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Senior women media leaders vow to address the issue of gender gap in media around the world
Uwajeneza Donatha
Feb 26, 2025 - 16:50
The inaugural WIN Guild Leadership Summit, held in Malawi from 21-24 February 2025, brought together 19 senior women media leaders from Africa, the Arab region, and Southeast Asia to address the persistent gender gap in media leadership and work towards creating more inclusive newsrooms. WAN-IFRA WIN has been working to move the needle on this over the past 15 years and, as part of this effort, last year launched the WIN Guild: a pioneering initiative designed to bring together a coalition of senior women media leaders committed to championing equality, inclusion and diversity in the industry.
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Laetitia MUGABO, from ISANGO STAR a private media outlet in Rwanda, was among the 19 senior leaders who attended the summit.
At a time when progress towards gender equity is increasingly threatened, the Guild offers a critical platform for women to drive change in media leadership collectively.
In her opening remarks, Melanie Walker, WAN-IFRA WIN Executive Director, said, "We launched the Guild last year to create a dedicated space where newsroom and business leaders could come together to support and learn from each other. These dynamics have taken root over the past six months through peer mentoring sessions, and we hope that this peer support and learning will continue over the next two days. But we also created the Guild because, after 15 years of working together, we understand the collective power of female leadership—and we want to harness that power to accelerate positive change."
Technology, particularly AI, emerged as both a challenge and an opportunity for media organizations striving to stay competitive in the digital age. Media leaders discussed how AI and digital transformation could enhance audience engagement and content production if used thoughtfully. However, there were also concerns about the financial challenges of monetizing digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where traditional revenue streams, such as advertising, are shrinking. To address this, case studies from countries like Botswana showcased innovative partnerships and corporate storytelling models that helped generate revenue through community-driven content creation.
Another central theme of the summit was diversity and inclusion within media organizations. Participants examined how diverse representation in media teams leads to more inclusive content and broader audience reach. A case study from Jordan’s community radio station underscored the importance of empowering youth through multimedia training, with a focus on gender equality and human rights. The discussions also explored the persistent challenges women face in leadership roles, including sexual harassment, cultural biases, and inequitable workplace dynamics.
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