Women Who Lead

From Passion Project to Purpose: How Olivia Hanlon Built Girls in Marketing

When Olivia Hanlon launched Girls in Marketing back in 2019, it wasn't meant to be a business — it was simply a way to connect with other women in the industry and share what she was learning along the way. But the response was immediate, and by 2020 she'd left her full-time marketing job to build it into something bigger.

Today, Girls in Marketing exists to tackle a problem that's hard to ignore: women make up the majority of the marketing workforce, yet they're still far less likely to reach senior leadership. Through education, community, and confidence-building, Olivia is working to close that gap and help marketers step into the leadership roles they deserve.

In this interview, Olivia shares the story behind Girls in Marketing, the challenge she set out to solve, and what's next as she continues to scale the platform's impact.

Q: What inspired you to start Girls in Marketing?

I started Girls in Marketing back in 2019 as a passion project - I just wanted a space to connect with other women in marketing, share what I was learning, and build a community around it. Once I saw how much appetite there was for that, I left my full-time marketing job in 2020 to build it properly.

Q: What problem are you solving?

Women make up the majority of the marketing workforce, but they're still far less likely to reach senior leadership... men are twice as likely to become marketing directors and four times as likely to become CEOs. Girls in Marketing exists to close that gap, by giving marketers the education, confidence, and community they need to grow their careers and step into leadership.

Q: What's next for you?

There are some really exciting things happening behind the scenes that I can't share just yet... but the focus is all about scaling our impact and education, so we can reach even more marketers than we do today.

Are you a woman leader with an inspiring story? Founded by Women elevates the voices of women making an impact.

Breaking barriers or paving the way for others? We'd love to feature you. Get in touch! 👉 hi@foundedbywomen.org

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