See It, Be It 2024: Estefanía López
Estefanía López knows the power of self-advocacy and mentorship. As a Strategy Lead and participant in the Cannes Lions See It, Be It scheme, she has drawn inspiration from a network of strong women who have helped shape her career and who have helped her navigate her way with kindness and the confidence to have difficult conversations.
Here, Estefanía shares how these lessons have translated into her work, such as her role in winning part of an IKEA pitch. She emphasizes the importance of taking charge of one's career and building a supportive network. Her advice to the next generation of women in the industry is to recognize their own power, seek out honest mentors, and never stop advocating for themselves.
See it
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you in your career
I can’t pick one. Katerine Contreras, Johana Rubiano, and Sonia Barrera, all daughters of single mothers, just like me, helped me to understand that even if life sometimes felt incomplete, we were everything we needed to get wherever we wanted - for us, and our moms. They exemplified the female power in both life and the creative industry. Mafe Duque and Natalia Pérez gave me my first pair of wings and taught me how to use them with ambition, intelligence, and hard work, enabling me to sit at the tables I aspired to. Paula Centeno is the planner I always want to be.
Be it
How have you incorporated the lessons and insights you gained from women in your life and in creative/professional fields into how you approach life and your career?
They are all extremely different from each other, but at their core, they are very much alike. I learned from them that I am the only person responsible for advocating for myself above anyone else and that I can't do this without excelling at what I do, being true to myself, being kind to people, and getting good at handling difficult conversations.
Do it
How does that translate into the work? Tell us about some of the campaigns you've been involved in that you're really proud of. What challenges did you overcome to bring them to life?
Working for IKEA is a big deal. An open pitch for many agencies but not suited for all of them, but Natalia, fought for our team to be part of it and we were in the race. Kate, Mafe, and I worked on this together, Paula gave me certainty while writing the strategy. I came up with something that I loved. Kate praised my presentation in a conference room and alongside Mafe, they advocated for my work to merge with theirs for a great digital strategy. We won part of the pitch. Sonia and Joha celebrate us like always.
Share it
What messages or words of advice do you have for the next generation of women coming into the industry? And tell us about anything that you do to support and lift up women in the industry?
We are the only person in charge. Realizing that we’re in charge is a big responsibility, but also necessary and exciting. It gives us ownership and the power to choose, pursue what we want, build the support system that fits us best, and find the people who will give us honest advice, remind us of our worth in tough times, and open doors for us and with us. I am a mentor and a mentee at The 30-Minute University, which is an amazing way to lift women and be lifted by women.
See It Be It is a LIONS initiative aiming to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. The programme is open to all women, trans-identifying and non-binary people. For any enquiries, please get in touch at seeitbeit@canneslions.com.
Further information on applying for See It Be It 2025 can be found here.
