It Is Our Responsibility to Change Distorted Attitudes Towards Women

Through combinations of knowledge, experience, and ambition of an individual – in these parameters, we seek and see the traits of a leader

Ivana Galić was appointed as the Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications of the Nova TV Group in March, which, as she says, has completely rounded off her career in marketing and communications, from production, through agencies and clients to media. We talked about trends in the industry, the mythical gender equality in the domestic business world, and other interesting topics.

What state did you find at your new position as the head of Marketing and Corporate Communications of the Nova TV group? Have you introduced any changes, and if so, what kind?

– Leading the marketing team of the most successful media and the strongest media brand in the country is a great challenge, and I can say that I quickly realized firsthand all the charms of the media industry, which is primarily creative, entertaining, and dynamic. I immensely enjoy every project of my team. In this job, the results of work and dedication are quickly visible, so motivation is always at a high level, especially if you always want to ‘push’ things a little further. It is very important for me to be in constant communication with my team, especially with the heads of all sectors of our department, which has about 50 people, and that together we come up with strategies, individual communication plans, and achieve the most creative and innovative solutions. This year, Nova TV also celebrated 15 successful years of operation, as well as 10 years of its most-watched central news program ‘Dnevnik Nove TV’. I must admit that it was a great pleasure for all of us to round off that whole with various activities, put a dot on the ‘i’, and then together, as a company, turn to the future, new creative, technological, and other innovative concepts in all segments of our business.

What are your plans for business development in the near future?

– Marketing, PR, and corporate communications have an increasingly important role. All television stations are fighting in the same arena, TV formats are becoming better, programs more attractive, and the communication channels are how we reach the end user, and ultimately – whoever conveys the message more successfully will have the most successful results. I see the perspective in the absolute synergy of offline and online channels, re-examining the classical understanding of television, producing adequate content on all platforms, and taking care of communication on social networks. It is important to encompass all of this and treat it equally, guided by clear and precise strategies. Our goal is to remain the leading multimedia platform in the country, and we are aware that new channels will gain greater importance over time, so we consider this a kind of investment in the future. Organizationally, this means that there will need to be stronger specialization of individuals and smaller teams who continuously educate themselves and follow the development of technology, which differentiates us from the competition. We are focused on always being the highest quality in every segment, and thus we manage to maintain a significant viewership difference between us and the competition.

What is the representation of women in leadership positions at Nova TV?

– In the top management of Nova TV, there are four men and as many as seven women, and all are engaged in serious business in a successful company, equally with their male colleagues. At other levels of management at Nova TV, there are many women who lead their sectors. I believe that the representation of both genders at all positions is important because it contributes to the ultimate quality and success, regardless of the industry.

Studies show that gender-diverse leadership in companies is more innovative and profitable, but women are still much less represented in leadership positions than men. What is the cause of this, and are changes happening? How low (or high) is the so-called glass ceiling set in our corporate world?

– The combination of male and female characteristics in leading a company yields the best results. I believe that in Croatia, such an approach is still not at an enviable level; I would dare to say that we, as a nation, are in some initial phase of becoming aware that a woman can be just as good a manager as a man. My international experiences are very similar, and I think this is not an exclusive phenomenon only in our traditional culture. I have been fortunate to have worked most of my professional career in an environment of men who respected women and treated them equally, which is the most important thing when you are young and much less confident in what you know. Although throughout my career I have encountered various prejudices and backward societal attitudes towards women in business at all levels, they have never hindered my professional development. The ‘glass ceiling’ you mention certainly exists, primarily due to cultural reasons of the environment in which we work. Upbringing plays a crucial role in this. Most women in the business world are aware of this and still do not raise their children to be different.

What are the biggest obstacles women face in professional development?

– Prejudices, devaluation of business ambitions, an environment that does not encourage personal development, and a lack of quality mentors. It is generally important to set personal goals and not pay attention to the expectations of the environment. Most successful businesswomen would forgive a company that supported them in starting a family, logistics around children, and flexible working hours. It is important for women to achieve in terms of both career and family, and although I believe that this balance between time and energy will always be a challenge for women, we must keep in mind that these same women are raising the society of the future and forming the generations that inherit us.

Can the fact that women in business are often underestimated be used as an advantage, a kind of surprise factor for (male) competition?

– In a person who is educated, self-aware, and polite, such a prejudice does not exist, so there is no surprise factor. In front of such a person, a woman stands as an equal interlocutor. I always love to surprise those who are not like that, and then quickly forget them.

On the other hand, are women harsher towards each other precisely because the competition among them is stronger as they have to prove themselves more at work than their male colleagues?

– It is in both women’s and men’s nature to compete. I do not have experiences that women are harsher towards each other just because they are women; perhaps they just know better the weaknesses of the fact that you are a woman. I always strive to sensitize women in my business environment to empower and support each other. Positive energy, besides knowledge, is the only thing we can use to fight against prejudices and develop both personally and as a society as a whole.