This Sunday marks International Women’s Day — a moment to celebrate the achievements of women everywhere, and to spotlight the incredible women shaping the future of PPC and performance marketing.
The PPC industry is powered by talented, strategic and innovative women. In fact, women make up around 60% of the UK advertising workforce, and hold approximately 46% of leadership roles across the industry. That progress is worth celebrating. But while representation is growing, challenges such as the gender pay gap and unequal senior representation remind us that there’s still work to be done to reach true equity.
So this International Women’s Day, we’re handing the mic to some of the brilliant women leading the way in PPC. They share what the day means to them, the achievements they’re most proud of in their careers, and their advice for the next generation of women stepping into the world of paid media.
Because progress happens when we continue pushing the industry forward, together.
Ameet Khabra
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
For me, it’s a moment to pause and feel genuine gratitude for the women who came before me. Professionally, they showed me that a career in PPC was possible. Personally, they showed me that ambition wasn’t off-limits.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
All of it, but if I had to choose, it’s building my agency. There was plenty of trial and error along the way, but I couldn’t imagine a better team or client roster than what we have right now. 80% of our leads are women, and 90% of the team are people of colour. It wasn’t intentional, but seeing the diversity I always craved in past workplaces reflected in my own agency feels like a full-circle moment.
What advice would you give to women entering the PPC industry?
First, understand the mechanics. The fundamentals can feel dry, but nail them down and you’ll already be a step ahead. Second, use AI as a tool, not a replacement for your thinking. LLMs are pattern matchers; what you bring is a fresh perspective that no model can replicate. And third, speak up early. You don’t need 10+ years of experience to contribute something valuable. Share your thoughts. Your insights matter sooner than you think!
Sophie Logan
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
As women we often are so focused on getting things done and being productive, that we don’t always stop to think about what we have achieved and acknowledge how far we’ve come. So to me, International Womens Day is all about celebrating womens achievements from the year gone and allowing ourselves to appreciate what we’ve accomplished.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
I’m most proud of how I’ve become a trusted friend and confidant to so many women.
From colleagues and mentees to former coworkers and even online friends I’ve yet to meet in person, I’ve built some truly beautiful friendships with women across the world. It means more than I can say that they come to me with their problems, their concerns and their wins, and watch them flourish in life.
What advice would you give to women entering the PPC industry?
Embrace everything.
The wins, the losses, the failures, the highs, the tough lessons… You can’t fastrack lived experience and I don’t feel like you should want to either. Knowing a platform inside out or being able to rattle off acronyms is great, but nothing compares to the excitement of learning something new, trying something for the first time or finally feeling confident in something you once found challenging.
Those first times are few and far between for me now, but I really appreciate when they happen.
Charley Brennand
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day falls on my birthday – 8th March – and that’s never felt like a coincidence.
Fairness has always driven me. I care about representation. I care about who gets access to opportunity. I care about who’s in the room when the decisions are made. Yes, we’ve made progress. But over the last few years, there were more FTSE 350 CEOs named Andrew or John than there were female CEOs in total. That’s not ancient history, that’s our lifetime.
For me, IWD is about owning all the parts of you society (and often corporate world men) have told you to tone down.
Don’t be too emotional.
Don’t be too bossy.
Don’t care too much.
Don’t get too invested.
And isn’t it funny – when you look at the data, companies with more women in leadership generally deliver higher returns, stronger governance and better long-term performance.
So this isn’t about optics. It’s not about quotas for the sake of it. It’s commercial common sense.
IWD isn’t just a nice social post for me. It’s a reminder that progress matters. That policy matters. That community matters. And that women sharing, backing and supporting each other – especially on IWD – is tonic for the soul.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
I’m proud that I exceeded almost everyone’s expectations of me – including, at times, my own.
I’ve worked in environments that could have easily crushed my soul. High pressure. High ego. High stakes. And I stayed. I learned. I grew. I kept my integrity. I’m proud that I had the resilience and the confidence to stand up for what I believed in professionally and ethically, even when that wasn’t the easiest option. I’m proud that I’ve made a name for myself not by stepping on heads, but by pulling others up. Recommending people. Championing them. Caring about them. Building community instead of competition. I’ve never let anyone else’s opinion of what I “should” be ( as a junior or a senior) define me. And maybe most of all, I’m proud that nine years in, I’m still not bored. I’m not stuck on a fixed path. I follow what lights me up. That feels like success to me.
What advice would you give to women entering the PPC industry?
1st – learn the money. Not just clicks and conversions. Learn profit. Margin. Contribution. Lead Conversion. MQL vs SQL. How businesses actually make and lose cash. When you understand the numbers properly, you stop being “the ads girl” and start being someone the room has to listen to.
2nd – don’t shrink yourself to make other people comfortable. You’ll get subtle signals to be less direct. Less ambitious. Less intense. Ignore them. You are allowed to care deeply about your work. You are allowed to have standards. And you’re absolutely allowed to take up space.
3rd – find your people. This industry can feel noisy and competitive, but the real growth happens in smaller circles. The WhatsApp chats. The coffee catch-ups. The mentors that guide you. The women who will tell you the truth and back you in the same breath.
And finally – back yourself before you feel ready. Confidence doesn’t arrive fully formed. It’s built in moments where you speak up anyway. You don’t have to become harder, louder, or more aggressive to succeed. You just have to stop asking for permission for every god damn thing.
Maddie Lightening
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day, to me, is both a celebration and a checkpoint.
It’s a celebration of the women who’ve shaped my world: the ones who lead, build, nurture, challenge, and quietly carry more than anyone sees. It’s about recognising strength in all its forms: bold leadership, resilience under pressure, emotional intelligence, creativity, and the everyday courage it takes to keep showing up.
But it’s also a checkpoint. A moment to ask: Where are we making real progress? Where are we still falling short? It’s not just about applause, it’s about accountability. About making sure opportunity, respect, safety, and voice aren’t privileges, but norms.
International Women’s Day reminds me that empowerment isn’t abstract. It’s practical. It shows up in who gets heard in meetings, who gets funded, who gets credit, who feels safe, and who feels seen.
At its core, it’s about momentum: honoring how far we’ve come, while refusing to be complacent about how far we still have to go.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
Being invited to speak at conferences and events always brings me great pride — not just because of the platform itself, but because of what it represents.
It’s validation. It signals that the work I’ve put in, the results I’ve driven, and the perspective I’ve developed in PPC are valuable to others. It also gives me the opportunity to contribute to the wider industry — to share lessons learned (including the mistakes), challenge thinking, and make things more actionable for someone else in the room.
On a personal level, it represents growth. Public speaking forces you to sharpen your thinking, defend your ideas, and continuously raise your own standards.
Ultimately, I’m proud that my career hasn’t just been about managing budgets and driving performance — it’s also been about influencing conversations and helping shape how we approach paid media as an industry.
What advice would you give to women entering the PPC industry?
First: back yourself early. Don’t wait until you feel “100% ready” to speak up, test an idea, or take ownership of an account. Confidence often follows action, not the other way around.
Second: master the fundamentals. Platforms will change. Automation will evolve. AI will keep reshaping how we work. But if you understand why something works, not just how to click the buttons, you’ll future-proof your career.
Third: don’t shrink yourself to fit the room. There’s real power in calm authority, clarity, and consistency. Some of the strongest operators in PPC aren’t the noisiest — they’re the most thoughtful.
Build your network intentionally. Find mentors. Say yes to opportunities that stretch you. Visibility matters — whether that’s sharing insights on LinkedIn, contributing internally, or eventually speaking at events.
And finally: this industry rewards results. Stay curious, keep improving, and credibility follows.
Simran Harichand
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
To me, International Women’s Day is a reminder that women across the world continue to achieve heights even within societies that actively diminish opportunities for them. It is a reminder that together we can pave the way so it is easier for women after us to enter male-dominated fields, fight workplace stigmas and take their rightful space.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
I am most proud of the stages I’ve taken to speak about PPC. If 10 year old me saw my talks at Hero Conf last year, Nottingham Digital Summit, Figaro etc, she would be really proud. It makes me happy that I have been privileged enough to get on stage and share my PPC knowledge with other brilliant minds in the industry.
What advice would you give to women entering the PPC industry?
My advice to women in the PPC industry would be to find your voice and own it. You have worked hard to enter this industry so don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong.
Navah Hopkins
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It’s a useful reminder to be in each other’s corner and celebrate the wins of others.
What are you the most proud of in your career?
I’m motivated by helping people and it brings me a lot of joy that there are many objective data points that I’ve been helpful in empowering people to seek growth, lean into their star power, and achieve success.
What advice would you give to women entering the paid media industry?
Play board games. Board games will teach your mind to think in creative and analytical ways as well as have interests that allow for friendships with more technical folks. You might be a junior and your gaming buddy is a VP, but when you’re playing that game, you’re two humans having fun and improving your reasoning skills.
If you’re a woman in PPC and you’d like to share your thoughts or knowledge with us for a future article, get in touch at amy.g@clicktech.com.
