Sattar is passionate about salary transparency, which she upholds on Other Box’s job board. She believes it is a key step in reducing pay inequality among marginalised communities, particularly women of colour. As a qualified therapist who serves on the advisory group for the Fawcett Society, she is uniquely positioned to support and mentor marginalised people and understand the psychology behind inequality.
Charlotte Stavrou
Founder and CEO | SevenSix Agency
Charlotte Stavrou is founder and CEO of SevenSix Agency, an award-winning influencer marketing and talent management agency founded in 2019 that helps brands improve the inclusivity of their marketing strategies. As the influencer economy continues to grow and become increasingly professionalised, Stavrou’s work has been pivotal to addressing the wage gap that influencers from marginalised backgrounds continue to face.
Along with running inclusive marketing and influencer marketing training for brands and agencies, she regularly works with platforms including Meta and YouTube, industry bodies such as the Advertising Association and ISBA and coaches influencers on understanding their value. Since 2021, Stavrou has spearheaded a yearly report charting the pay gap between white influencers and influencers of colour, which also has insights on hair texture, age, skin tone and disability, among other intersections of identity.
According to SevenSix’s 2024 report, compared to white influencers, Black influencers earn 34 per cent less, South Asian influencers earn 31 per cent less, East Asian influencers earn 38 per cent less and Southeast Asian influencers earn 57 per cent less. The disparities highlighted in these reports have helped set an industry standard for influencer pricing, which has long lacked transparency.
Mina White
Director | IMG Models
Plus-size representation in fashion is, as we know, severely lacking — but IMG Models director Mina White is pushing for more. She’s made strides since launching IMG’s curve division in 2014 when she signed Ashley Graham and four fellow models to the agency, and in 2016, she got Graham on the cover of Sports Illustrated, making her the first plus-size model to fill the annual SI: Swimsuit Issue slot. Since then, White has made strides, promoting plus-size talent for both runways and campaigns in an uphill battle against continued pushback from brands and casting agents around hiring bigger models.
Behind the scenes, White is consistently scouting for and casting plus-size talent. Now, the mission is to get more curvy models on the runway and in magazines alongside two of White’s biggest success stories: Graham and Paloma Elsesser. White consistently highlights the need for reduced barriers to entry and urges for more synergy between casting directors and stylists, which she says is needed to reduce the gatekeeping — from either side — that bars plus-sized models from walking shows. Beyond this, White is campaigning for those at the top to speak up and join her in campaigning for regulation and mandates about the minimum number of looks required in a given size for each show.
Hilary Xherimeja
Founder and CEO | Sondr
An entrepreneur at the forefront of youth culture, Hilary Xherimeja founded Sondr in 2023 to create opportunities for young creatives struggling to get their foot in the door. Sondr is fast becoming the go-to platform for ambitious young people to take the first step in their creative careers — and the brands that want to tap into a pool of forward-thinking Gen Z creatives.
Sondr offers the sorts of opportunities Xherimeja says she wishes she had at the age of 16: work experience, internships, mentorship, shadowing and one-to-one calls with industry leaders across fashion, art, music and tech. The platform recently hosted a drop-in Q&A session with Colm Dillane, founder of KidSuper, who offered advice on breaking into the fashion space. Its ‘Out the Box’ initiative allowed emerging creatives to pitch an idea, project, or example of their work for the chance to win a MacBook, a camera, or £1,000 in cash. While there are a number of platforms offering jobs boards, very early, pre-career opportunities are much harder to come by; shadowing or a quick call might typically require pre-existing access. This year, Sondr has collaborated with Nike and New Balance on brand activation events and more. The organisation also runs events and panels for its tight-knit community.
Xherimeja is also known for co-founding cult-favourite Mission Statement Magazine and served as its CEO until 2023. She previously worked in PR and tech.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].