women, and in turn balance the disparity.
Although there is still an unbalance, the figure is slowly growing, and there are currently many successful women making their mark on the industry.
An inclusive approach
The fact that both the International Sign Association (ISA) and ISA-UK (powered by BSGA) are operated by female presidents (Lori Anderson for ISA, and Sam Armstrong for ISA-UK) is a strong stride in the right direction.
The ISA is made up of a 21-strong team, 14 of which are women. Anderson has been with the association for 18 years and says that whilst she has seen the number of women change, there’s always room for improvement.
Lori Anderson, president of the International Sign Association
Anderson says: “While there were few women in the industry when I started at ISA, there are growing numbers of women in all facets of the business, including design, fabrication, installation, and others. More women are moving to executive leadership positions at some of the largest sign companies and manufacturers in the US and there are more women owners of sign companies as well.”
Reflecting on what can be done to increase the number of women in the industry, Anderson says that awareness is key. “Our industry, and most others, is threatened by a serious workforce shortage. Finding workers is a top priority. We must be more inclusive in our approach toward recruiting, whether it be women, people of colour or other previously underrepresented groups. I’ve seen increasing numbers of companies focusing on diversity within their leadership, including adding positions such as “chief people officer” or “vice president, diversity” to their staff.
We must be more inclusive in our approach toward recruiting, whether it be women, people of colour or other previously underrepresented groups”
“The changing demographics of our society, as well as a greater understanding of how diverse teams enhance creativity and profitability, are leading this change.”
Gill Harrison, training and application manager of William Smith has been in the sign industry for 35 years. Harrison first entered the sign industry back in 1987 as a school leaver when she saw an advert in a local newspaper. Starting in artwork, Harrison remembers there being a number of women working in the team.
Sam Armstrong (bottom), owner of Make it Happen and President of ISA-UK, co-hosted a 'Ladies Day' signage bootcamp last year
At the time, most of the women were producing road traffic signs prior to digital printing and the letters needed to be meticulously spaced in line with legislations. Harrison notes that it was these women’s attention to detail and ability to multitask that made them valuable assets to the team in the eyes of Peter Smith – fourth generation of the family-run Smith business.
Harrison’s career evolved organically as the company did and as it moved more towards supplying materials, and with a forthcoming attitude towards new opportunities within the company, Harrison moved from artwork and vinyl sign production to sales, and later travelled around the country to deliver training.
When William Smith opened its Training Academy in 2017, Harrison was offered the opportunity to continue training many more people in the role of Training and Application Manager.
Today, Harrison says that whilst it is improving, there are still noticeably fewer women than men in the industry. Despite being in a diverse team of men and women within the William Smith walls, it was when out and about at trade exhibitions and later during training that Harrison remembers noticing a lack of women in the industry.
However, having worked alongside men her whole career, Harrison admits she has never considered the idea of there needing to be more women and less men, just an industry of different people all with a passion for the craft.
With this in mind, Harrison says that something that could help the gender imbalance is working at the root of employing more fresh people into the industry full stop. There is a succinct lack of entry points for sign in the form of apprenticeships or courses, and Harrison is passionate about starting here.
Flexible working is key
Over in the out-of-home (OOH) sphere, and Talon Outdoor is a company which is more female weighted. Something the company says has helped to retain high quality senior staff members, many of them women, is offering a flexible working approach.
Hayley Tiptaft, group people director came to work in the sign industry completely by chance having spent many years in publishing before moving to programmatic and creative agencies. Tiptaft says: “I found it tough in the early days of my career to juggle a young family, establishing myself and attempting to climb the career ladder. The industry is so fast paced and the scope for flexibility was a lot less than it is now. I look back on those days and truly wonder how I got through it – it helps to have a partner who champions your career.”
Hayley Tiptaft, group people director of Talon Outdoor
Often having found herself as “the solo female voice” throughout her career, Tiptaft says it is refreshing to work at a company alongside such talented women. In Tiptaft’s experience, the agency world hasn’t always been a great place for work life balance due to long hours and the need to always be available for clients. “It’s not just looking at the number of men and women within the industry, it is looking at how we give fair access to development and career opportunities coupled with flexibility so that we can address the balance from entry level to boardroom. We also need men to be our allies, our champions and our cheerleaders!”
Sarah Parkes, chief sales and marketing officer, says that to address the imbalance of women in the OOH industry and the wider media industry, you need to understand the root causes. According to data from an All in Census, 53% of women believed parental leave negatively impacted their career progression, in comparison to only 5% of men. Women were also found to be six times more likely to be personally discriminated against because of their gender.
“One proven strategy for addressing these issues is a proper commitment to flexible working for all genders,” Parkes says. “By making flexible working the norm for everyone we can reduce discrimination against women but also offer men the benefits that come with more flexibility. When I say flexible working, I don’t mean just working from home. I mean part-time work, compressed hours, time shifting, job shares – flexibility comes in lots of forms.”
Parkes adds: “Another key barrier to women’s progress (and the success of businesses) is the way we define what great leadership is, the qualities proven to make most effective leadership (empathy, vulnerability, humility, integrity, collaboration) are quite different from the old patriarchal models.
Another key barrier to women’s progress (and the success of businesses) is the way we define what great leadership is”
“These proven-effective leadership qualities are also, interestingly, ones in which women tend to over-index (although they’re by no means exclusive to women) In fact, if we recruited leaders based on these qualities right now, 70% of them would be women. Companies that are able to move away from old models of leadership and embrace the new will not only enable more women to lead, they’ll also create more effective leadership for all genders, for the benefit of all.”
Sophie Pemberton, chief strategy officer says that whilst the overall gender balance in the industry seems pretty even, where it falls down is at senior level. “I would struggle to identify any women in senior leadership roles at many of the companies we work with which is disappointing and honestly, can be quite isolating. I’ve heard plenty of times that there is ‘awareness’ of this disparity but I am yet to see that much is being done about it.”
To tackle this, Pemberton suggests having more open communication and supporting and encouraging each other. “Once you understand the personal and professional ambitions of those around you and how you can or can’t contribute, it becomes a lot easier to help people achieve their goals which will ultimately open up leadership opportunities. It’s particularly important to do this for women who often talk themselves out of more senior roles and view personal aspirations as putting their careers on hold.
“I’ve recently written short pieces about the challenges of coming back to work after maternity leave and I’ve had such an overwhelmingly supportive response welcoming this kind of honesty. We’re only human, we’re all here to enjoy ourselves so no need to make things more difficult than they have been over the last couple of years.”
Amy Horton, chief product officer agrees with Pemberton that OOH is lacking women in the most senior top roles but adds that it is very good at attracting women at junior level. She says: “We need to do more to retain women in the industry and get more women into board level positions right across our sector as men still dominate the key roles at very senior level. As an industry, we are all making efforts to better our diversity and inclusion, but I think more specific sponsorship and advocacy of women with potential would be of benefit without pressurising women to be superwoman. There is also lots our male colleagues can do to be allies, and support aspiring women in the industry.”
Amy Horton, chief product officer of Talon Outdoor
And finally, Aoife Hudson, deputy managing director of Talon Ireland has been working within OOH for ten years. She says she has been fortunate to be supported by both male and females who have facilitated her career progression and as a result, she didn’t feel like she had to choose between having a family or a career. “A supportive environment has never been more important especially over the past two years when at times, parenting and work life all rolled into one. Flexibility is absolutely key and when that is offered to your team and societal pressures around choosing one path are lifted, I think women are able to do amazing things, and rightly so!
“At Talon Ireland, gender parity is evident within our team structure. Across the industry, I think gender needs to be removed from the conversation and the focus should be solely on qualities and leadership skills. How that person completes their work should be on their authority – my biggest peeve is appraisal on hours at the desk. Our focus needs to shift to a more flexible approach to work life and success should be viewed on our output.
“Although the gender leadership gap is narrowing, I think visibility is important, we need key senior role models communicating with our future women business leaders. We need senior female voices in colleges and universities that give young woman brighter prospects about their future. At Talon Ireland, we execute a yearly initiative with Technological University Dublin and throughout that process, students are exposed to many female leaders in senior roles within our organisation.”
The next generation
With all this in mind, there are a number of initiatives striving to empower and encourage both the women in the industry and the next generation of women.
One initiative launched in December 2020 that is working to empower and inspire women in the sign industry as well as encourage the next generation to join, is Women in Signs & Graphics. Co-founded by Sarah Winterbottom, business development manager of Josero and specialist recruitment consultant Izabella Ivanovici, the organisation aims to “inspire, encourage, and promote” women in the industry.
The initiative provides a group for like-minded individuals to share ideas and work together to create a more equal sector. As well as supporting the women already in the industry, the group also collaborates with the education sector to educate the next generation on the opportunities for success within sign.
In October 2021, Winterbottom and Ivanovici partnered with Sam Armstrong, founder and managining director of signage consultancy Make it Happen to offer a ‘Ladies Day’ signage bootcamp. Founded and run by women, Make it Happen has been operating for five years and offers training and consultancy to the sign industry.
Commenting on the event, Armstrong says: “Over three years of training, I have had many a conversation with ladies who don’t always feel confident enough to ask questions, as the ratio tends to be one lady to five gentlemen on each course, although I am delighted to say that in recent times, this is changing.”
Another initiative which was launched by the International Sign Association (ISA) and Sign Builder Illustrated is Women Leading the Industry (WLI). Similarly to Women in Signs & Graphics, WLI is dedicated to inspiring and empowering women in the sign, graphics and visual communications industries who aspire to achieve leadership roles.
The initiative provides women with the tools, skills and knowledge needed to work their way up the ranks within their own career and empowers women to strive for corporate leadership roles. This is done online through LinkedIn, and also in-person with the last meeting taking place at ISA International Sign Expo in 2019. The group will be meeting again at this year’s Expo from May 4th-6th in Atlanta.
US-based Gelberg Signs has been operating for 80 years and has recently been named the 2021 Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year. Its work over the last eight years has involved creating historic landmarks throughout Washington DC including signs for the Washington Post building and the Capital One Arena (previously named Verizon Center).
When Sasha Clarke joined Gelberg Signs in 2020 as executive facilitator, the company took a new direction in encouraging more women into leadership roles. Speaking to CBS News, Clarke explains: “When I walked in, there were four men on the executive team and me. And I said, ‘OK, we’re going to mix this up a little bit. We’re going to start bringing on more women’.
“It’s a different thought process. It’s a way of managing and learning and teaching, and women are teachers.” When the pandemic hit, Gelberg Signs donated free signage to local businesses and hired 15 new employees. As part of this, the company promoted a number of women to management positions.
“Women are often innate teachers, they want the people around them to understand,” Clarke says, adding: “They want the people around them to feel capable to rise to the next level. So we have been doing a lot more training, a lot more one-on-one capacity building, and a lot more implementation of new software and methodologies.
“I see women feeling more empowered to enter into the construction industry, and I think that it’s something that we have to recognise. It’s essential to have that diversity on the workforce.”
Last year, trade magazine for the sign industry, Sign of the Times, launched its Women in Signs Award. Designed to celebrate women in the sign industry who have excelled in ownership and management, design, fabrication, installation, sales, or marketing, the awards were presented to six women across the US and Canada.
The magazine received over 300 submissions which editor-in-chief Mark Kissling and managing editor Grant Freking whittled down to 18. These were then refined to the six winners on a points-based system by a panel made up of four women in senior roles within the industry.
Having spoken to a number of successful women making a mark on the industry, it is clear to see that whilst the number of women is growing, more can be done from within organisations and through initiatives and events to accelerate this further.
In terms of what can be done, collaboration with the education sector, flexible working, equal pay, and investment in employment on a whole can all help to encourage skilled workers into the industry and balance the gender disparity within the sign industry.
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