See It & Be It: Q&A with Kristin Berggren of SapientNitro Chicago

In our See It & Be It Series, the 4A’s asks industry leaders—who are female or from traditionally underrepresented groups in the ad industry—to provide their personal stories, advice and observations on how to succeed in an industry that is overwhelmingly led by white men. Here is what SapientNitro’s Kristin Berggren had to say:

 

On overcoming discrimination in the business

I don’t think women are as encouraged to go down creative leadership paths, and then when they get there, it’s hard to fit in. It’s a challenge that we should be trying to understand, but I am heartened by the fact that SapientNitro is taking it on in a real way.

I think it also takes more than just awareness. Policies need to change. I think we need to recognize that people with families, whether they’re men or women, will have certain types of needs, and we should ask how we can help. How can we shape our culture to recognize people’s lives? That will also influence the number of women that continue to stay in their careers. You hit the toughest years in your career about the time that many people start to settle down and it makes it really hard to keep your career if your career is not supportive of your life choices. It is really affecting women in our industry. I would love to see the industry move in a direction to be more supportive of people’s holistic lifestyles.

Words of advice

Say yes. Just put yourself out there. Try everything you can. You’ll surprise yourself. Something you thought you’d like, you won’t. Something you’d thought you’d hate, you actually kind of like. Have as many experiences as you can. Solve as many problems as you can. Show people how many problems you can solve and you will be asked to solve more problems.

 

Kristin Berggren is a Culture Team Lead at SapientNitro Chicago.