Breaking Barriers and Building Leaders: How TwentyTwo Digital is Accelerating Action for Women’s Equality

As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, Campaign Brief is shining a light on the women driving change, creativity, and innovation in the industry. Embracing 2025’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘Accelerate Action’, female-led marketing agency TwentyTwo Digital helping to drive actionable empowerment of women in leadership, with career development pathways and mentorship firmly ingrained in its company culture.

In a landscape where women comprise only 22% of CEO positions and 32.5% of key management positions1, the underrepresentation of females in key decision-making roles in Australian businesses means female-founded and -led agencies like TwentyTwo Digital are called upon to be champions in supporting talent pipelines for women.

Founder & Managing Director of TwentyTwo Digital, Sarah Pelecanos (pictured below), emphasised the important role business leaders play in accelerating action by creating development opportunities that help women navigate specific professional hurdles and barriers.

Says Pelecanos: “When I started TwentyTwo, my focus was on creating an environment where all team members felt they could grow without fear of making mistakes.

“You get underestimated a lot, especially being young, female and bubbly, but I love it when I get underestimated, because it’s a great opportunity to shock people and show them what you’re capable of.”

Pelecanos has worked to foster a culture where everyone feels safe taking risks through scenario-based training. This involves placing the team in staged yet challenging situations, such as negotiating pay raises, handling difficult clients, and navigating hiring or firing decisions.

Says Pelecanos: “The idea is to get the team comfortable with tough scenarios, so they can learn to fight for themselves professionally, which can be particularly difficult for women.”

General Manager at TwentyTwo Digital, Ashton Tuckerman (pictured above), echoes the sentiment of empowering individuals and challenging traditional stereotypes of what a CEO or business leader looks like: “I’m a big believer in ‘if you can see it, you can be it’, and have always felt a duty to share what I’ve learned and show young women in particular that leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all.

“When I think about accelerating action, I think about actively including more voices in the important conversations, going beyond the usual management circle and being an ally for voices that aren’t the loudest and often don’t get heard.

“Sometimes the best, most innovative ideas come from the fringe or the front line. Good ideas don’t have job titles.”

With a staggering 59% decline from key executive roles in corporate management to CEO positions, it is clear that while progress is being made, the glass ceiling remains firmly in place. Businesses that are serious about accelerating action must move beyond token gestures and focus on meaningful opportunities including mentorship, development, and real pathways to leadership.

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