Bolstering talent retention and global impact amongst VML’s executive leaders through a bespoke women’s sponsorship programme

Context & challenges

VML came to us in search of a women’s sponsorship
programme that was genuinely impactful, not just symbolic.

The initiative was driven by an organisational need to:

• Improve talent retention among women in mid-to-senior roles and achieve better representation at their executive level.
• Provide targeted, structured support for those transitioning into senior positions, particularly when facing gender-specific challenges like career breaks.

So, WISE was born. WISE, EMEA’s female sponsorship programme designed to respond to the EU Pay Transparency Directive and address the underrepresentation of women at senior levels, was not just a ‘nice to have’. It was a strategic investment

In its first year, the programme was a 15-week journey that engaged 35 women across 11 global markets.

In partnership with the EMEA L&D Team, the curriculum was delivered through a blended approach, utilising self-assessments, one-to-one coaching, and a carefully selected range of skillbuilding sessions to embed lasting change.

Internally, VML’s L&D teams worked with senior leaders to deliver bespoke sessions and create opportunities for networking between participants. This was all underpinned by VML’s eLearning and Community Pods, to strengthen the information and learning delivered by Cegos.

The programme was a success, and we were asked to run it again, a second year in a row. For this iteration, we carefully evaluated and applied feedback from the first year to continuously improve the programme experience for participants.

Common themes emerged, with participants looking
for greater focus on self-assessment components,
and more opportunities to connect with each other.

So, we held a kick-off 2-day event in London, bringing together 48 participants from across the world. The event created a space where participants could build relationships early in the programme, making it feel more engaging.

This second iteration of the programme also featured a 180 degree assessment, to foster feelings of competence, not confidence, by leveraging manager’s feedback. Doing so allowed participants to get a more well-rounded picture of their capabilities and growth areas.

Additionally, we worked with VML’s internal AI coach. To work in tandem with the training they provided, we implemented coaching techniques that employees could use with the AI coach.

As well as this, we brought in new skill-building session topics based on participants’ interests’. The programme had a new focus on AI and Leadership as well as extra inspirational sessions to tap into participants’ creativity.