WHAT’S ON DECK
Tell Me More: Out of focus
FQ Leaders Spotlight: Teresa Barreira, Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Publicis Sapient
Inside Track: Leaders on the move
Dear FQ: How do I deal with a colleague who takes credit for my ideas?
Poll the Pack: Count on me, like 123 🎶
TELL ME MORE
Sidelined
Who’s behind the cameras capturing the biggest moments in sports? By and large, the majority of sports photographers are men. More than 62%, in fact. We’ve witnessed it first hand at the Olympics. This disparity can deeply affect the stories being told and the athletes being represented because when all the photographers look the same, the storytelling suffers.
It wasn’t that long ago that women weren’t even allowed to compete. At the first modern Olympics in 1896, founder Pierre de Coubertin called women’s participation “impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic.” When women were finally included in 1900, they were pushed into sports that preserved “femininity,” like equestrianism, golf, sailing, tennis, and croquet. Fast forward to today, and the Milano Cortina Games were the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics yet, with women making up 47% of athletes. Progress on the field, but behind the lens? Still lagging.
Out of nearly 700 Olympic photographers, only 18% were women. Yes, that’s up from 15% in Paris and 13% in Beijing, but let’s be honest, the bar is low. And for the women who are there, the playing field isn’t equal. Many aren’t taken as seriously and they’re passed over for defining moments. Some are literally told to step back so they “don’t get hurt.”
This deeply impacts the stories being told and the athletes who are represented. Who stands behind the lens shapes the stories the world sees. When representation is limited, so is perspective. Women’s sports get less coverage, less depth, and less storytelling.
Women make up 40% of professional athletes, yet receive just 15% of media coverage. And when they are covered, it’s often framed as secondary. As one expert put it: men’s sports are the main event and women’s sports are treated like an obligation. Says Michael Messner, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California, “Men’s sports are the appetizer, the main course and the dessert, and if there’s any mention of women’s sports it comes across as begrudging ‘eat your vegetables’ without the kind of bells and whistles and excitement with which they describe men’s sports and athletes.”
Even on social media, where the playing field should be more level, it isn’t. At the first fully gender-equal Olympics in Paris, coverage still skewed male. Male athletes were covered more, and more often featured in action poses, compared to female athletes more often in “passive” poses.
This all adds up to impeding a woman athlete’s ability to make more money and secure sponsorships. And when women are applauded for contributions to their sport, it is qualified by their gender: “the greatest female basketball player,” further demoting women’s sports in the public eye.
But change is happening because women are pushing it forward. Photographers like Elsa Garrison and Maddie Meyer are breaking the glass ceiling (lens?) by being the only two female photographers employed full-time at Getty Images. Others, like Lisa Slagle, are building pipelines, mentoring the next generation and holding workshops for other women: “We’re breeding a mindset where it’s about the work, not about the person, and how your work can get better.”
And the impact is real. Women’s sports are surging, from the WNBA to the Women’s World Cup to college gymnastics. Audiences are showing up. Now the storytelling needs to catch up. While these women kneel on the sidelines, capturing the moments that define sport, they’re shaping history. The images they create do so much more than document a game; they influence how we see it. The truth is, whether it’s on the sidelines, in the boardroom, or in the workplace, perspective matters. Women and people of color bring a lens that’s informed by lived experience, one that captures moments others might miss. When more women are behind the camera, female athletes are captured with greater authenticity and visibility. And that’s something to focus on.
FQ LEADERS SPOTLIGHT
Troublemakers who don’t fit the mold, and don’t try to
Throughout Teresa Barreira’s career, she has made it a point to embrace the unknown, and make it work for her. As Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Publicis Sapient, she leads a team that spans 7 countries. She’s held leadership roles at multiple Fortune 500 companies, earned 3 Clios, a Global Ace Award for producing social impact documentaries and, most recently, a Gold Stevie Award for Achievement in Management.
And just as intentionally as she’s built her career, she’s building pathways for others. She is deeply committed to opening doors for the next generation, actively creating opportunities for young people to explore careers they may not have otherwise imagined. Because for her, success is about bringing others with you.
What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?
Play it safe. I believe the opposite. Fortune favors the brave who are willing to disrupt, challenge, and change things. It applies to everyone and everything, from individuals to companies, and brands. Making the safe decision is the fastest way to become irrelevant.
I’ve lived that belief at every turning point, running my family’s business at a young age, immigrating to the U.S. at 17, and walking away from a path in medicine to build something entirely new. None of those were safe decisions. But they’re the ones that shaped my career and my impact. Uncertainty is where growth happens.
What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?
I grew up with parents who wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. I started pre-med, then switched to political science to pursue law. I even took the LSAT, but walked out thinking I didn’t do well enough for a top school. My roommate suggested I try the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). I didn’t even know what it was, took it without preparing, and ended up doing well.
That one piece of advice changed everything. I went to business school and it completely shifted my path. It also shaped how I think about talent. The best ideas don’t always come from inside your industry. Some of my strongest hires have come from completely different backgrounds; they bring different perspectives, challenge assumptions, and question the status quo.
What was a heartbeat moment for you in your career?
A year after I joined Publicis Sapient, we relaunched the brand and the company. It was more than a name change; it was a refocusing of the entire company. We were changing the way we do our work, the type of work we do, and the type of clients we serve. We repositioned the business around digital transformation and helping companies truly reinvent themselves with digital at the core.
But for me, there was another layer. More than the strategy, it was important to bring the energy back. How do we make the company feel magnetic again? How do we bring in the energy, the creativity, and the edge? So we did something unconventional. When we came up with our new brand, we crowdsourced internally, choosing from a wide range of submissions across the company. It was really special to see us not go outside and hire an agency, but instead build it with our own people, on our own terms.
Who is one person you’d love to give flowers to from your career that influenced your journey? What advice or lesson did you learn from them?
I want to give flowers to Diana O’Brien, former Global Chief Marketing Officer at Deloitte and someone who spent 25 years shaping the firm. She took a chance on me for my first CMO role, an opportunity that changed everything. Diana leads with clarity, confidence, and a deep belief in others, always reminding you to know your worth and never play small.
Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?
That's the theme of my career trajectory. I am a huge believer that we constantly have to reinvent and disrupt ourselves. We’re like a product that lives in a constant state of beta: never finished and always evolving. And it’s the same for teams, organizations, and individuals. Over the past three years, my team and I have leaned into that mindset. We’ve used AI as a catalyst to rethink how we work and redefine what marketing can be. We’ve rebuilt processes, challenged assumptions, and embraced new ways of working.
Want to nominate a “Troublemaker” you admire? You can do so here.
INSIDE TRACK
Leaders on the move
Jamie Gersch has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Fanatics Commerce
Susan J. Kim is stepping into the role of CEO at OUAI
Amanda Butler has been named the first-ever CMO of Sundial Media & Technology Group
Lourdes Arocho has been appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Licensing at Gap Inc.
Drew Damman has taken on the role of Vice President of Marketing at Vince
Stephanie Paterik is now VP of Insights at EMARKETER
DEAR FQ
Your burning career questions answered
Connor Skahill of The Female Quotient weighs in:
There’s only one thing worse than an idea echoer in a room: an idea echoer who takes credit. It’s frustrating, especially when you’ve done the work and don’t get the recognition you deserve.
When this happens again (an echo always comes back), stay professional. You don’t need to stay quiet in the moment, but you do need to be thoughtful about how you respond. Instead of vague language, anchor your ownership directly: "Thank you, Joe. Happy to walk through the thinking more, I’ve been developing this approach over the past few weeks.” The goal isn’t to call someone out, but to reclaim visibility without escalating tension.
After the meeting, if the relationship allows, address it directly in a private, non-accusatory conversation. Keep it constructive and focused on working better together. Something like: “I’m glad the idea resonated. Next time, I’d love to present it upfront so we can build on it together.”
And most importantly, don’t rely on one moment to prove your value. The strongest advice is to create a visible record of your work and stay proactive. Provide updates to your manager, document your progress, and communicate your contributions in meetings and follow-up emails to ensure you’re owning the project. After all, you are your own biggest advocate in the workplace.
P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.
POLL THE PACK
Trust me
Trust is built on clarity. Nearly half of employees say that transparent communication is the most powerful trust-builder. Being open, keeping everyone in the loop, admitting mistakes, sharing context, surfacing challenges early, and aligning expectations are what matters. Because nothing erodes trust faster than guessing what’s going on.
Next comes bringing solutions, not just problems. Leaders don’t expect you to have all the answers, but they do expect you to think it through. Show the path forward, not just the roadblock.
And then there’s consistency. Trust is built in the follow-through and reliability over time. Because at the end of the day, trust isn’t something you say, it’s something people experience.
Don’t miss your shot. 📸
Xo,
The FQ
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