This year there was particular reason to rejoice as the prestigious BD100 Business Developer of the Year award was presented to a new mum during the annual BD100 celebration of new business talent.
Lizzy Clayton, head of new business and marketing at Fold7, won BD100's Business Developer of the Year award despite having recently returned to work from maternity leave – something that wouldn't be so unusual if the advertising industry, like many other sectors, put more effort into supporting women returning to work.
While great strides have been made within the industry in strengthening parental leave policies, including increased financial support, challenges remain in encouraging and supporting women to return to the workplace.
Accepting the award on Lizzy's behalf, Hannah March, chief growth officer at Fold7, said: “What Lizzy has achieved and the recognition of her work is significant because of what it means. Don't underestimate carers. Support women. Support mums. Support mums returning to work.”
“Our industry is losing female talent at a staggering rate because we don't support women when they become mothers. Change needs to be cultural and institutional – a top-down culture of trust and flexibility with the right systems, processes and policies in place to support teams in the right ways.”
Lizzy thanked Fold7 for “providing me with full support as I returned to work as a new mum”.
Women worry that even a short break from the workplace will leave them disconnected from the industry and their skills will become stale: According to the 2023 Census, 55% of women who have taken parental leave in the past five years believe their choice to do so damaged their careers.
Ali Wallace, CEO of DNA Recruit, a long-standing sponsor of the BD100 Business Developer of the Year awards, highlights the important role of agency management in supporting business development teams: “Finding real talent for a new business can be incredibly difficult, so when you're lucky enough to find the right person, it's really important to back them up by providing a supportive environment so they can thrive.”
Start-ups are particularly fast-moving and traditionally a high-pressure environment, but agents need to be flexible enough to consider and accommodate parents' needs and remain an attractive role within the agency. We hope to see even more mums returning to the BD100 cohort next year.
The judges for the ALF Sales & Marketing Awards were unanimous in deciding that Lizzy was the outstanding nominee. The judges commented that she had demonstrated exceptional talent and ability under the most challenging circumstances. Steve Garside from TMW was also recognised for his outstanding new business efforts over the past year.
More awards were handed out throughout the night. The BD100 Rising Star trophy was awarded to Daniel Marriott, Senior Growth and Development Manager at Wasserman. The judges said Daniel had demonstrated a balance of business impact with soft skills such as culture and team building, as well as the art of storytelling.
Cloud won New Business Team of the Year and the New Business of the Year award, sponsored by Propeller, was won by Sushi Agency for acquiring the Terry's Chocolate Orange client.
