Mary Andrews, Content Partnerships

In a collection of interviews to mark International Women’s Day 2022, we shine a light on some of the brilliant women at the heart of The Independent. 

Mary Andrews is one of these. Here she talks about her role at The Independent, what has helped her along the way and the women who inspire her.

Describe your job

My role here is to license content published across The Independent portfolio to external publishers and broadcasters. The repertoire of clients can be really diverse, ranging from educational publishers like Pearson and Macmillan, to international magazines like Internazionale and Courrier Japon. I also work closely with television production companies who wish to feature our news brand or headlines in their dramas and documentaries. 

How did you get into your profession?

Through the work experience route. I graduated from university with a degree in English Lit, an interest in the publishing industry and no idea what to do next. Most of my contemporaries were applying for work experience in London that summer, and so I did the same, never imagining that my two weeks distributing the post and typing up transcripts at EMAP, as it was called back then, would lead to my first job opportunity. 

Who and what has helped you break the bias?

Many different things and many different people, but I remember reading an interview with the author Stephenie Meyer once. I think it was around 12 years ago. In it, she described how she wrote Twilight “one-handed and with her baby on her lap” and this powerful image, this idea of being everything and everyone at the same time, has been with me ever since. 

Which women do you admire?

This is a tough one! I admire so many women, but if I had to choose, I would say women who risked their lives to shatter preconceptions and stretch the world for those who followed. I can only marvel at their courage and their achievements. Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, to name but a few. 

What are your hopes for the future in terms of breaking the bias?

A world of inclusion, acceptance and diversity. A world of kindness. A world where it’s ok if you need to be everything at the same time and where it’s also ok if don’t.

What one bit of career advice would you give to others?

View “the ceiling” as an opinion and not as a fact.