In an inspiring move to transform the creative and media landscape, Bloom North has convened 36 of the North West’s top leaders for its inaugural initiative, The Exchange. This landmark event aims to tackle the recruitment and retention of women and under- represented groups, driving collaborative change for a more inclusive industry.

We caught up with Sadie Teasdale who headed up the initiative alongside Viv Woodward.

What sparked the idea for this initiative? 

We loved the idea of sharing life experiences and co-mentoring - as seen through The Exchange (an initiative from Bloom London). As Manchester is a smaller industry community (where everyone knows everyone), we didn't think one-on-one sessions would work so came up with the idea of running focus groups around 3 key topics - Recruit, Rise and Retain. Each group was tasked with producing tangible ideas and actions which we’re now taking forwards.

What did you learn through the process of leading this project?

The way to start change is to bring together a group of people - who might not necessarily agree with each other - to share life experiences, best practices and resources they have used. This session really helped shine a spotlight on areas we can improve (and how), as well as surfacing examples where the industry is already making steps forwards.

What surprised you most about the conversations and outcomes?

We went into the session quite naively, assuming that by the end of the afternoon we would have clear, concise actions to take forward. This was not the case! We landed on some specific ideas and recommendations from both Recruit and Rise, but due to the complex nature of the subject of Retaining women in the workplace, we are now creating a more permanent working group to move this forward. We are also continuing to tackle this area through our panel events and other projects, such as our recent collaboration with The MPA.

What next? What's your hope for it moving forwards?

We’re now assembling working groups for each of the 3 areas and are taking more time to explore how we better retain women in the North West’s industry. Bloom North will also be at Mad//UpNorth next February, where we’ll be sharing our learnings and some of the brilliant steps forwards employers in the region have made. We’re also keen to share the work with younger generations and rising stars in the industry to get their input – probably via The Exchange 2.0 which we’re now hoping becomes our annual forum for driving actionable change!

Commenting on the success of the initiative so far, Co-President of Bloom North, Sarah Fleming said, “Action is at the heart of our 2024 agenda—not only ensuring we have the important conversations but moving those discussions into change. We’re delighted with the progress so far, and to be bringing the conversation to Mad//UpNorth next year.”