Only 27% of GCC marcomms professionals say leadership teams in their organisations or divisions have equal or near-equal male-female representation, defined as 40-60% in favour of any gender. The vast majority (56%) have indicated low representation, while only 17% cited high representation. When it comes to the very top positions, 36% said a woman held the most senior role in their marcomms organisation or division, with a title of CEO, CMO, MD, or founder. This is up from 30% in 2024.
Results were shared by The Marketing Society and Weber Shandwick, an Official Partner of Think Equal, the industry initiative that aims to accelerate gender equality in leadership across the marcomms industry in the GCC. The data captured insights from both men and women in regional marketing communications functions and conveys a distinct opportunity to strengthen gender balance at the top. Various studies have linked diverse leadership teams to improved performance and profitability.
In terms of optimism levels, 68% of respondents say they are optimistic about future progress in gender equality in leadership roles within the GCC marcomms sector. The majority (56%) say they believe that progress has happened and is happening based on what they see, hear, and experience. Just over a quarter (28%) say the right moves in the right direction have started, however 16% feel no meaningful progress has been achieved.
It’s noteworthy that this year’s survey recorded a drop in the number of respondents who said their company provides a female-focused training and development programme, echoing rollbacks globally in DEI initiatives. In contrast, The Marketing Society, TikTok and Weber Shandwick MENAT have launched The Leadership Accelerator, a six-month programme in 2026 for 12 exceptional female marcomms leaders in the UAE, who will benefit from masterclasses and mentorship.
“Without question, being surrounded by views and perspectives that are different from our own, are incredibly valuable. They give us extra context, and new ways to look at things. And often, these different views come from women, making decision-making far more vigorous. The data from this survey indicates a need for more consistent, industry-wide efforts to create impactful change – not just for women, but also for the organisations that stand to benefit from this positive development,” said Ziad Hasbani, Regional CEO of Weber Shandwick MENAT.
Survey results were shared by Alasdair Hall-Jones, Global Director of The Marketing Society and Katie Plant, Director at Weber Shandwick MENAT at a mixed-gender event titled ‘From Soft Power to Strategic Power’. The agenda also included an insightful conversation with advice, perspectives and tips for driving strategic power, based on the personal experiences shared by Suad Merchant, CMO, GEMS Education, Noreen Nasralla, SVP Marketing Strategy & Branding, Alef Group and Ghaleb Zeidan, Regional Managing Director, Weber Shandwick MENAT. Mariaan Valero, Head of Marketing & Content, Weber Shandwick MENAT moderated the session.
A workshop and audience engagement led to the collective identification of the top 3 skills women need to focus on to help drive their strategic power: those being confident communication, persuasive influence, and negotiation. Other skills that ranked high were senior stakeholder management, business and commercial acumen, and relationship building and networking.
The event’s workshop feedback and results from the survey will be used and developed by the Think Equal Working Committee, a group of industry professionals from both brands and agencies.
