Policemen in riot gear circled the dancers as they moved through mock teargas and, mid-way through the four-minute performance, Diversity knelt with their fists in the air the symbol of protest that has become synonymous with Black Lives Matter. For many people working in TV, the only opportunity they have had to observe Carolyn McCall has been at The Guardian's annual post-MacTaggart lecture dinners, held at the . McCall, who lives with husband Peter Frawley, an entrepreneur, in Hertfordshire, eventually became chief executive of Guardian Media Group while bringing up her children. In my head, I really struggled with it, McCall said. Of course its not the same, but there are some similarities because its about equality. I know some people think thats very woke, you know, McCall said. All I would say is I think that I have only ever done it one way and you know me well from my past. I think if HR are not embedded, they dont really understand the business, if they only understand HR and theyre not really in tune with the business, then I think that thats where it fails. I believe people find it incredibly painful financially to come back to work, especially middle management. She will arrive at the broadcaster, replacing Adam Crozier, from low-cost airline EasyJet, where she has ruled the cockpit for seven years. [Former ITV News presenter] Trevor McDonalds been one of the greatest role models in ITVs history actually, McCall said. In 1986 she joined The Guardian Media Group, where she . Some claimed the performance was racist to white people. My first job really was The Guardian where I started as a planner and thats obviously where we met, Linda. Do you have a favourite interview question? I was thinking this is an amazing place because anyone will talk to anyone, its very open, it was very non-hierarchical, and it just felt like the culture was really right for me. "[18], McCall earned a 3.7 million salary at ITV in 2018. Were mortgage rates below 4% a flash in the pan? What do you see as your biggest career highlights or achievement to date? We werent on time, customers were very unhappy, we were cancelling flights in the middle of summer, cancelling peoples holidays, it was really miserable. This is the best of British content from the past so very rich content in multi services box sets. "The number of emails we got shocking." ITV stood firm in the face of. It's a huge job and they are job sharing. [17], She is a creator of BritBox, a subscription video service venture in partnership with the BBC which launched of late 2019 in the UK. Thanks very much Perrin. Train fares will rise by 5.9% TOMORROW - but travellers can still get cheaper tickets if they buy them before the deadline, Housing market seeing signs of life after grinding to a halt last year, according to online estate agent Rightmove, What happens when classic cars sell for too much? Looking forward to your next one! Dame Carolyn McCall, DBE - Chief Executive of ITV - LinkedIn They actually then give true insights and might say I'm actually quite quiet but could also say I'm very reliable; so, you get the light and the shade not just the stuff that you expect people to say about strengths and weaknesses which can be asked in many different ways. At ITV, we are quite advanced because we have had to be from an on screen perspective. Was there a Who or a What that inspired you to develop a career in business? We need to represent the diversity of the people who are viewing it. In the seven years since Dame Carolyn McCall became chief executive of easyJet, she has gone from being dismissed by her fiercest rivals to winning their open admiration. McCall has topped the ranking, which was put together in partnership with Yahoo Finance UK. I feel that is a really appropriate quote. ITV warns of plunging advertising revenues but insists Clarkson row hasn't damaged its brand. From Print to Broadcasting, With a Detour at EasyJet - Adweek They have legislated for us all to reveal our gender pay gap; which is a wholly good thing as it focuses everybody's mind, but I think without legislation on tax you still have issues. We've also got a large studios business that sells content right around the world not just to ITV and we are growing that. "Actually that was something that was seen and got a massive discussion going and thats what were there to do to push the conversation forward, even if its not very comfortable. I am really clear about this, because I think a lot of H.R. Ive learnt a lot and my experience has deepened my leadership thinking if you like, but the thing I know for sure is that you have to get out and talk to your people and customers. Carolyn is leading the ITV strategy to be More than TV and is focusing on three key areas: - strengthening the integrated producer broadcaster; growing UK and Global production and creating a scaled Direct to Consumer business. Nationwide hikes cost of home loans just weeks after cutting them, as swap rates start to rise, Will spray foam insulation make your property hard to sell or mortgage? Its not good for anyone when someone is not working out and identifying that and working as a business partner to fix them. Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. The two transformed The Guardian from an advertising desert to a magnet for classifieds through special sections for media, education and the like. [3] She previously served as the chief executive of easyJetfrom 2010 to 2017. Rawcliffe had been head of diversity within ITVs commissioning business. The number of emails we got shocking.. Whats your approach to interviewing and hiring? I started in July 2010 and it was in meltdown everywhere - operationally, customers, all the people. Im telling you that because I think it needs, not just the principle and the awareness, it also needs the structure, process and the action to actually drive it forward, otherwise it wont shift. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Yours sincerely Captain XX. Before this, no one was championing female pilots, they were just saying the lack of them was woeful. We have to plan carefully for people coming back to work and for encouraging people back to work and then allowing them flexibility to start bedding in again. This thing about positive action has been quite a big galvaniser internally.. So if you want to see every episode of Vera or Endeavour or Fleabag, it will all be on Britbox, so its a one stop shop for depth and breadth of British originated content. I think the awareness has increased but I think the how is still quite hard for a lot of people. I dont think I knew but I was brought up abroad and there was a program on TV called Police Woman with Angie Dickinson and I remember thinking I want to do something like that, because she was really strong and dynamic. What's your approach to interviewing and hiring? [3] She replaced Adam Crozier in the role. easyJet was a complete turnaround and it became a customer facing airline which won awards for being customer centric. When I get asked to do speeches and especially when I have been asked to do speeches to women who are rising in their careers and they want top tips, then I look at something I did for WACL (Women in Advertising & Communications, London) 20 something years ago and what I said there was use every piece of technology you can, to find the balance in your life so that all the juggling becomes easier. We use that internally as a bit of a mantra. EasyJet and the industry are better as a result of her tenure." McCalls advice to leaders looking to emulate her success as an advocate is to create strong employee groups who can speak up for the underrepresented, listen to them, and develop clear and concrete plans in response to what you hear from them. Those areas should be a very important emphasis in HR What you do realise is that there is a huge amount of process that has to be done, which is an essential thing. ITV is a very warm and quite welcoming environment, McCall said, but the council helped management identify areas of disparity and highlighted how the organisation could be doing more to promote BAME individuals to senior leadership positions. Carolyn McCall has the air miles to run easyJet If you say to people: 'look, there is an issue here', many people dont see the issue. I do all my phone calls, do all my emails before I even walk in the door of the office. I think I flourished in a meritocracy. The performance touched on COVID-19 but largely focused on the Black Lives Matter movement. Some viewers were horrified. As shares tumble and costs soar Will the fast food giants ever deliver for investors? [Rawcliffe] and the team have been really good on that and the feedback has been really good because it increases peoples confidence about talking about issues to do with race. Thats what drives me and keeps me motivated. She said "It's quite bold, going into a market which Netflix has already been in for eight years. Ive always been asked how I do what I do, she said. Her appointment to one of the most important jobs in TV, coinciding as it does with the unveiling of the first female Doctor Who, is either a triumph for equality or an outrageous assault on the natural order of male supremacy, depending on your viewpoint. If youre told to do one thing you do it. Theres so many good things that I feel very proud to have been associated with. Close to one in five shows on ITV last year featured lead characters from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. ITV is a very warm and quite welcoming environment, McCall said, but the council helped management identify areas of disparity and highlighted how the organisation could be doing more to promote BAME individuals to senior leadership positions. GMG Regional Media: the Manchester Evening News and its website along with several other UK regional newspapers. Carolyn McCall - Chief Executive @ Guardian Media Group - Crunchbase The Royal Society of Television praised ITV for hosting the first ever all Black panel on Loose Women when it was named Best Daytime Programme 2021 earlier this year. Well you have to ask other people really, it's very hard to know. Do you think workplace diversity has now become embedded or is there still a lot more work to do? When you've got mobile technology or technology to make your life quicker, more productive, more efficient then you can do more remotely, you can do more while you're travelling, you can do more on your commute. crew food is still shit. It was a breakthrough moment. I think the difficulty is making it work in busy environments. With her arrival at the broadcaster, McCall becomes the second woman to lead a major TV network after Alex Mahon was made Channel 4 boss last month. If you dont have someone with that experience sitting around your management board, you dont really understand whether you are changing fast enough or whether you are doing the right things to make change, McCall said. Examples include Andi Peters standing in for morning host Lorraine Kelly, Allison Hammond hosting This Morning, and Ian Wright hosting Moneyball. Only because I was thinking: people are going to think this is tokenism. I had a long chat with my chairman and I said theyre going to accuse me of tokenism, theyll say were just reacting. The song Black Lives Matter by Dax played in the background, including the lyric I cant breathe Floyds last words. So that was the What, it was the culture of the Guardian and the purpose of the Guardian; the fact that it was very flat and if you were good at what you did, you had views and you proved yourself, then it was a meritocracy and I loved that. Thats not an excuse anymore.. Thank you. Thats all our daytime programming from 6:00 in the morning, all the way through to when the quiz shows finish early evening. Her earnings were revealed as ITV also disclosed that BAME representation on- and off-screen went in the wrong direction in 2020. What is really good is they do speak really openly about things.. Its about everyone being treated in the same way and having the same opportunities.. Its a marathon. Id rather be accessible and make time for people because I think you get much more out of that. can be about process and not about people. More companies need to think about returning to work induction programs. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. Gresham House's Ken Wotton on why he gets stuck in to back small companies that can win big, Do not sell or share my personal information. However, in terms of general leadership, then in my view you've got to listen to people, find out what they think about where they work, what they do, how they do it, find out about their customers, the viewers, the passengers whatever it might be. In my head, I really struggled with it, McCall said. thats very exciting. Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet, the low-cost airline, has no office to call her own in the large, very orange building known as Hangar 89, where we meet. The song Black Lives Matter by Dax played in the background, including the lyric I cant breathe Floyds last words. Carolyn is leading the ITV strategy to be More than TV and is focusing on three key areas: strengthening the integrated producer broadcaster; growing UK and Global production and creating a scaled Direct to Consumer business. This pipeline plan was a really good goal; one in five new entrants coming in will be women, which is fabulous. P.S. We will also commission original content. Of course its not the same, but there are some similarities because its about equality. Her promotion made ITV the first FTSE 100 (^FTSE) company with a dedicated diversity director on its board. Her battle against mocking male rivals, obstreperous shareholders and a sceptical establishment to become Queen of the FTSE wouldnt be a bad subject for a small-screen drama.