In a world driven by trends, algorithms, and the pursuit of “what’s next,” longevity can be an act of quiet rebellion. For Women in Marketing (WiM) Global, 2025 isn’t just another milestone year — it marks 21 years of shaping the narrative around women’s contributions to marketing and communications. And with it comes a timely and powerful theme: The Year of Age.
This year’s theme is more than a celebration of the organisation’s own remarkable journey. It is a call to recognise and respect the long game — to honour the often unseen decades of resilience, reinvention, and quiet achievement that mark women’s careers in the industry.
Ade Onilude, Founder and CEO of Women in Marketing Global, has long championed a richer, more nuanced understanding of women’s journeys in marketing. A former lead at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Onilude created the first WiM event back in 2004 to coincide with International Women’s Day. What started as a conversation has become a global platform and awards programme, now in its 15th year.
“You have to go through life to get to the renaissance era of your career,” Onilude explains. “We have to let women get to that chapter.”
This statement cuts to the heart of the matter: ageism, particularly towards women, is still one of the last frontiers in the fight for workplace equality. In a profession that prizes youth and novelty, the experience and depth that come with age are too often undervalued — if not invisibilised entirely. The WiM Year of Age seeks to change that.
At its core, this theme challenges organisations and individuals alike to build systems that support women across all life stages — whether they’re child-free or caregivers, re-entering the workforce or transitioning into leadership after years of hard graft. Intersectionality remains critical. As Onilude notes, “Our approach needs to be cross-sectional and cross-stakeholder.”
The truth is, the marketing industry — with its buzzwords, pivots, and reinventions — often forgets that staying power is its own form of innovation. The WiM Global community is proof of that. Twenty-one years of consistent, values-driven advocacy is not just commendable — it's instructive.
In celebrating age, WiM is also celebrating wisdom, sustainability, and the power of perspective. It is a message to every woman in marketing: Your age is not a limitation. It is your leverage.
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