Though International Women’s Day is well behind us, we are continuing to spotlight voices from across the industry as part of our IWD Voices series, with leaders sharing their journeys, experiences, insights, and the lessons that have shaped them.
Next up, we speak with Alice Chou, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative Taiwan.
In our conversation, Alice reflects on what this year’s IWD theme means to her, and how her understanding of fairness has evolved from seeking equal treatment to actively creating space for others to grow.
She also discusses the responsibility of senior leaders to dismantle invisible patterns in workplace culture, and her hopes for the next generation of women — that they will spend their energy creating rather than defending their right to exist in the room.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” What does this mean to you professionally and personally?
“Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”
To me, this isn’t a slogan shouted outward. It’s a question directed inward.
For a long time, women were simplified into symbols~
the supportive one, the emotional one, the one who must constantly prove herself.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that rights may secure a woman’s place at the table.
But what truly shifts perspective is how we tell the story.
When we choose to portray women as decision-makers rather than supporting characters;
when we show a mother’s ambition alongside her vulnerability;
when we stop defining success through a single standard,
that’s when justice moves from principle to lived reality.
I’ve always believed that creativity is, at its core, a choice of worldview.
The way we frame a story shapes the way the world is understood.
Often, change doesn’t begin with policy. It begins with a shift in narrative —
when women are no longer just roles, but subjects; no longer defined, but defining themselves.
Rights are the starting point. Justice is the vision. And action is the ongoing commitment to refine the world we live in.
On a personal level, the word “ALL” moves me deeply.
True equality isn’t about a few women reaching the top.
It’s about more girls growing up without having to shrink themselves in order to be accepted.
I’ve seen many talented women step back out of habit,
forgetting they were meant to stand at the center.
So perhaps action doesn’t always have to be grand.
Sometimes it’s simply the decision not to stay silent. Or the choice to stop doubting oneself.
To me, rights are the starting point. Justice is the vision.
And action is the ongoing commitment to refine the world we live in.
It isn’t about confrontation.
It’s about helping the world learn to see people more fully.
What first drew you to your industry, and was there a defining moment that set your career in motion? Was there a role model who influenced you early on?
When I was growing up, many families still carried an unspoken expectation~
boys were encouraged to strive and compete, while girls were expected to choose stability.
I was fortunate.
My parents encouraged me to pursue what I truly loved, and they never limited my ambition.
That feeling of being treated as an equal and genuinely expected to dream,
was my earliest source of strength.
I’m a copy-based creative. I’ve always loved language and storytelling.
My first teacher in words was my father.
He taught me that language is not decoration, it’s a way to shape how people see the world.
A story can shift perspective.
And creativity can amplify a quiet voice so it can be heard.
I’m a copy-based creative. I’ve always loved language and storytelling. My first teacher in words was my father. He taught me that language is not decoration, it’s a way to shape how people see the world.
The defining moment in my career came when I truly felt that a single idea could change the direction of a conversation.
When we reframed an issue, I saw public tone begin to soften.
People started to look at it differently.
That’s when I realized creativity is not packaging.
It’s a position.
A way of seeing the world.
As for role models, yes, there were a few senior leaders who influenced me deeply.
What they taught me wasn’t technique, but attitude and belief.
They showed me that success doesn’t have to follow a predefined template.
The more important question is:
Who do you want to become? And how do you want to shape the world?
That sense of self-directed choice is what gave my career its direction.
How has your understanding of fairness changed as you’ve gained experience and seniority?
When I was younger, my understanding of fairness was simple.
Fairness meant everyone receiving the same opportunities and the same treatment.
But as I gained experience and moved into leadership roles,
I began to realize that fairness is not the same as equality.
Some people need a stage. Some need time.
Some are ready to be seen. Others are still learning to believe in themselves.
Leading a team taught me that fairness is a more nuanced responsibility.
It’s not about dividing resources into equal pieces.
It’s about recognizing each person’s context.
Fairness isn’t about placing everyone on the same starting line. It’s about ensuring that people from different starting points still have a path forward.
Someone may be carrying family pressures.
Someone may be working through self-doubt.
Someone may simply need one moment of trust.
I used to think fairness was about policy design.
Now I see it as an attitude~
a willingness to pause in decision-making and ask:
“Does this choice genuinely create space for more people to grow?”
Fairness isn’t about placing everyone on the same starting line.
It’s about ensuring that people from different starting points still have a path forward.
It’s not always perfect. It’s not always popular.
And it requires courage, especially when you stand in a position of influence.
Perhaps the biggest shift in me has been this:
I moved from seeking to be treated fairly to learning how to treat others fairly.
As conversations around women and work have evolved, what do you think has genuinely improved—and where do you think more attention and action are still needed?
Over the past few years, the conversation around women and work has genuinely evolved.
We’re speaking more openly about pay gaps, caregiving responsibilities, and access to leadership.
We’re seeing more women in decision-making roles.
And women are no longer simply encouraged to “endure” —
they’re increasingly allowed to negotiate, to express ambition, and to set boundaries.
That, in itself, is real progress.
Real progress is when women no longer have to justify their presence — or apologize for their choices.
In the creative industry, I’ve also seen narratives shift.
Women are no longer portrayed as fixed character types, but as complex, multidimensional individuals. That cultural shift matters.
But if I’m honest, we’re still in a phase where the conversations are moving faster than the structures.
What needs more attention are the invisible burdens.
Women in leadership often carry additional emotional labor.
The tension between motherhood and career is still framed as a personal issue rather than a systemic one.
And in some rooms, women’s perspectives still require one extra layer of proof.
I often remind myself that progress isn’t just about helping women adapt to existing systems.
It’s about questioning whether the system itself is fair.
If the definition of success requires sacrificing health, family, or identity,
then it isn’t equitable for anyone.
The next step, in my view, is not simply encouraging women to be “stronger.”
It’s building workplaces mature enough to allow flexibility, difference, and diverse life timelines.
Real progress is when women no longer have to justify their presence —
or apologize for their choices.
That’s when we’ll know we’ve truly moved forward.
Is there a project or initiative you’ve worked on related to women’s empowerment that you’re particularly proud of? What made it meaningful to you?
One project that remains deeply meaningful to me is Unfreeze My Rights.
In Taiwan, our Assisted Reproduction Act felt like an old commercial stuck in the 1990s,
a script written only for a legally married heterosexual couple.
If a woman chooses to freeze her eggs, she must still be married to use them in the future — and even then, she needs her husband’s signed consent.
Single women and same-sex couples are excluded entirely.
The law quietly sends a message:
only one version of life is considered a legitimate ending.
If an outdated script can no longer contain today’s reality, then creativity has a responsibility to rewrite it.
But society has already changed.
Many women are not rejecting motherhood, they are asking for time, and for choice.
We partnered with women’s advocacy groups and invited those directly affected by the law to step forward.
On Mother’s Day, we staged a public “street proposal”,
a single woman openly searching for a “husband” whose only role was to sign a consent form, with no emotional commitment required.
The action was calm, almost clinical.
And that was precisely the point.
By removing emotion, the absurdity of the system revealed itself.
For me, the meaning of this project was not in the noise it generated, but in how it reframed the conversation.
Creativity is not about speaking for women —
it’s about creating space so they no longer need someone to speak for them.
If an outdated script can no longer contain today’s reality,
then creativity has a responsibility to rewrite it.
And in that moment, I was reminded:
empowerment is not about giving women power.
It’s about restoring the choices that should have been theirs all along.
What responsibility do senior leaders have in shaping more equitable workplaces, beyond statements or policies?
I’ve come to believe that real change in workplace culture doesn’t start with policies,
it starts with everyday behavior.
As senior leaders, we eventually realize that equity is not a yearly target.
It’s an attitude that has to be demonstrated, again and again.
When you sit in a position of influence,
one sentence can determine whether someone feels safe to speak again.
One preference can quietly reinforce old biases.
In the creative industry, we’re used to telling stories. But the workplace itself is also a story — one that quietly tells people whether they belong.
Our responsibility is to actively dismantle those invisible patterns.
To intentionally invite quieter voices into the conversation.
To see potential, not just current performance.
To create flexibility and respect for people in different stages of life.
More importantly, leaders must model vulnerability and learning.
When we acknowledge that we, too, have blind spots,
our teams begin to trust that change is genuine.
In the creative industry, we’re used to telling stories.
But the workplace itself is also a story —
one that quietly tells people whether they belong.
The responsibility of senior leaders is to widen that story.
To make creativity not just a product of competition,
but a process of mutual growth.
Perhaps real equity isn’t about writing more rules.
It’s about asking ourselves, in every decision:
“Does this choice allow more people to be seen?”
When people feel safe enough to shine,
that, in itself, is equity.
What is one change you would like to see in workplaces for the next generation of women?
If I could wish for one change,
I hope the next generation of women won’t feel the need to make themselves smaller when they enter the workplace..
I hope they won’t apologize before they speak.
Or feel they must prove their qualifications before sharing an opinion.
Or explain their life choices to anyone.
I hope they can spend their energy creating, not defending.
Use their ambition to build the world — not to convince the world they deserve to exist in it.
When they can shine without fear, that’s when real change has happened.
In the creative industry, we often talk about breakthrough and innovation.
But perhaps the real breakthrough is the day they no longer need to be called “female creatives” or “female leaders” —
just creatives, just leaders.
I also hope workplaces become more expansive.
Where success has different versions.
Where life has different timelines.
Where leadership can be gentle and still be strong.
If our generation can do one thing,
I hope it’s this:
to open a few more doors —
so they won’t have to knock as hard to enter.
When they can shine without fear,
that’s when real change has happened.
Quick Hits
A trend you are excited about, or not excited about
If there’s one trend I’m both excited about and cautious of, it’s AI.
It feels like an expansion of our abilities
an extra pair of hands, an extra set of eyes, even a thinking partner.
That’s exciting.
But when efficiency is amplified and speed is worshipped,
I remind myself to ask:
Are we trading values for convenience, and creativity for volume?
AI has no soul. We do.
The future isn’t about what AI can do.
It’s about who we choose to become with it.
A creative campaign or representation of women that inspired you or made you feel seen (please share a link to a video or image)
Woman’s Football
It doesn’t prove. It shows.
Women are already powerful. They just need to be seen.
A piece of advice that stayed with you longer than expected
No one is perfect.
But when you push your strengths to the fullest,
your flaws become your signature.
