The IPA talent and diversity conference: Confronting ageism

This week I attended the 2025 IPA Talent and Diversity Conference, an event targeted at an industry addicted to the next pitch, the next hire, the next big idea. It offered a rare chance to pause and collaborate on what the future of advertising could look like.

Under the themes of UNITE, DISCOVER and ACT, the conference invited leaders to drop the race for a moment and ask bigger questions: How do we build a culture that truly welcomes everyone? How do we keep the talent we’re losing too soon? And how do we reflect the people we’re meant to serve, not just sell to?

Today, I’m unpacking why ageism became the conference’s biggest talking point and what it means for the future of talent.

Intergenerational perspectives around ageism in the workplace

The discussion opened on the frightening statistic that currently, only 8% of people in advertising are over the age of 51, a statistic underscoring a need for change. With redundancies on the rise, there’s a noticeable gap in how the industry is embracing older talent.

Panellist Anna Sampson, Insight and Strategy Consultant, highlighted that while wisdom isn’t exclusive to older individuals, critical thinking and expertise often deepen with age. Yet, the advertising industry has been slow to recognise the value of older talent, especially women over 40, too often viewing age as a cost rather than an asset. Jamie Elliot, CEO of The Gate London, emphasised that as agencies scale, retaining senior talent is essential, not just for their experience, but because they’ve lived through digital disruption, even if they aren’t digital natives like the younger generations.

They dived into the ‘Time for some new age thinking’ report, emphasising the urgency to address the representation gap for more senior talent. It calls for initiatives, policy reviews, and a shift in thinking, urging agencies to move beyond linear career models and recognise the importance of squiggly careers that involve a variety of levels/industry shifts based on the reality of people's shifting lives. There was recognition that the industry's reliance on rigid progression needs to make space for diverse experiences.

Mercy Abel, Impact and Marketing Lead at John Doe - whose first job was with us here at The Unmistakables - pointed out that while there’s growing attention on older generations, conversations about Gen Z often exclude their voices. She stressed the need to involve younger people in framing the narratives about them, just as we do with older groups. Creating space for mutual dialogue is essential to challenge assumptions on both sides.

The overall message was that we need to reframe age not as a barrier but as an asset; experience has its own value, and it's time the industry acknowledges that.