Romina Calcagno of Cosmos: “Diversity Isn’t a Trend—It’s Better Creativity”

For Romina Calcagno, member at Publicitarias and founder of Cosmos, attending Cannes Lions reinforced why diversity in creative leadership is more important than ever.

Speaking after the Publicitarias panel “Latinas in the Spotlight: When Cultural Intelligence Becomes Creative Power,” Calcagno said the discussion centered on one fundamental idea: better representation leads to better creativity.

“We talked about the importance of different perspectives and how bringing all those perspectives to the same table makes ideas much more powerful,” she said.

Coming from Uruguay, which she described as a small country where decision-making positions are often occupied by the same types of leaders, Calcagno believes initiatives like Latino US Day help broaden access and visibility.

“In my country, the decision-makers are usually the same—very normative and hegemonic,” she said. “Being here is important because it shows that other voices also belong in these spaces.”

Calcagno attended Cannes alongside 22 women from across Latin America through the ERA program, an initiative supported by Publicitarias to promote greater equity in the advertising industry.

Through the organization, she explained, members develop training programs, knowledge-sharing communities and practical tools that help agencies incorporate gender and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) perspectives into campaigns.

“We’re listening, learning and promoting a more equal industry,” she said. “Supporting this purpose is something we truly believe in with all our hearts.”

For Calcagno, increasing diversity is not simply a matter of representation—it is essential to producing more relevant, inclusive and impactful creative work.