“Women are good for business” — FQ’s Shelley Zalis on rewriting the rules of corporate leadership

The Female Quotient’s signature lounges have become fixtures at advertising’s biggest gatherings, from Cannes to Advertising Week, SXSW and CES. But for founder and CEO Shelley Zalis, the mission extends far beyond marketing.

“We’re in every category,” Zalis recently told The Current Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Paterik during Advertising Week New York.

Today, The Female Quotient connects 7.5 million members across 30 industries and 100 countries, all united in advocating for women worldwide. Zalis leads that movement, helping women rise into the C-suite, but also guiding brands build more equitable workplaces and cultures.

Despite the headwinds facing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts over the past year, Zalis remains optimistic that progress is still moving in the right direction.

You have seen a lot of shifts just since you founded The Female Quotient in the way that corporations are treating inclusion, as well as women in leadership. What have been some of the most notable shifts to you and how do you see it evolving?

It’s really important to internalize that women are good for business. It is not a “nice to have.” It is a business imperative. Why? First of all, 85% of purchase decisions are made by women.

And if we are not reflecting the mindset, the needs, the experiences for everyone, we are missing a big part of the population. And we’re missing the economic growth opportunities and the innovation opportunities.

So in my opinion, if you design for the collective minority, you will satisfy the current majority.

Are you seeing signs that lead you to believe that’s happening?

Oh, yeah. I think companies are so on their game. We started as chief human resource officer officers. We then evolved the chief diversity officer and then to chief diversity and inclusion officer and chief diversity equity and inclusion officers.

You know what? It isn’t an HR initiative. Diversity of mindset, reflection, representation, all have to be part of the DNA in the fabric of a company.

It has to be part of the strategy from the top down, bottom up and all around.

How do you see The Female Quotient, and where do you envision expanding in the future?

Just doing more and more and being everywhere for everyone. We now have the largest global community of women in business over 7.5 million across 30 industries, 100 countries.

That’s lived experiences across the board. And we ensure that we’re also reflecting that in our workplace cultures.

I actually heard something the other day that I loved, which was, in COVID, we all were working from home, and now we’re back in office. And when you think about the back-to-office policies, it isn’t about being back into an office. It’s about being back with people.

We need to be surrounded by people, to learn and to grow or else we’ll get stale, continuously push the boundaries.

And you might have to be the first, but be the first, the second and the third. The first is the one that always experiments and tries. And you might make some mistakes along the way. The second is the copycat and the third is the sweeper. We all can sweep.

What’s a sweeper?

You win. You learn what wasn’t working. You pick up where others might have left off. And you ride in on that shiny, white horse. And so for me, I want collective sweeping. Let’s all do that together and we’ll go a lot further and a lot faster.

Is it fair to say that your sites are beyond just marketing and advertising?

Oh, we’re in every category. Every category that is about business. We’re ensuring that care is also really front and center. Right now, the predominant caregiver is, by default, the woman. But if we share care at home, we can all have equal opportunity or fair opportunity in the workplace. And that has to be a business imperative as well.

OK, to end I want to do a quick rapid-fire round with you. This is 5 Minutes With, I’m going to throw five things at you. You tell me yea or nay.

In-person events?

Yea, yea, yea!

Agentic AI?

Yea.

Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl?

(Snapping) Let’s go.

Return-to-work policies?

Return to office, yes to be surrounded by people. We’ve been working throughout COVID harder than ever before.

Aisle seat on an airplane?

Oh, I’m only aisle. I mean, climbing over people, no.