Tom Ford Beauty, 2yolk, Co-Partnership and Tatil open up this International Women's Day
To mark the importance of International Women's Day, we speak to some of our new female jury members and design leaders at Tom Ford Beauty, 2yolk, Co-Partnership and Tatil on what drives them forward.
To mark the importance of International Women's Day, we speak to some of our new female jury members and design leaders at Tom Ford Beauty, 2yolk, Co-Partnership and Tatil on what drives them forward.
Every year, we expand our jury to ensure a diverse mix of nationalities, ages, genders, educations, skill sets, and experiences. Since last year, women make up for over 50% of our line-up!
On a day like International Women's Day, there's no better time to hear from these inspiring female leaders in our industry. Read on to discover what their daily lives look like, what drives them, and their advice for young women and designers!
Chaoqun Wang, Art Director and Designer at Tom Ford Beauty (USA)
What does a typical day in your creative role look like, from your first coffee to clocking off?
My days tend to be quite packed with meetings, I always make sure to start with coffee in hand before I step into the office. In my role, I oversee a wide range of projects—anything from campaign production to reviewing creatives from regional partners and internal proposals.
My mornings often involve checking in with team members on their respective projects, providing feedback, and working through creative challenges together. Depending on the day, I always find myself in meetings with cross-functional partners to go over the launch of a new product.
Generally, I try to carve out at least 15-20 minutes for myself at lunch, which I’ll usually spend watching something—could be anything from AI advancements, industry trends, or creative topics. It’s a small but important habit that helps keep me refreshed and inspired throughout the day.
How do you stay inspired and fuel your creativity, especially on days when ideas aren’t flowing?
I like to change my environment when I need a creative reset —whether that’s exploring a new neighbourhood in the city or traveling somewhere entirely different when the opportunity presents itself. I tend to find inspiration in craftsmanship, especially in skills that require a hands-on approach. Speaking to a barista how about how they fine-tune their brewing process or a baker about how their techniques and methods shift depending on the weather—things like that spark new ways of thinking and brings me excitement.
Travel is the ultimate source of inspiration for me—the way light moves through a new city, the details in its architecture, or simply observing how people dress and interact a different culture. These experiences often find their way back into my creative work in unexpected ways
What advice would you give to other women navigating the balance between personal growth and a creative career?
1. Meet and talk to people in the industry. Understanding their career paths, challenges, and growth can provide invaluable insight. Learning from others’ experiences often helps clarify your direction.
2. Prioritize effectively. I like to break goals into three categories: must-haves, nice-to-haves, and would-be-greats. Early in my career, I stressed over every idea I wanted to pursue, but without clear prioritization, the list became overwhelming, and hard to define where to begin. Defining what truly matters makes it easier to focus and take action.
3. Pursue personal interests—even if they don’t have a direct career impact. Growth isn’t always linear, and I believe that every experience, whether directly related to work or not, can somewhat contribute to creativity in unexpected ways. Sometimes the most meaningful professional breakthroughs come from personal passions that seemed hard to relate to at first.
Zoe Green Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director at Co-Partnership (Australia)
What does a typical day in your creative role look like, from your first coffee to clocking off?
A typical day at Co-Partnership is designed around our belief that the best results come through collaboration. For that reason, we have a highly structured schedule (with flex for creative curve balls) to support our ambition to move through the week as one high performing team. We start with Monday Morning Inspo, when a team member shares something they’re inspired by outside of work. Some of the greatest hits were Sea Slugs, ceramics created to save the endangered Tasmanian Hand Fish, and a dissection of the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl performance. It takes the sting out of Monday with a cup of coffee and a croissant.
The morning is often when I connect with our clients overseas. I could be presenting creative, discussing a brief, listening to client feedback, or learning how concepts were received by consumers in research. Mid-morning is Pinboard time – a dedicated two hours for designers to check-in for small pieces of art direction to keep projects on track. As a Creative Director and Co-founder my time is always in demand, but it’s important to keep the lines of communication open between me and the design team. The giant pinboard in the heart of the studio keeps things visual, which invites collaboration from the rest of the team. I’m at my happiest standing here with a white out pen and a pair of scissors. For lunch I step out of our studio into sunny Surry Hills, the creative hub of Sydney, full of cool cafes, great coffee, and green spaces. It’s a good chance to recharge.
In the afternoon I get back into creative problem-solving mode. I might review creative strategy and give feedback to help translate insights into visual reference for design. Or negotiate deliverables against the budget with my client service team. Or attend a formal creative review, an opportunity to ensure the work delivers to our total design philosophy, a holistic approach to design where all departments collaborate to create a cohesive solution. I love tapping into the diverse experience of my team – through our specialist skillsets and debate we strengthen the work and push it forward. On Fridays we tools down at 4.30pm to enjoy a cheese plate and a beverage on our rooftop. Sometimes we use this time together to immerse in a product or drinks category that’s relevant to an incoming brief. It’s the perfect segue into the weekend.
How do you stay inspired and fuel your creativity, especially on days when ideas aren’t flowing?
As all designers know, being on five days a week can be challenging. To stay inspired, I firmly believe in a good self-care regime. It empowers you to perform with energy and positivity. For me, this entails exercise, meditation, home cooking, and lots of laughter. In addition to these self-care practices, I make the most of my lunch hour to help when I feel stuck, whether that's grounding my feet in the grass or taking a 20-minute power walk/run in the local gym. Anything that gets me out of my head and into my body is beneficial for lowering cortisol levels and giving my brain a break.
We’ve designed tools at Co-Partnership to help keep ideas flowing, like highly visual strategic briefs for design. I find that the creative problem to solve is always a source of inspiration. People often tell us that we get the best briefs, but it's not luck – we make the brief great by collaborating with and challenging our clients to expand the possibilities of how the brief can be solved. Our client base is international, so I travel a lot for work and find that people everywhere are a constant source of inspiration. In building and innovating brands that aren’t targeted toward me, it’s my duty to be a student of all cultures and subcultures. By getting out into the world, mixing with people of all ages, trying new things, and exploring social media, I gather a broad range of reference that makes my art direction richer.
What advice would you give to other women navigating the balance between personal growth and a creative career?
Regardless of your level of experience, I would encourage women to prioritize curiosity and growth. I recommend seeking out new experiences and taking risks that push you out of your comfort zone. This could be upskilling in a new aspect of your role, presenting to a client, or showing leadership.
It's essential to have a clear direction and support system. Think about what you want to achieve — from big-picture goals to small, everyday wins — and talk to your manager or a trustworthy colleague about it every few months. I find growing with a teammate makes progress more achievable (and fun).
Taking risks and trying new things can lead to mistakes, but mistakes are opportunities too – it’s about how you respond to them. Ask yourself what you can learn from the experience and how you can apply that going forward. When I co-founded Co-Partnership I was thrown into the deep end as a new Creative Director. It was a baptism of fire that triggered a lot of imposter syndrome, something many women face professionally – a recent KPMG study found that 75% of female executives across industries have experienced it. So even though it’s uncomfortable, know that everyone goes through it and self-doubt is a natural part of the creative journey. My own challenging introduction to becoming a Creative Director ultimately left me with a sharper creative intuition.
The key is to acknowledge those feelings and replace them with positive self-talk. Manifest it!
Laila Rotter Design Manager at Tatil Agency (Brazil)
What does a typical day in your creative role look like, from your first coffee to clocking off?
My day starts early, around 6:30 AM, with breakfast for the family. After a walk and some time at the gym, I return home to breastfeed Otto and settle into my home office—set up in his room. My workday is a mix of emails, meetings, and creative sprints, with a break for lunch when my oldest, Angelo, gets back from school. We have a simple code at home: a red ribbon on the office door means “do not enter,” a green one means “come in”—though my boys don’t always follow it. I wrap up by 6 PM when our nanny leaves and my husband arrives, shifting to my favourite part of the day: family time. If work spills over, I return to my desk after the kids are asleep, but I try to rest when they do. Balancing motherhood and creativity is a challenge, but my team at Tátil is incredibly supportive.
How do you stay inspired and fuel your creativity, especially on days when ideas aren’t flowing?
Aside from the work itself and the inspiring exchanges with my team, podcasts and interviews have become a valuable way to stay inspired and up to date. I listen to discussions on design, art, and culture during walks and workouts. Connecting with other designers through events like the Brazilian Design Biennial, which I helped organise, also keeps me energised and inspired. Embracing moments of exchange and learning is what oftens reignites my passion for design.
What advice would you give to other women navigating the balance between personal growth and a creative career?
Motherhood comes with limitations—there are things I used to do freely that I can’t at the moment. But I remind myself that this is just a phase and doesn’t define me as a professional. In some moments, family takes priority, but I believe all these experiences are adding layers to my journey. The lessons I’m learning now will carry forward to a future stage of my career, when my children won’t need me as much. My advice is to embrace this balance with patience and to build a strong support network—partners, family, friends, and professional help. Asking for help is not a weakness but a strength that allows you to thrive both at home and at work.
Emmanouela Bitsaxaki Founding Managing Partner at 2 Yolk (Greece)
What does a typical day in your creative role look like, from your first coffee to clocking off?
As the Managing Director of an award-winning branding agency in Athens for over 21 years, my days are a mix of strategy, creativity, collaboration, and negotiations. I start with coffee (a non-negotiable!), then dive into emails, client calls, or creative reviews with my team. No two days are the same—one moment, I’m brainstorming for a new brand; the next, I’m analyzing global trends or presenting concepts to a client. Shopping at the supermarket isn’t just a routine task for me and George (who is also my husband and business partner)—it’s a research expedition! What takes most people minutes can take us hours as we analyze new products, packaging designs, and competitors in real time. Every aisle is an inspiration source. The day often ends late, but when you love what you do, it never really feels like work.
How do you stay inspired and fuel your creativity, especially on days when ideas aren’t flowing?
Creativity isn’t always predictable, so I’ve learned to nurture it. Traveling, fashion, art, and spending time with inspiring people help keep my mind open. When ideas aren’t flowing, I step away—I take a walk, flip through magazines, or simply change my surroundings. Sometimes, the best ideas come when I’m least expecting them. Our work is about storytelling, so I stay curious and absorb as much as I can from different industries, cultures, and everyday moments. There have been many moments I cherish, from winning awards to seeing our work on shelves worldwide. But what makes me truly proud is the reputation we’ve built as an agency. Our clients trust us not just for our creativity but for our integrity, our strategic thinking, and our ability to deliver real results.
Growing a business for 21 years in such a competitive industry while maintaining our core values is something I’m incredibly proud of. And every time a client comes back to work with us again—or recommends us to others—it reaffirms that we’re doing something right.
What advice would you give to other women navigating the balance between personal growth and a creative career?
Permit yourself to evolve. A creative career is demanding, but it should also be fulfilling. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries, prioritize yourself, and redefine what balance looks like at different stages of life.
For me, having my husband as both my life and business partner has been a unique journey—we’ve built something together while raising a family. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has taught me the importance of communication, trust, and knowing when to switch off from work. Balancing a creative career with personal growth is always a challenge, especially as a mother of two boys (now 20 and 18). My advice is to embrace the journey and set boundaries. Passion drives us, but longevity in both career and personal life comes from knowing when to pause.
Also, surround yourself with people who inspire and support you. Whether it’s mentors, colleagues, or friends, having a strong network makes all the difference. And finally, enjoy the ride! A creative career isn’t just a job; it’s a way of life. Embrace the challenges, celebrate the wins, and always stay curious. It's not about having it all but about making space for what truly matters.
