The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) recently hosted two events in Melbourne and Sydney in partnership with Tonic Media Network and Mamamia, marking International Women’s Day.

The events, which drew over 120 members, reaffirm the industry body's commitment to promoting gender equality within the independent media agency industry.

The keynote speaker at the Melbourne event was Sam Mostyn, who recently chaired the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce. The taskforce presented a report to the Federal Government last year, highlighting gender inequality in Australia. The Melbourne event also marked the launch of Tonic Media Network’s The Third Act content series, a $1 million commitment to improve the financial, physical and emotional wellbeing of women in their mid-life years.

"Many agencies - most with strong female leadership - have made significant changes to their workplace culture to include more gender diversity and inclusive policies. However, the release of the taskforce data highlights the enduring journey towards achieving comprehensive equality. The conversation sparked by Sam’s work and experience is timely and inspiring, underscoring the need for progress in our industry. We’re grateful to the IMAA for their support in amplifying voices from Melbourne’s leading agencies, driving inspiration and tangible change," said Tonic Media Network Commercial Director., Sev Celik.

"The Third Act provides a community platform to create meaningful connections between brands and our audience, in point of care environments, that are trusted and credible. The Third Act is deliberately designed to educate not just women of a certain age, but everyone around them. These issues and actions should not be treated as ‘secret women’s business’; they impact us all," Celik said.

In Sydney, attendees heard from Mamamia Out Loud podcast hosts Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens, along with IMAA Chair Jacquie Alley.

"Mamamia was thrilled to host members of the IMAA for International Women’s Day. For Mamamia, we view every day as International Women’s Day, but also note the importance of finding a time to come together as an industry and celebrate women. As a business, we are aligned with the focus that the IMAA has put into guiding and supporting emerging female leaders within the independent industry - they were the perfect partner to share our International Women’s Day morning," said Mamamia Chief Revenue Officer, Nat Harvey.

"The IMAA is committed to empowering women in the Australian media industry, inspiring them to push boundaries and achieve, and providing opportunities for them to upskill and further their education. As an organisation, our focus is on improving the workplace culture and gender representation across the indie media sector - we’ve been buoyed by the significant number of member organisations who have already made tangible changes to their policies to push the needle on gender diversity across our industry. The Tonic Health Media and Mamamia events were the perfect forum to further educate our members and drive our gender equality goals," said IMAA Chair, Jacquie Alley.

"The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘Count her in’ – is really pertinent as companies need to step up and lean in to counting women in to be equals in their organisation at all levels. The media industry is not immune and we all need to do more; it’s our responsibility as an industry. Future generations should not have to experience gender inequality, regardless of education and experience, and that’s what we are aiming for," said IMAA DE&I Council Chair, Angela Smith.

The IMAA was established in February 2020 as a national industry body representing Australia’s independent media agencies.