On the face of it, the media industry is ahead of the game. Visit any media owner sales floor or agency planning and buying department and you will see a good balance of men and women and a melange of different ethnicities and - probably - sexualities. The mix of people featured in our insiders' guide slot each week is proof of that pudding, although there is still a suspicion that the higher up the ladder you get, the less diverse individuals are and that the top level is still dominated by white, middle-aged men.
Despite this, there are numerous women in senior posts in the sector who evidently haven't been hamstrung by their gender. Think Sly Bailey, Marjorie Scardino, Sylvia Auton, Jane Lighting, Fru Hazlitt, Carolyn McCall and Stevie Spring on the media owner side. And Christine Walker, Morag Blazey, Linda Smith, Tess Alps and our own columnist Sue Unerman on the agency side.
None of these have apparently had their undoubted talents held back by an industry that requires tough characters and can be quite laddish on occasions. Sue herself recently pointed out that she still comes across some pretty "unreconstructed" views and behaviour on her travels around the industry (8 May, page 24).
I don't believe the sector needs to beat itself up about diversity. In many ways media leads the way. But I still feel that, especially at the top level, there could be better representation - especially of black and minority ethnic communities.
Britain is an incredibly diverse and multicultural society - and the industry must be ahead of the game in reflecting that if it is to plan and build media products and campaigns that are going to engage consumers of all types in this multicultural age.
- Last week's issue saw the final contribution in these pages by our inimitable columnist Jonathan Durden. We thank him for his efforts in Media Week over the past 18 months and wish him well in his new role at creative agency Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy. Over the summer, we will feature a series of guest columnists alternating with our regular scribe Richard Eyre before appointing a replacement for Jonathan.
- Steve Barrett is editor of Media Week, steve.barrett@haymarket.com.