Victoria Poole, founder of IfNotNowWhen, on moving beyond conversations about gender equality and doing something about it

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As the female founder of creative marketing collective IfNotNowWhen, the International Women’s Day 2025 theme ‘Accelerate Action’, couldn’t feel more relevant.

It’s a call to move beyond conversations about gender equality and take real, tangible steps toward lasting change. That ethos is not just in the work we do for our clients, but in how we’ve built our business from the ground up.

Marketing has traditionally been an industry where women thrive, yet leadership roles remain disproportionately held by men.

I wanted to create something different—a business where women don’t just contribute, they lead. INNW is female-founded, female-led, and powered by an incredible team of women in every key position with a big focus on new gen talent.

We have a female brand director, a female head of PR, a female design lead, female content designers and female marketing assistants. And all bring with them a mix of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We are committed to actively fostering the next generation of female marketing leaders. At INNW, we make space for women to step into leadership roles, take ownership of their work, and grow in their careers. We bring in fresh talent, mentor young professionals, and create an environment where women can thrive without the barriers that have traditionally held them back.

‘Accelerating Action’ also means looking at how we, as a business, can support others beyond our own team. To this end, we are committed to giving back, offering pro bono marketing support to charities and non-profits, including the Paul Strickland Cancer Centre.

The statistics tell us that at the current pace, gender equality is still generations away. But that’s not good enough. We can’t afford to wait. Every business, every industry, and every leader has a role to play in making equality a reality—not in the distant future, but right now.

We’re not waiting. We’re building, leading, and ‘accelerating action’—one project, one campaign, and one breakthrough at a time.