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Chinese adland escapes boys club mentality
Video interview: Pully Chau talks to Campaign associate
editor Suzanne Bidlake
If you're a woman wondering how to get to the top without losing any of your charm, you could do worse than take a flattery lesson from Pully Chau, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi China.
The mother-of-one, who has sat atop Saatchis for eight years, has a ready answer for all those men in client companies who have asked her why many women within the agency make it to general manager. "I tell them that the better, male ones decide to be clients," she says. "They fall for it and nod," she laughs.
In fact, she admits, the installation of Chairman Mao's wife in a position of power during the Cultural Revolution has given rise to many women running local companies. "There's also a saying in China: ‘Women are half the sky'. It's quite a phenomenon in the country."
The trend does not extend to international companies, however, which are still dominated by "boys clubs", she believes. "For women, it's tough. We need to be less sensitive. When I'm at work, I forget that I'm a woman and a mother."
Having said that, she is a woman who has obviously not felt the need to jettison her distinctly feminine grace.
So, how much do women need to be like the boys to succeed? Is it changing?
