8 Incredible Creative Women* Challenging the Status Quo

The role of women* in the creative industry is evolving in exciting ways; in 2025, women* are not only breaking barriers, but inspiring change and reshaping the future of this industry.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve spotlighted eight influential women* doing amazing things in the creative industry. These incredibly talented individuals have each made significant contributions to the industry by challenging conventions, from advocating for environmental sustainability to initiating conversations on taboo subjects. Ready to be fem-powered? Let’s get to know these incredible women* killing it in the creatives industries.

Melbourne-based agency Milkbar Digital was founded by Sam Sidney, a creative powerhouse who’s spent the past 15 years working with some of Australia’s most loved brands. 

Milkbar Digital is a beacon of female-led success, emphasizing the power of leveraging social media to build community, enhance brand visibility, and drive meaningful engagement in the digital age.

Under Sam’s guidance, the agency has rapidly evolved into an influential social media and digital content creation business celebrated for its comprehensive approach to social media marketing, alongside its exceptional photography and videography services. 

Sam believes the secret to success is excellent company culture, which is at the heart of the business. She offers her team extra perks, like four additional paid leave days each year, dedicated to digital detox. She refers to these as “disconnection days,” acknowledging the potential for burnout in the fast-paced world of social media. 

Reflecting on her eight years at the helm of Milkbar Digital, Sam shares, “One of the key lessons learned is the importance of work-life balance. It’s vital not only to foster a balance but to ensure the workplace is a supportive and positive environment for everyone.”

From a young age, Cat How’s passion for color and painting destined her for a career in design. Starting with childhood sketches and progressing to selling her handmade jewelry at Brick Lane markets while studying,  Cat gravitated towards the design realm. Eventually, she created a platform for design and illustration and pioneered co-working spaces tailored to creative professionals. 

Cat’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop there; in 2020, she launched How & How – a global design and branding firm rooted in London and Los Angeles. The agency is recognized for its partnerships with climate-tech brands, advocating for gender pay equity, and its predominantly female team.

In addition to shaping brand identities, Cat contributes her expertise as a mentor for Women in Tech and dedicates her time to pro-bono projects aimed at combating climate change, like GetSet.

One project close to her heart is the rebranding of Freetree, a browser app that plants trees when shopping online,  which has helped to plant 60,000 trees. “Despite there being some budget from the client for us to do all this work, we asked them to pay us in trees instead. It was such an incredible feeling,” she says. 

Looking ahead, Cat envisions a united creative industry making a significant societal impact. “I dream of a single design and marketing agency, a collective of diverse studios banding together for environmental progress.” Cat muses.

Her advice for budding designers is simple – work hard and be nice to people. “When hiring in our agency, the first thing we consider is whether the person we are interviewing can show they have a kind and generous heart. Of course, their work must also be first-rate, but being nice always comes first.” 

Pum’s Lefebure is an icon in the design world. As the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of the award-winning design firm Design Army in Washington, D.C., her unique vision and art direction have shaped numerous award-winning projects for big clients such as Disney, Adobe, Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong Ballet, and Lucas Film.

Born in Thailand, Pum has always loved design and the freedom art gives her to express herself. “My favorite toy growing up was a set of colored pencils—they were my magic wand. Through art, I could do anything, go anywhere”, explains Pum. 

Her journey led her to Washington, D.C., on a university scholarship, where she eventually founded Design Army right from her kitchen table. Under her leadership, it has flourished into a leading creative agency. “It was my passion for creativity and self-expression that drove me to turn my dreams into reality,  she remarks.

A passionate advocate for women in business, Pum was awarded a Rising Star by the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business, inclusion in Adweek’s Creative100, and was listed among Graphic Design USA’s top 50 People to Watch. Her work has also earned a plethora of awards, including D&AD, One Show, ADC, Red Dot, AIGA, SPD, and TDC, and she has lectured and led workshops around the world, from Copenhagen and Durban to Bangkok and Beijing.

Her biggest inspiration is travel and she recommends experiencing things up close and personal. “I don’t look at design books or websites because that’s the work I’m doing already. I’d rather experience art, fashion, textiles, pottery, theater, dance, music. That’s what I find inspiring – that immersion.” Check out Pum’s Instagram for some creative inspiration.

Jessica Walsh stands as a pivotal figure in contemporary graphic design. At the helm of the globally acclaimed design agency &Walsh, her innovative vision has significantly shaped visual trends and helped to propel the graphic design field forward. Her striking designs and illustrations have been featured in The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, and numerous high-profile celebrity and brand campaigns.

She started her design journey at age 11, coding and designing websites, and soon realized she’d found her calling. After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008, she moved to New York City, where she declined a job offer from Apple, choosing instead to intern with the legendary designer Paula Scher.

She later co-founded Sagmeister & Walsh, a prestigious design studio in New York, collaborating with renowned brands like Levi’s, Aizone, and Adobe before launching her agency &Walsh, known for its innovative, contemporary creations that draw inspiration from retro styles.

Beyond her remarkable achievements in design and business, Jessica is a huge advocate for increasing female representation in the graphic design industry. She created @ladieswinedesign and @letstalkaboutmentalhealth – initiatives that challenge sexism in graphic design, address mental health stigmas, and empower women to fulfill their creative potential.

“I want &Walsh to be an agency that uses design and creativity for social impact. I want to invest even more in meaningful projects. Ladies, Wine & Design is my global non-profit initiative born from personal experiences with sexism in our industry. The community brings women in the creative field together with mentorship circles, creative reviews, and events. Let’s Talk About Mental Health uses design to open the conversation around stigmatized issues.” 

Katarina Matic is what you’d call a creative superhero. By day, she works as the Senior Art Director at Bullfrog – a progressive, independent advertising agency paving a new way of working within the creative industry. 

Kat has combined her creative flare with her passion for politics and social change to create The Aunties: a support network that empowers creative women* through mentorship – including non-binary, a-gender, gender-nonconforming, and all marginalized genders.

A passion project born out of lockdown, The Aunties came to life after Kat and the other co-founders, Phoebe Sloane, Lauren Eddy, and Huei Yin Wong, noticed a lack of support and opportunities for women* to connect, learn, and find employment during the pandemic. 

“We all knew how important and helpful mentorship is to progress in the industry, which is why we started The Aunties: to inspire and champion women* and marginalized genders,” says Kat. 

Run by dedicated volunteers, mentorship is at the core of their work, and they offer various helpful services. These include a Junior Mentorship Program for women with less than three years of experience or recent University and AWARD School graduates entering the industry, as well as a ​​Senior Mentorship Program designed for women with around 5 to 10 years of industry experience looking for wisdom, guidance, and support as they navigate their leadership journey. 

In their pursuit to challenge and eradicate harmful stigmas and stereotypes faced by creative women* in the workplace, The Aunties received recognition for their impactful work, honored with the title ‘Mentors of the Year’ and receiving high commendation in the ‘Champions of Change’ category at last year’s B&T Women in Media Awards.

“While this title is usually awarded to one woman, we entered the names of all the Aunties from our Junior Mentorship Program. This was a proud moment for our mentors, many of whom hadn’t mentored before – having 96 women from our community recognized by the industry was pretty special!” says Kat. 

Find out more about the fantastic work that The Aunties are doing in our interview with 

Katarina Matic. 

After working as a corporate lawyer in a top-tier law firm, Sheree Rubinstein noticed the many barriers women face in business and leadership. In 2016, she created a dedicated hub that provides women with everything they need to succeed in business. 

One Roof was born and is now Australia’s leading digital network and co-working space for female-led businesses, providing aspiring entrepreneurs access to masterclasses, networking opportunities, business coaching, co-working partners, and community support. 

Sheree is on a mission to champion businesswomen everywhere, enabling them to be seen, heard, and celebrated. She has since onboarded over 1000 women to One Roof’s network, building a close-knit community both online and offline.

Her advice for women wanting to start their own business is “Start with your “why.” What’s driving you? What’s important to you? Write it down, reflect on it, and let it be your north star. It will carry you through hard times and ground you in the good – because building a business is hard work. Stick it on your wall, and look at it every day. It may change over time, and that’s okay – grow, evolve, and keep returning to it.”  

Find out more about this incredible initiative and how they’re on a mission to empower other entrepreneurial women to succeed in our interview with Sheree.

Describing themselves as feminist, feminine, and fun, Fancy is a New York-based advertising agency that prides itself on being 100% women-owned and operated, earning the reputation as the advertising agency for women. 

Fearlessly tackling taboo and sensitive subjects, founders Erica Fite and Katie Keating believe in breaking the silence around topics like sex, aging, mental health, pleasure, and finance. With the belief that there is no shame or stigma attached to being a woman, the team at Fancy advocates for bringing these honest conversations into the open. 

Their commitment goes beyond advertising campaigns, focusing on projects dedicated to the greater good, whether it involves fundraising efforts or initiatives like motorbikes for midwives in Ghana, sexual assault and abuse awareness, and collecting sports bras for a girls’ soccer league in Haiti. Fancy’s dedication to amplifying women’s voices and addressing societal norms creates a more inclusive environment. 

Aries Moross is a powerhouse in the design world, known for their bold and eclectic style that’s impossible to ignore. With a finger on the pulse of pop culture and a knack for pushing boundaries, Aries has collaborated with a diverse range of clients, from global brands to music icons, infusing each project with their signature flair. 

From a young age, Aries was passionate about creativity, crafting everything from handmade books to dollhouse furniture and immersing themselves in drawing and crafts. This passion for creation flourished into adulthood, leading them to illustrate hand-drawn flyers for London’s vibrant independent music scene and later to establish a vinyl-focused record label. Keen to grow their practice and build a team, Aries founded Studio Moross in 2012 — a multidisciplinary design studio known for its bold and vibrant work across branding, illustration, and motion graphics for clients such as Adidas, MTV, and Vogue.

Throughout their career, they’ve maintained close ties to the music industry while expanding into the realm of both art and creative direction for prominent clients including Kylie Minogue, H.E.R, Disclosure, the Spice Girls, Jessie Ware, and London Grammar.

As a thought leader in the industry, Aries is also celebrated for their significant contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community. Identifying as non-binary, Aries has been a vocal and influential advocate for inclusivity and representation within the creative industry. 

“My studio is queer-led, and I have a lot of queer and trans employees. We created the identity for the  London LGBTQIA+ film festival BFI FLARE, organized by the British Film Institute. We make that identity every year amongst a team of queer people. We’ve also worked on the title sequence for the TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race, and other big projects around transness for Viacom and MTV.”  

By leveraging their platform and influence, Aries is actively paving the way for a more inclusive, diverse, and empowered society and industry, using their creativity as a tool for social change.

That’s a wrap! We hope you feel inspired by these creatives who are reshaping the creative industry, breaking barriers, and inspiring generations to come, showing the importance of championing diversity, equality, and inclusivity in the creative realm. While you’re here, check out our interview with design icon Jessica Walsh and Aussie design darling Beci Orpin.

*The term women* includes people who are non-binary, a-gender, gender-nonconforming, and all marginalized genders.