Colle McVoy Recognized as a Best Company for Working Mothers

Colle McVoy was recognized by She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York) as one of three Best Companies for Working Mothers. The annual award is designed to spotlight companies in marketing and media that pave the way for working mothers (and all women) to lead at every level. The agency was honored for its pioneering efforts at the 2019 Working Mothers of the Year Awards in New York on February 28.

“We are so honored to be recognized for our long-standing efforts to encourage and empower women and working mothers,” said Christine Fruechte, CEO, Colle McVoy. “We invest in their career development, and our agency’s culture and environment foster support for working parents.”

Even in a notoriously male-dominated advertising industry, Colle McVoy leads in female career advancement and professional growth. The senior leadership team is 50 percent female, including the CEO, CFO and executive creative director, who are all working mothers. Colle McVoy launched an innovative female leadership and empowerment program called F.I.R.E. five years ago, long before the #MeToo movement. And for more than a decade, Colle McVoy has supported inclusion and diversity programs and has proactively audited pay to ensure gender equity. The agency has undertaken rigorous auditing to receive an Equal Pay Certificate of Compliance from the State of Minnesota since 2016.

“Ever since I took over leadership of Colle McVoy more than 12 years ago, we have placed a high value on all our people,” said Fruechte. “People experience many life events, whether it’s a new baby, an aging parent or personal illness. Company culture should be respectful and empathic during these times.”

Colle McVoy offers many programs and perks for working parents, such as an extended parental leave policy, flexible hours, a gradual return to work policy, elegantly designed mothers’ rooms and resources for lactating mothers. The agency also hires women during all stages of pregnancy. Most recently, the talent acquisition director started her position in her eighth month of pregnancy. Her compelling experience emboldens the agency’s success in recruiting and retaining talented working parents and sends a very strong message of support for working mothers to its staff.

About She Runs It Founded in 1912 as Advertising Women of New York (AWNY), She Runs It exists to pave the way for women to lead at every level of marketing and media. With chapters in New York and Chicago, membership stands at over 1,600 women, men and corporate alliance partners. To learn more about She Runs It, visit sherunsit.org.