Rising ICON #55: Renita Faye
What name do you prefer to be called?
Renita
What are your pronouns?
She/Her
Where did you grow up?
Hopkins, MN
What city are you currently based in?
Minneapolis, MN
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
Hi, I’m Renita Faye, the Founder & CEO of Addwomxn. We specialize in providing marketing and design solutions to healthcare organizations with a focus on promoting health equity.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I have two teenage daughters and teenagers are actually really fun! They both play softball and I have coached them for years; it has been so rewarding and such a joy to bond with them.
Who do you help?
We help healthcare organizations, businesses, and brands that are committed to promoting health equity.
What are you building now?
A top-notch team of women strategists and creatives who are interested in working on healthcare and health equity campaigns.
What were you building ten years ago today?
I was building a huge rebrand, coordinating an internal team of creatives and external agencies to revamp a cosmetology school that was coming out with a state-of-the-art online/interactive curriculum, which was extremely innovative for the time.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
Getting closer to retirement and sunsetting my time at Addwomxn, a very successful agency that has surpassed expectations, leaving a lasting impact on the creative industry and promoting diversity and inclusion in every aspect of its work.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
In 2008, a statistic found that only 3% of creative directors at agencies were women. That statistic has been upped to about 12% in 2023, but still indicates a major gender imbalance in its top creative ranks, with about 1 in 8 creative directors being women. Moreover, the lack of specific statistics about women of color in creative director roles highlights the broader issue of diversity in top creative positions, which remains a major challenge in the advertising and design industry.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
Because representation in the creative industry is so crucial. Inclusive teams not only foster productivity but also drive creativity. By ensuring diverse perspectives are heard and valued, we create more impactful and authentic content that resonates with a wider audience.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
Dawn Johnson is my life coach and mentor and has had the most profound impact on helping me lean into (and beyond) my allyship. She offers invaluable advice by guiding me to tap into my intuition and truly listen to myself. It's been transformative in how I approach things.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of? (could be an article, an interview, an episode, research, or something you’ve published)
Well, we’re just about to relaunch our website, addwomxn.com, and this has been a culmination of about six months of transformational work to really redefine ourselves and our mission.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
AdAge
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Oprah Winfrey of course
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
Diverse By Design: Redefining Design Leadership through Inclusivity and Empowerment
What award would mean the most to win?
I’m not sure; I’m not really into awards…
What makes zero sense to you?
The backlash against DEI as of late.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Authenticity – it’s been overused, but it really is critical in leadership
What game are you changing?
The way creativity and innovation intersect with diversity and inclusion. By championing diversity in our industry and fostering an inclusive environment, we’re reshaping how businesses approach marketing and design.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
We’re gearing up to host an ongoing panel series discussion around health equity and marketing. Stay tuned for some excellent panels!
Where can we follow you online?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitafaye/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/addwomxn/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
@addwomxn (Insta)
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Authenticity
__________________
We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Renita, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. Through a publication, education platform and PR representation, we help leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in digital executive presence and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the Rising ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly emails below. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to visibility Force to ICON: the TLDR.
“Inclusive teams not only foster productivity but also drive creativity.”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting rising leaders. The future is bold.
