Next Creative Leaders 2015

The discussion of gender in our industry is reaching a fever pitch. And with good reason: The times are changing. The way we do business is changing. The expectations of our clients, colleagues and audiences are changing. And as things change around us, we must evolve as an industry—and that means embracing the diversity we desperately need. Diversity of thought will help us dream up new solutions. It will better connect us to the world we live in. And it will make the creative work we produce, that much better.

As leaders of The 3% Conference and The One Club, we think a lot about our industry’s future. It’s why we invest in diversity and inclusion. And why we start the difficult conversations. But championing creative excellence through diversity isn’t just the right thing to do—It’s what’s best for our industry—and ultimately, it’s what’s best for the work. So in celebration of the future we’re shaping, we’ve partnered to identify and honor the 10 future faces of creativity: Rising young women creatives who are undeniably talented. New and aspiring leaders working to leave our industry better than they found it.

The Next Creative Leaders are thoughtful, innovative, invested and fearless. They’re full of solutions, big ideas and hope. But most importantly, they’re proof that our industry’s future will be mind-blowingly bright.

Click on the headshots to the right to read more about each of our winners.

Article and interviews by Laurel Stark Akman, Chief Social Advocate of the 3% Conference and freelance ACD.

Visual language created by Gensler’s multitalented Mina Noorbakhsh, age 25. By day, Mina is a talented graphic designer, specializing in digital, print and environmental graphics. By night she’s a DJ, and singer/songwriter for Mixmash Records. We’re grateful to have her talent and energy on this initiative.

Learn more about Next Creative Leaders, our initiative with The 3% Conference, by visiting nextcreativeleaders.org.