Mary Bekhait: Breaking down barriers as CEO of YMU & working with stars like Simon Cowell & Davina McCall

“There are so many limitations put on women in this industry and you have to adopt a mindset where you’re going to challenge that as you move forward.” 

Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Mary Bekhait, Group CEO of YMU. 

YMU is a global talent agency representing some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and beyond, including Fearne Cotton, Clare Balding, Davina McCall, Graham Norton and Simon Cowell, to name a few. 

Mary has had an amazing career and has risen through the ranks at YMU, since joining in 2012. 

Since taking over as Group CEO in January 2021, Mary has overseen a radical rebrand of YMU, transforming the agency into a progressive business, spearheaded by women. 

In this episode, we dig into Mary’s career to date, what it’s been like to rise through the ranks in a male-dominated industry and what it’s really like to work with some of the biggest names in entertainment. 

Episode Chapters:

➡️ Growing up in central London and nurturing a creative mind [06:00] 

➡️ Learnings from her first jobs [07:30] 

➡️ Why talent management & how to get into the industry [09:40] 

➡️ Being the only woman in the room & not becoming complacent [11:50]  

➡️ Leadership inspiration [16:40] 

➡️ More about today’s sponsor [20:50]

➡️ Rising through the ranks in talent management [22:00] 

➡️ Focusing on Diversity in Hiring [27:00] 

➡️ What it’s like to work with the most famous names in the industry [33:00] 

➡️ Mary’s vision of the future of the industry [38:30] 

➡️ A podcast recommendation from James [43:25] 

⛳ Helpful links:

➡️ Connect with Mary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-bekhait-35524512/ 

➡️ Find out more about YMU: https://www.ymugroup.com/ 

🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors 

Today’s episode is sponsored by Foundation Partners, an Amplified People Group business. 

Growing technology companies don’t have the financial resources, capacity or experience to tackle the challenges of scaling a business and driving performance. 

A world-class People, Culture & HR operation is instrumental for this. Foundation Partners have built a blended service, so companies get the experience and support - both strategically and day-to-day - they need to build an exceptional business. 

Find out more: https://www.foundationpartners.co.uk/ 

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