M&C Saatchi CEO defends all male board saying adding female ‘isn’t going to change the world’
M&C’s David Kershaw
The global CEO of ad agency M&C Saatchi has said he is “very happy” about the composition of its eight man global board, which does not feature any female representation.
David Kershaw told Campaign in the UK: “Making grand gestures like making a woman a non-exec isn’t going to change the world.”
Australian Bill Muirhead is one of the eight men on the board of the agency, which sparked a fierce debate about gender equality in the Australian ad industry after questions were raised about the choice of entertainment at its 21st birthday party.
The company is headquartered in the UK where there have been recommendations that a quarter of all boards be made up of female representatives. M&C Saatchi is due to appoint a new non-executive director by June.
“Rather than keeping the world happy by shoving a woman on to the plc board, I’m more interested in the number of women who are running our businesses,” he told Campaign.
According to Campaign he cited examples including Molly Hooper Aldridge, the global chief executive of M&C Saatchi PR, and Libby Robinson, the EMEA managing director of M&C Saatchi Mobile, as “encouraging” examples.
Earlier this week the company shared its full year results which showed the global group’s revenues had risen 5.6% for the year, but the Australasian and Asia group’s headline figures were down 17%, which it attributed to currency changes.
Alex Hayes
Ad exec and activist Cindy Gallop is one of the headline speakers at this year’s Mumbrella360. Book before April 15 to save up to $700.
Gender equality, a grand gesture…
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Can’t wait to see how all M&C’s mates in the media make this one all about Mumbo trouble making
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Tokenism isn’t going to change much.
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I’m sure there’s at least one recruiter out there willing to defend M&C’s record.
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Hi @YOLO
If Mumbrella continues to conflate burlesque entertainment with sexism I certainly can’t stop them from doing so, much as it irks me.
David Kershaw is a fool to not appoint a woman to the global board, and his defence is stunningly tone deaf.
Nothing to do with a brilliant party I assume you were not there to witness.
Esther Clerehan
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What totally disgraceful words to leave this man’s mouth
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Enjoy the shameless ‘cindy gallop’ plug at the bottom of the article
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Women jumping out of a cake is a (admittedly weak) signifier of a culture gone wrong.
A fish rots from the head.
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Perhaps some of their big corporate clients who think differently might move their business elsewhere. Let the all male board discuss the loss of their key accounts.
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Companies with more women on boards perform better.
http://www.catalyst.org/media/.....ing-latest
http://www.theguardian.com/bus.....port-finds
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Hi Lol,
Nothing shameless about it.
We’ve invited Cindy to speak at Mumbrella360 because we believe this is an important issue and she has a value perspective on it.
We didn’t invite her first, then create the issue.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
If he had a woman on the board who would make the coffees?
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It is this sort of short sighted, regressive thinking that gives the industry a sexist name. What an embarrassment. Clients of M&C Saatchi take note; who you choose to represent your brand reflects on you too.
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