BECKY MORRISS

What does leadership mean to you?

For me, leadership is about visibility and responsibility. When you grow up rarely seeing women in the role you want, you quickly realise that just being visible matters. I’ve only worked under one female Creative Director in my career, and that’s made me determined to be a leader who isn’t just “in the room” but who makes space for others in it.

Leadership is also about creating momentum. I started Hungry Women at DDB because I wanted to build a culture that uplifts women rather than quietly hoping things will change. For me, that’s leadership, seeing a gap and filling it, not for yourself but for the women coming next.

At its best, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions, listening, and being brave enough to back other people’s ideas – even when they’re riskier, messier, or different from your own.

How do you navigate your authentic self in corporate creative spaces?

It’s a work in progress. Early in my career, I thought authenticity meant fitting in and toning down parts of myself so I didn’t take up too much space in a room that was already male dominated.

Now, I try to show up as I am. That means admitting when I don’t have all the answers, being open about things like second-guessing my creativity, and talking honestly about how hard it can be to juggle ambition with life outside work.

Ironically, the more I’ve leaned into that honesty, the stronger my creative relationships have become. People don’t need leaders who are untouchable – they need leaders who are human. And authenticity is contagious, the more you show up as yourself, the more you give others permission to do the same.

“People don’t need leaders who are untouchable – they need leaders who are human.”

How do you create psychological safety for other underrepresented people on your team?

For me, psychological safety means designing spaces where people don’t just feel welcome but feel wanted.

Day to day, I try to model vulnerability. If I can share the moments when I’ve struggled, whether it’s with bias, imposter syndrome, or big career decisions, it signals to younger creatives that it’s okay not to have it all figured out.

I also try to celebrate ambition out loud. Too often women are told to “wait their turn.” I’d rather encourage them to aim high, and then back them with opportunities, introductions, or just a “yes” when they want to try something new. Safety isn’t about avoiding risk – it’s about knowing you’ve got someone in your corner if it doesn’t go perfectly.

That’s also why visibility matters. Being an Auntie^ means I can mentor and advocate for women beyond my immediate team. And by showing up at industry events like Friends of Rhonda,* I hope to signal that I’m not just an ally in words but in action, and that I value building communities where underrepresented creatives feel seen, supported, and celebrated.

^The Aunties is Australia’s largest mentoring movement in the advertising and creative industry. A sleeves up support network for women and marginalised genders.

*Friends of Rhonda is the industry's latest group for the queer community in Australian advertising.

What’s a creative project outside of work that’s taught you something new about yourself?

Women Who Will* has taught me one of the most important lessons of my career – Don’t ask, don’t get.

My colleague and friend, Alayna Kunitake and I knew we had a good idea in Women Who Will, but we weren’t sure if anyone would back it. So, we put it out there and Britt Rigby at Little Black Book made it a reality. Then later, when I was pulling together my own submission, I thought why not go big with my nominations? So, I asked one of my creative idols, Jaime Robinson, if she’d take part. And she said yes.

Women Who Will reinforced two things for me. First, the power of simply asking. Too often women are taught to wait to be noticed. Women Who Will reminded me that we hold more agency than we realise. And second, the power of women supporting women. Every yes we received became part of a ripple effect of visibility and connection across the industry.

It taught me that creativity doesn’t always have to look like a campaign or a case study. It can be a movement, a platform, or even just an invitation. And that when you’re brave enough to ask, the results can be bigger than you imagined.

*Women Who Will is a Little Black Book series designed to recognise and uplift women across the industry and around the world.

What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you early in your career?

I wish someone had told me, “Don’t wait for permission.” Early on, I thought opportunities were something you earned by keeping your head down until someone noticed. The truth is, no one is ever going to tap you on the shoulder and say, “It’s your turn now.” You have to create the work, the community, the change you want to see, whether that’s pitching an idea that scares you or starting something like Hungry Women when you don’t see it in the world.

If I’d known that earlier, I would have spent much less time waiting to be chosen and more time choosing myself.

“I would have spent much less time waiting to be chosen and more time choosing myself.”

What personal or professional challenge has shaped you most as a creative?

The biggest challenge has been carving a path into leadership without a roadmap that looked like me. In fourteen years, I’ve worked under one female CD. That absence can be deafening and you start to question whether there’s really a place for you at the table.

That’s shaped me in two ways. First, it’s given me resilience, I’ve learned to back myself even when I felt invisible. Second, it’s fuelled my drive to change the system. Founding Hungry Women and Women Who Will, mentoring through The Aunties, and teaching AWARD School aren’t just side projects. They’re survival tactics turned into leadership principles.

It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s forced me to build the kind of career and community that I wish I’d had in front of me. And that’s become my creative philosophy – if you don’t see the thing you need, create it.

“If you don’t see the thing you need, create it.”