Gemma Teeling has won this year's IAPI Doyenne Award. An account director with PHD media, she is the second winner of the annual award which was launched last year by IAPI, the advertising industry representative body, to acknowledge and promote the leadership potential of women within the industry.

While the gender balance in advertising is roughly equal on the lower rungs, things are very different higher up, with just 30 per cent of senior executive female. According to the IAPI 2014 census, just 13 per cent of women are at chief executive or managing director/partner level.

The aim of the awards is to raise the visibility of women with leadership potential within the industry and encourage them to put themselves forward.

Ms Teeling was picked from a shortlist of four also featuring Lynne Brennan, head of media at ICAN, Dee Colgan, MD Runway Marketing, and Jess Makekodunmi, strategic planner at DDFH&B.

Ms Teeling's agency experience began in London at ALJ Media before moving to Dublin in 2010 to work at Mindshare. a move in 2014 to PHD followed to run the media-buying agency's largest piece of business, the Mondelez account.

"In our applicants, we were looking for women who self-identified as having leadership qualities," said IAPI's Tanya Banotti. A similar competition is run in other markets such as the Women of Tomorrow competition in the UK

Also receiving an award was Aoibhín Lennon, client director at Mediavest, who picked up the IAPI Rising Star Doyenne Award, which is open to women under 30. The IAPI Doyenne Special Recognition Award went to Amy Satelle, an account executive at McCannBlue, for her career achievements.

“Hopefully in five years, there will be no need for an award like this,” Ms Banotti said.

The awards are timed to be close to International Women's Day. Eileen Naughton, managing director of Google UK and Ireland, spoke at the breakfast awards ceremony yesterday.