In our latest Digital Women interview, New Digital Age meets Calli Goldstein, Head of Client Services at Pencil.
Goldstein’s career spans over 15 years across brand strategy, social and digital marketing, and client leadership, with experience across agencies and the music industry in both the UK and US. She has built and led high-performing teams in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, delivering award-winning work for global brands.
Now at Pencil, part of The Brandtech Group, she sits at the intersection of creativity, client leadership and emerging technology, with a focus on how teams and individuals adapt as AI reshapes roles, expectations and career paths.
What are the biggest opportunities for women in your sector of the digital industry right now?
AI is creating a huge opportunity for women, because it’s lowered the barriers to entry for digital skills. I think the biggest opportunity right now is to get comfortable with experimentation and see what’s possible.
AI isn’t this single thing you either use or don’t use, it’s lots of different tools that can solve different parts of your day-to-day. I’d encourage people to think about which bits of their jobs are repetitive or painful, and then how utilise certain tools to make things easier.
Play with LLM’s, try things out, and don’t worry too much about getting it right straight away. There’s something powerful about just testing tools, seeing what works, and building confidence as you go. You’d be surprised at the progress you can make quite quickly.
Adaptability has always been important in digital, whether that was the early days of social or now with AI. If you’re open to learning those new skills, you’ll find new opportunities follow.
What are some of the challenges that you still see for women in the industry? Any advice as to how to overcome those challenges?
The challenges for women unfortunately haven’t changed that much. There are still fewer of us in leadership, and there are still perceptions and structural inequalities that exist.
But I do think the way AI and digital are evolving is starting to level the playing field. My advice would be to go for what you want and stay true to who you are while doing it.
While there are still older mentalities in place, I do think the paradigm is shifting. The more confidence you have and the more skills you can build, the more you can help change that tide.
And I would say, find women who are already leaders, ask them to be your mentors, study what they’ve done. There is a lot to learn from those who have gone before you!
What support structures and organisations are most important and effective to you as a woman in the digital industry?
I’ve had a lot of women who have supported me throughout my career, in different ways, whether that’s been training, mentorship, emotional support or professional support.
But honestly, I’ve also learned a lot from the women who were the toughest. The ones who maybe didn’t have the same lens we have now around equality, or who came up in environments where they had to fight much harder for their place. Sometimes that made conversations harder in the moment, but those experiences shaped me a lot.
So, I think support doesn’t always look warm or easy. The best mentors won’t always mother you. And sometimes the harder lessons are the ones that stay with you for longer or benefit you the most.
What is the biggest misconception (a) about women in the digital industry, and (b) by women in the digital industry?
The biggest misconception about women in the digital industry is that they can’t do certain things. You can in fact be a developer, backend, frontend, marketing, CEO.
Anything in digital is accessible, but you do have to put in the work to learn quickly and keep learning.
And I think the misconception by women in the industry can sometimes be the same thing, that there are certain roles we can’t do or just aren’t good at. It becomes something you internalise.
What you believe usually becomes true, so you have to question that voice when it shows up. Even if something feels like reality, don’t just land on it and accept it. Try to shift it and evolve how you think about yourself.
What one piece of advice would you offer a woman starting in the digital industry today?
Be open to opportunities, but don’t compromise yourself or your values in the process.
You might have an idea of your path, and then something comes along that feels like a good opportunity, and it might be. But remember you have the ability to say no if it doesn’t feel right or if it doesn’t serve what you actually want to do. Trust your gut. Don’t be afraid to pass up opportunities if they don’t fit, because there is never only one door available to you.
And use AI. Use it to brainstorm your career, think about what you want to be, explore ideas. A lot of people don’t know exactly what they want at the start of their careers, and that’s fine. AI can help you get closer to it and better shape your own sense of personal brand.
