CreativeEquals
Community | Women

AGENCY/MENTOR PARTNERS

A free back-to-work programme running in June 2025 for creative women, non-binary and gender non-conforming folk, now in it’s 6th year.

We’re looking for agencies and organisations to help us mentor women and gender non-conforming creatives who would benefit from this free programme.

Join us in supporting the most resilient creatives to return back to the industry.

CE Community Programme | Women is a free 3 week returnship programme free for women and gender non-conforming creatives looking for work in the advertising, marketing or design industry.

These are creatives who have built their career - but right now they’re out of work trying to get back in. Maybe the tech’s moved on, the connections aren't there, or their confidence has taken a hit.

Maybe they’ve raised a family. Faced unemployment. Cared for others. Expereinced redundancy. Are healing. Or have pressed pause. These aren’t gaps — they’re chapters that build resilience. And they bring a perspective the creative industry needs. 

That’s why we created the CE Community Programme for Women.

Launched by Creative Equals in 2019, our free June 2025 online programme is for UK women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming creatives ready to reclaim their space — with tools, support, and a community that gets it.

We need you to help build them up, and champion them through their next phase.

In partnership with :

What do we need from you?

As a community agency mentor partner, here’s what we need:

MENTORSHIP - APPROX 15 HOURS
During the programme offer Creative Mentor(s) - CD level or equivalent, CD team, Head of Design or Design Director to pay it forward by mentoring an individual or team of 2-3 on Diageo creative concept briefs over a 3 week period.

ATTEND FINALE PRESENTATION DAY 
Creative Mentors attend and support their team, watch them present their concepts to the Diageo brand clients.  Attendance is mandatory for mentors.

Note: Attendance will be made up of upwards of 80+ game changers including our brand Sponsor Diageo, Agency Mentor Partners and community partners who have supported our initiative.

POST PROGRAMME SUPPORT
 Each agency partner to offer a minimum of one of the following (or all 3)

Option 1:
AGENCY OPEN DAY 

Meet and greet our cohort, around
10-20 attendees for approx 2-3 hrs covering:

  • Talk about structure of your creative team

  • Share insights and industry trends

  • 45 min with your Resource or Talent team, what do you look for when hiring a creative?

Option 2:
PAID FREELANCE OPPORTUNITY

Offer 2 week paid freelance opportunity

  • Support an individual or team back into work by giving them their confidence back and an opportunity to shine

  • Advertise your opportunity to all our cohort and hire the most suitable for your dept

  • Day rates negotiable, depending on level of experience and time out from the industry

Option 3:
FINANCIAL SPONSORSHIP

Support our programme by offering us financial sponsorship funding *  

* we can offer a sliding scale for smaller organisations.

NOTE: We do not charge the creatives to take part in our world-class programmes and all profits made are reinvested in future community initiatives.

Creative Equals' New York 2024 Video (our June 2025 programme is for the UK)

What do you get in return?

Our partners and supporters are the foundation of our programme. We want to support you with your objectives and goals and collaborate on creating a more equitable future for the advertising, marketing and design industries.

In return for your partnership, we can help you:

POSSIBLE BENEFITS

  • REACH YOUR CSR GOALS
    Supporting your own diversity, equity and inclusion strategies.

  • ACCESS A NETWORK OF UNDERREPRESENTED TALENT
    Meet extraordinary talent you might not meet through ordinary channels. 

  • BE SEEN AS A LEADER
    Featured in the press as a champion of inclusive creativity.

  • GET GLOBAL REACH
    Have broader access to our vast network of talent and partners with over 20K followers of our owned channels.

  • NETWORK AT PRESENTATION DAY alongside brand Sponsor DIAGEO, our agency partners, creative mentors, and expert facilitators and trainers.

  • PRESS Inclusion in Creative Equals Community | Women, Diageo and D&AD press plans + our key Press Opportunity to feature in the community family press shots

  • POSITIVE BRAND COLLABORATION with branding on all collateral online and offsite during program and presentation day - including video content

  • SHARE YOUR WARES
    Get inside our goody bag and share your services with all our partners on Presentation Day with a flyer, brochure or branded gift.

And more opportunities to get a return on your investment.

Sound good? We’d love to work with you!

“I can’t thank you enough for the Creative Comeback programme. It was a massive boost to me, in self esteem, feeling positive, seeing opportunities and the hope of building a career again.”

— CreativeComeback 2020 participant

The experience had such a positive effect on my work that one of my freelance clients snatched me up as a permanent employee just a few months after the course. Overall, this has given me so much more confidence in regards to my employment!”

— CE Community 2023 participant

FAQs

AGENCY PARTNER INFORMATION

  • To become a Creative Equals Communities outreach partner, please email emma@creativeequals.org. Emma will get you all signed up.

  • The benefits are bespoke to each partnership, and we’d love to collaborate. If there is a specific way we can help you achieve your goals - let us know!

    POSSIBLE BENEFITS

    • REACH YOUR CSR GOALS - Connect this programme to support your own internal DEI&B strategies.

    • BE SEEN AS A LEADER - Champion inclusiveness within the industry

    • NETWORK AT PRESENTATION DAY alongside brand Sponsor DIAGEO, our agency partners, creative mentors, and expert facilitators and trainers.

    • GAIN ACCESS TO TALENT from our UK Creative cohort

    • POSITIVE BRAND COLLABORATION with branding on all collateral online and offsite during program and presentation day - including video content

    • PRESS Inclusion in Creative Comeback, Diageo, Adobe and D&AD press plans + our key Press Opportunity to feature in the community family press shots

    • GLOBAL REACH 20,000 new individuals across Creative Equals owned channels - mailer (5k subscribers), website & social channels

    • GOODY BAG - share your product services with all our partners on Presentation Day by adding a flyer, brochure or branded gift

  • - Minimum 15 hours of mentorship with a CD level or equivalent, CD team, Head of Design or Design Director to pay it forward by mentoring an individual or team of 2-3 on Diageo creative concept briefs over a 3 week period.

    - All mentors to attend the presentation day. This is mandatory.

    - Ideally an agency HR/Talent representative/resource manager to attend the presentation day.

    - Commit to at least one (or more ) of the following:

    1. Host an agency open day. (Meet and greet our cohort, around 10-20 attendees for approx 2-3 hrs covering, an agency showcase of your creative work, Talk about structure of your creative team, Share insights and industry trends) plus 45 min with your Resource or Talent team, what do you look for when hiring a creative?

    2. Offer 2 week paid freelance opportunity. Support an individual or team back into work by giving them their confidence back and an opportunity to shine.

    3. Financial Sponsorship. Support our programme by offering us funding of £6,500 or more.

      * Note - we do not charge the creatives to take part in our world-class programmes and all profits made are reinvested in future talent initiatives.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

  • We are losing women in the advertising and media industry. A disproportionate number of women versus men leave each year.

    The most recent IPA Census showed creative leadership (which includes chief creative officers, executive creative directors, heads of creative department and creative directors) is the only area to report a decline in the proportion of women in both of the last two years. The figures fell from 30.2% in September 2022 to 27.0% in 2023 and again to 25.6% in 2024. Women are leaving the industry in DROVES.

    Given that men continue to make up the majority of senior creatives, this has impact on gender representation and gender parity.

    We want to support these women creatives back to the table where campaign/media ideas are made.

    We know that diverse perspectives are important, and improve creativity, innovation and profitability. We hope that by providing bridges into adland employment and investing in this much needed talent, we’ll also be improving representation in the long term.

  • This programme is for any woman, non-binary or GNC person, who is looking for employment in the creative advertising, marketing and design industry.

    They must have previously worked as a creative in the advertising, marketing and/or design industry in one of the following roles: creative, creative strategist, art director, copywriter, editor, content creator or designer or very similar role.

    They must also have current full UK working rights and be currently in the UK.

  • No. This programme is free for the participants. We have very generous sponsors who cover the programme costs.