\n Kimberlee Wells \n Facilitators: Saya Oka, Yuina Goda, Mayumi Hamada (Peace Pirates)<\/b><\/p>\n\n \n At the beginning of the session, a harsh reality facing Japan was presented. In the World Economic Forum\u2019s 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries. While the country scores highly for gender parity in education and health, it still significantly lags behind globally in economic participation and political representation. \n Emura emphasized the importance of the \u201cmentorship with external female leaders\u201d program launched on a trial basis in fiscal 2025. \n Yonezawa added that one of the biggest takeaways from mentoring was the idea of a \u201cparts model.\u201d \n One of the most engaging parts of the session was the reframing of parental leave in a positive light. \n From her uniquely global perspective, Kimberlee Wells delivered a powerful message about the leadership mindset: \n Toward the end of the session, the discussion expanded beyond women\u2019s solidarity to the broader vision of organizations. \n Peace Pirates members and guests Kyoko Yonezawa, Chigusa Emura and Kimberlee Wells (pictured left)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n The Peace Pirates will continue to create an environment of open and friendly communication through a bottom-up approach to shed light on the issues that need to be discussed. Stay tuned for what\u2019s next!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55],"tags":[],"stories_tag":[61],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11537"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11537"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11561,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11537\/revisions\/11561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11537"},{"taxonomy":"stories_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories_tag?post=11537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCEO, TBWA\\Australia<\/b>
\nOne of the leading female executives in the TBWA Collective . Through mentorship programs such as \u201cTake the Lead,\u201d she has led the charge of closing the gender gap in Australia.
\n
\nChigusa Emura
\nExecutive Manager, Corporate Sustainability Planning Department,
\nCorporate Strategy Division, Hakuhodo Inc.<\/b>
\nLeading DE&I initiatives across the Hakuhodo Group, she has designed and implemented innovative programs that incorporate external leaders as mentors.
\n
\nKyoko Yonezawa
\nHead of Innovation, TBWA\\HAKUHODO<\/b>
\nLeads the mentorship program within TBWA\\HAKUHODO. Drawing from her own experience, she advocates for systems that alleviate the concerns of young female employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n The Stark Numbers Facing Japan and the Advertising Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n
\nThe advertising industry is no exception. With a dearth of female leadership in the industry in Japan, ensuring diversity in executive positions remains a major challenge. As a key to breaking through these structural barriers, \u201cmentorship\u201d has come into focus as a way to foster and inspire young female talent into leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n Overcoming Anxiety with the \u201cParts Model\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n\u201cWhen there are few female leaders within a company, and they tend to be very strong, super-robust types who have risen through the ranks. Younger employees see this limited pool of senior women and think \u2018I can never be like that.\u2019 To address this, we intentionally created opportunities for dialogue with female leaders from outside of Hakuhodo, so our mentees can have exposure to the widest range of women leaders as possible.\u201d
\nShe continued: \u201cBecause they are external, there are no conflicts of interest. This allows mentees to speak openly while receiving objective advice. This psychological safety is what truly empowers young employees to take the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cInstead of searching for one perfect role model, you can learn different elements from multiple mentors\u2014\u2018I admire this aspect of this person,\u2019 or \u2018I want to adopt that mindset.\u2019 This approach of combining \u2018parts\u2019 helps you build your own unique leadership style much more effectively. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to have leaders from diverse backgrounds\u2014it gives us many different parts to learn from and put together.\u201d
\n
\nEmura also noted: \u201cEvery woman has a unique background and mindset, so there is no one-size-fits-all mentor. Through dialogue with multiple people, mentees realize\u2014paradoxically\u2014that they must take ownership of their own careers and cherish that \u2018will\u2019 and \u2018self-belief\u2019 they discover through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Parental Leave Is Not a Career Gap, but an \u201cMBA-Level Learning Experience\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n
\nYonezawa cited cited research from Switzerland showing that each instance of a father taking parental leave increases the mother\u2019s lifetime earnings by 7%. (*1) She firmly stated the value of both parents taking parental leave as follows:
\n \u201cThere\u2019s no need to view a year of parental leave as a blank in your career.
\nOur work is about understanding people and lifestyles deeply and designing communication based on this deep knowledge.
\nThe process of raising a child offers you experience and insight that is as valuable as (if not more than) studying for an MBA, I think.
\n If society starts recognizing child-rearing and balancing family with work as a \u2018valuable experience,\u2019that contributes to your growth and maturation as a worker too, young professionals will feel more empowered to embrace their different needs at different life stages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
\n Have the Courage to \u201cHit the Ball\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n\u201cAt a DE&I event with Martina Navratilova, Martina said:\u2018Hit the damn ball.\u2019
\n When opportunity comes knocking, many of us hesitate.
\n We wonder, \u2018Do I deserve this?\u2019 \u2018Can I do it perfectly?\u2019.
\n Imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, but the truth is, you don\u2019t need permission from anybody. What\u2019s most important is to step up and have the courage to own the room.\u201d
\nShe also defined the essence of mentorship:
\n\u201cA mentor isn\u2019t someone who gives you answers\u2014they share confidence with you. When I doubted, senior leaders believed in me and said, \u2018You can do this.\u2019 That support carried me forward. Now it\u2019s my turn to pass that on. This cycle of energy is what defines Sisterhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Sisterhood as a Gateway to \u201cHumanhood\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n
\nWells opined:
\nWells opined: \u201cSisterhood isn\u2019t about excluding men. Women supporting each other, can inspire men to build their own sense of brotherhood\u2014where they also acknowledge vulnerability and support one another. Ultimately, we should aim for \u2018Humanhood\u2019\u2014an environment where everyone is respected as individuals, beyond gender.\u201d
\n
\nEmura concluded:
\n\u201cBy sharing knowledge across TBWA\\HAKUHODO, Hakuhodo, and the global TBWA network\u2014and by continuing to make diverse role models visible\u2014we can create a future where everyone can choose their own way of working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n