Agency boss suspended after claiming women are happier not being in senior roles
The global boss of creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi Kevin Roberts has been placed on administrative leave pending a decision by the board of holding company Publicis Groupe about his future with the organisation.
The move follows an incendiary interview by the adman in which he appeared to claim that there was no problem with gender diversity in advertising industry management because women are happier in non-executive roles.
Roberts, whose career included a seven year stint running Lion Nathan in Australia and New Zealand, is global chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi and head coach of parent company Publicis Groupe.
His role as head coach for Publicis includes leading the career development of the company’s 80,000 staff around the world. Publicis agencies in Australia include Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Razorfish, Starcom and ZO.
Publicis’s creative agency Leo Burnett Sydney came under attack from diversity campaigner Cindy Gallop late last year after publicising a new hire with a new infamous image of seven white men.
On Saturday Business Insider published an interview with Roberts in which he responded to a question about gender diversity in the industry by claiming “the fucking debate is all over”. He also attacked Gallop – who recently spoke at Mumbrella360 – as “making up a lot of stuff to create a profile”.
The key quotes from the Business Insider Interview:
“I don’t think [the lack of women in leadership roles] is a problem. I’m just not worried about it because they are very happy, they’re very successful, and doing great work. I can’t talk about sexual discrimination because we’ve never had that problem, thank goodness.”
“Edward de Bono once told me there is no point in being brilliant at the wrong thing — the fucking debate is all over. This is a diverse world, we are in a world where we need, like we’ve never needed before, integration, collaboration, connectivity, and creativity … this will be reflected in the way the Groupe is.”
On Cindy Gallop: “I think she’s got problems that are of her own making. I think she’s making up a lot of the stuff to create a profile, and to take applause, and to get on a soap[box].”
“We have a bunch of talented, creative females, but they reach a certain point in their careers … 10 years of experience, when we are ready to make them a creative director of a big piece of business, and I think we fail in two out of three of those choices because the executive involved said: ‘I don’t want to manage a piece of business and people, I want to keep doing the work’,”
Business Insider also quoted Roberts – author of books including Lovemarks and new publication 64 Shots: Leadership In A Crazy World, due to be published in Australia in November – that he doesn’t spend “any time” on gender issues at his agencies at all.
Within hours after the interview’s publication, the boss of Publicis, Maurice Levy, distanced himself from Roberts’ comments saying they went against the company’s position on diversity, saying: “Promoting gender equality starts at the top and the Groupe will not tolerate anyone speaking for our organization who does not value the importance of inclusion.”
The full statement from Publicis:
Following the comments made by Saatchi & Saatchi Executive Chairman and Publicis Groupe Head Coach, Kevin Roberts, in a recent interview with Business Insider, Publicis Groupe Chairman & CEO, Maurice Lévy addressed a statement internally to all Publicis Groupe employees to reiterate the Groupe’s no-tolerance policy towards behavior or commentary counter to the spirit of Publicis Groupe and its celebration of difference as captured in the motto Viva la Difference!
It is for the gravity of these statements that Kevin Roberts has been asked to take a leave of absence from Publicis Groupe effective immediately.
As a member of The Directoire, it will ultimately be the Publicis Groupe Supervisory Board’s duty to further evaluate his standing.
Diversity & inclusion are business imperatives on which Publicis Groupe will not negotiate.
While fostering a work environment that is inclusive of all talent is a collective responsibility, it is leadership’s job to
nurture the career aspirations and goals of all our talent.Promoting gender equality starts at the top and the Groupe will not tolerate anyone speaking for our organization who does not value the importance of inclusion.
Publicis Groupe works very hard to champion diversity and will continue to insist that each agency’s leadership be champions of both diversity and inclusion.
As the furore broke on Roberts’ comments, Gallop tweeted: “What’s noteworthy is that white guys can’t get away with this any more.”
I don’t care what @krconnect says about me. What’s noteworthy is that white guys can’t get away with this any more pic.twitter.com/gjazbnCKBs
— Cindy Gallop (@cindygallop) July 30, 2016
See Gallop’s keynote address to Mumbrella360:
Be first to hear about next year's Mumbrella360
Did I see Kevin out for lunch with Eddie McGuire the other day?
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So the company motto is ” Viva la Difference! ”
Then they want to sanction a man for suggesting there might be a gender difference in aspirations leading to happiness.
Screw PC. If this company had any sense at all it would hold on to a man who voices his true opinions instead of kowtowing to PC fascism.
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Crush the white guys. Take their jobs. Accuse them of harassment. Make their lives miserable. They are worthless.
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I’m confused at this article. The person said that women are offered roles with no discrimination. The person stated that men take up those roles more than women based on personal choice. These offers were made without coersion or discrimation based on gender. The statements are related to statistical differences in outcomes.
What is your definition of sexism? This doesn’t seem to be about sexism, rather stating that there is an interesting difference in career choices where there is no discrimination.
Please state your definition of sexism?
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I’m confused. You insinuate that this is sexist. What is your definition of sexism?
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Hi Peter,
I’d suggest than when you’re the “coach” of an organisation of 80,000 people, making assumptions about the aspirations of half of them based on a few personal experiences is dangerous territory. I’m pretty sure he hadn’t made a statistical examination across the organisation.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
You don’t value a person just because they voice their “true opinions” – you value a person with logical, unbiased, non-sexist, rational opinions.
That’s not “facism”, it’s common sense.
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Male pale stale FAIL. ‘ the women like doing the work…,,, what like ironing” ? He can voice his opinion but the world has changed and he’s in the dinosaur camp. Change , leadership and mentoring start at the top and it’s his role to help pull great talent thru. An ad agency needs great diversity to garner all views. Stats show when you have gender parity you have a 10 per cent increase in net profit and even more in shareholder value. He’s actually hurting the bottom line. He’s not capable to be in this position and holds rigid views on what else. This is what living misogny looks like. And he’s infecting Oz no wonder womens start ups are at an all time high. Good women leave.
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Leadership ambition and gender are not related. It’s simply not like that anymore. I’m proud to work for a company that supports leadership develoment with a blindness to gender. But if the senior leaders of my company had this view it would have been much more difficult for me to be in the role I’m in today. This may seem like an innocent “tell it as he sees it” comment but it speaks volumes about how far we still have to go.
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He wasn’t sacked because he said something sexist – he was sacked because he did not show the requisite level of leadership on such an important and topical issue in our industry.
This guy is a global leader in a large company with 80,000 people and in that position, expected to show high degree of thought leadership on the issue of lack of gender balance in senior roles in the industry. Its clear he doesnt think much of the issue by himself saying “i dont spend any time at all” on this.
Well done Publicis – move on the ageing dinosaur who sees no issue of gender imbalance when all the statistics and public opinion and mood say otherwise.
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Including the ladies almost everyone in advertising in this country went to a predominately white, private school. So while addressing the gender imbalance, how about we address the socio-economic / racial balance?
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Wore than that, check out the picture of him
In the chair – he’s a manspreader.
http://mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com/
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Hello Tim,
I’m still confused about this being called sexism. Can you please tell me your definition of sexism?
He simply stated that more women than men rejected promotions for personal reasons. He said that this was the reason why there were less women in management positions than men in his organisation. You’re response confused me. How do you define sexism in this case?
I don’t think sexism is defined as talking about concrete data and providing that data. If there are less women in his workplace because they were offered jobs and declined them then that is a statement of fact. I don’t see any discrimination based on sex by stating a fact. He made no assumptions about other organisations.
I thought that the scientific method is about collecting data and making predictions. That is how society learns. Both men and women are entitled to opinions based on fact.
Please provide your definition of sexism? Help me with my confusion.
My thoughts are that this is a personal attack on an individual as he has presented facts that disagree with a political ideology. I would go further to say that these attacks are due to his sex. It appears the issue is that he is a man.
Thankfully, this ideologue nonsense is now only followed by 5% of the population. I’m keen to know your definition of sexism.
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I agree with you.
It seems to me that feminism is a rich white woman political movement. We have equal opportunity now.The movement uses personal attacks and bullying to achieve political power.
It is no longer followed by the general public. It will be dead in 20 years or less.
Fact is this, hormones effect the human brain. Men and women have different levels of hormones. The best way to explain it is this way:
Women think men should behave like women and men think women should behave like men. Both groups do not understand how easy sexes hormones influence them.
Rich white women are unhappy that life is not fair nor easy. They blame sexism and men. They do not try to think that men are different and we all need to relate to each others hormonal and biological sex differences.
You have equal opportunity. That is all. Stop creating conspiracy theories about how life is unfair.
Then help really disadvantaged groups like poor people.
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Bringing Kev Roberts name into disrepute. I pray he brings a lawsuit against your jumped up millenial arse and closes you down. This man has done nothing but good for our industry as a consumate professional and equally across all genders.
Pete Cashmore should have you put on garden leave to experience what the innocent have to suffer at the hands of evil, ugly pricks like you.
Go Kev Roberts… a talent most can only dream about especially lowly scum journos (award winner bullshit) at what used to be a respected publication. Bye Mumbrella!
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Hi Graham,
Thanks for your comment.
Flattered as I am for you to describe me as a millennial, I’m afraid I have to correct you. As a 45-year-old, I’m sad to say that I was already working as a journalist when millennials were being born.
And flattered as I am that you’d connect me with Pete Cashmore, he’s actually the founder of a publication called Mashable.
And I think you may be confusing the messager with the event. By the time we came to report this, Kevin Roberts had already made those comments and been suspended by his employer. Whatever has been done to bring him into disrepute, if you see it that way, he did to himself. Bye Graham!
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
An industry news story, fairly reported by a trade journal – nothing to see there. Roberts through word and deed appears unaware or at the very least insensitive to the appropriate way to approach an issue affecting many of his staff. But to me the most disgraceful part of this episode is the disloyalty and hypocrisy of Levy in his memo to all staff. Great example of thought crime where guilt rather than innocence is assumed due to his gender, race and age.
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Tim,
We are still waiting on you definition of sexism? Seems you can’t define it and are just using the label to defame.
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The really sad thing is not Robert’s stupid conduct here, it is that there are people prepared to defend it.
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This comment thread is gold. Poor middle-aged white men having to cope (or as is evident, not coping) with the realisation that they don’t have the advantage over women and POC anymore simply because of their gender and race.
My heart breaks.
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For an industry that professes to “understand people”, figures like Kevin Roberts are doing a crap job of it.
Creative leadership today isn’t doing what Kevin Roberts did which is shooting his mouth off about a highly sensitive issue that is a genuine problem in the industry. By doing so, Roberts lost the respect of many an employee within the Publicis network of companies.
I’m equally surprised by some of the reactions to this article on Mumbrella which reported on the issue.
Maurice Levy showed genuine leadership in placing Roberts on a leave of absence and he would do the industry a favour by dismissing him altogether. Replace Roberts with a tenacious, proven creative leader to happens to be a women and create a new template for leadership. Our industry needs it as many are choosing alternative career paths and industry churn has never been higher then what it is now in Australia.
I used to respect Kevin and his love marks spiel when I entered the industry in 1998. Sadly, he is in a long line of out of touch execs (Former JWT NY CEO among them), who’s sexist and out of touch views reduce value in society rather than create the impact that comms and marketing agencies aspire to have.
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Best explanation so far.
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Sadly its actual quite defining of very senior agency leadership in our business. This is not PC Facism but a real insight into a misunderstood prejudice. Publicist reaction is to be applauded, for now, it remains to be seen how this will be managed out.
This makes me consider more than how prejudice can prevent people of progressing in the industry but more over how these attitudes actually make people feel. Im sure the comments from Roberts had no ill intent. These views are what he believes to be true.
… much like the men and women who spat at Ruby Bridges, a 6 year old Louisiana girl trying to go to school in 1960. They also thought their views were well meaning.
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To people who follow this ideology, sexism is anything that doesn’t include 50/50 breakdown of men and women. So even if women make different lifestyle choices, it’s sexist to say it.
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Kev Baby is not part of the solution. Cindy G most certainly is. Mummy is but a messenger.
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I agree with Peter here, it’s not sexist to say that women make different choices to men, and that is reflected by the amount of men and women in leadership roles. This rings similar to the ‘issue’ of women in engineering and science related roles. In Norway, one of the most free states for gender equality, they have tried to push more women into science and engineering roles. However, women prefer the social sciences, so there is still a ‘ga’ between women and men in science. Is it sexism that they are choosing it? You’re attributing sexism to something that comes down to choice and preference, not discrimination.
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People like uber bully Gallop and her lynch mob are obsessed with race and gender, and the way they talk about white men makes them the actual sexists and racists (no, really! Look up the definitions). The only diversity that really matters is intellectual diversity and diversity of opinion, and in that respect it’s clear that we’re becoming more and more like Cindy Gallop every day: a bunch of entitled, sanctimonious, anti-intellectual, hypocritical, narcissistic bullies.
As for opportunity, we have equality of opportunity in Australia, UK and USA in 2016 (except for all the programs, awards and affirmative actions that favour women, but hey, let’s not talk about those).
Here’s what a couple of prominent ex-feminists think about what’s going on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv7LvRhvgNI
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Publicis would not suspend anyone lightly, and I say good for them for taking this stand. At this point it seems there is no confirmation that this is a permanent decision, and no doubt plenty of robust investigation is under way. A few public comments are often only a hint to a much larger problem that may well be quite vast. The reporting of this and the language used by Mumbrella is not going to be the ultimate decider here, so I don’t think people should get worked up about it in this forum. The people in the business that have been undermined, the numbers, and the facts will talk. Let’s trust that the right thing is done, a message is sent to others in the industry that are equally as prejudice, and we no longer have to tolerate this bias.
(At the same time, can we not employ the wrong women either…just to get the numbers up?? Best people should shine)
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Hi Peter,
Greetings from Brisbane (just got off a flight, so I haven’t been online).
If you want a definition of sexism then I suggest you look in the dictionary as I’m sure it will do a better job than me.
But if you’d like an example of sexism, then I’d suggest it would be assuming that all women don’t want to be in management because you’ve come across some women who don’t want to be in management.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Unfortunately for Kevin he showed poor judgement. Poor judgement for someone at his level is pretty serious. He’s supposed to know better or at least have a filter between his brain and his mouth. To talk on behalf of the career aspirations of half the population is just dumb.
All he needed to say was “Publicis is an organisation where anybody can be whatever they want to be regardless of race or sex.” Seems to me anybody male or female can decide they would rather be a practitioner than a manager, that’s not a career decision available only to women.
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Here you go. If you cannot figure out what the fuss is about, watch this video and learn. http://www.ted.com/talks/shery.....en_leaders
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The real meaning of diversity is valuing differences. Unfortunately, the industry debate on diversity has been reduced to primarily a debate about the lack of women in senior creative, management and board positions. Then the debate becomes distorted when it turns to hiring on merit regardless of gender as there is clearly a disproportionate lack of women in these roles. It is a solid indication that people are not being hired on merit at all as women in spite of their skills and experience are largely not hired.
A large number of women however are hired in the industry; primarily in administrative and junior management roles. Over 60% of people in these roles are women. But this is where women’s participation slowly dwindles and a new crop of willing young women join the industry. Woe betide any woman who chooses to have a family then return to the industry in a full time role or chooses to pursue promotion of any kind.
This pattern also results in fewer and fewer males being attracted into the industry in the above roles which in turn results in a gender imbalance across these roles. Men having an inability to fall pregnant do not come with a built-in redundancy factor.
But diversity is about so much more than just gender. The industry has a culture of working excessive hours to gain valuable experience and skills to gain that promotion that so many strive to achieve. The reality is that ageism is a large elephant in the boardroom of many agencies. The industry prides itself on being a young and innovative. Men and women over 40 and beyond find themselves with an early use-by date and are quite simply pushed out of the industry as they don’t fit the agency stereotype.
So what is the industry left with for its future? Ageing males at the top who will clearly be replaced by another generation of males and very few women. Very few men entering the industry in admin and junior management roles effectively presenting little future for men or women in the industry. And if they do manage to survive to a certain age, they will be pushed out. There are also no mentors to turn to guide, challenge and grow people as mentors are pushed out with age.
What kind of future is the industry building when it is clearly focused on the short term and fails to understand the true meaning of diversity?
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Tim,
To be fair, he’s talking about most women, not all women. After several decades in the industry, couldn’t it be he actually has a representative number on which to base his statements?
What if he’s right? Instead of demonstrating he’s wrong (they never use numbers, only feelings. As if there aren’t men who’d love to be in senior management, but never make it) he’s suspended. Censored. It’s absolutely crazy.
“We have a bunch of talented, creative females, but they reach a certain point in their careers … 10 years of experience, when we are ready to make them a creative director of a big piece of business, and I think we fail in two out of three of those choices because the executive involved said: ‘I don’t want to manage a piece of business and people, I want to keep doing the work’,”
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When someone starts a ‘fact’ with I think, you can generally assume it’s an opinion or perception not a fact they’ll be quoting.
For me its sexism as someone is trying to link what is ultimately simply a personal choice (to not choose the job) as a gender based norm.
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As one of the most independent and credible media in Australia and certainly our industry, I’m disappointed Mumbrella jumps on the feminist bandwagon with their war on white men so easily and uncritically. A man just got suspended for an un-PC statement. That’s a big problem and a symptom of something far more sinister.
Here’s what he also said (from B&T) that you conveniently left out:
“So they say: ‘We are not judging ourselves by those standards that you idiotic dinosaur-like men judge yourself by’. I don’t think [the lack of women in leadership roles] is a problem. I’m just not worried about it because they are very happy, they’re very successful, and doing great work.”
Sort of softens the blow a bit, doesn’t it? He’s complimenting women, saying they’re smarter than conformist old men and talented. He just has a different conclusion about what’s taking place in practice.
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It’s a chair. He can use all of it or part of it, it’s just a single seat chair.
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Has he been sacked? Is there an update to this article? I thought he was placed on leave.
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haha burn
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I’m playing to your heart breaking, Ricki
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I wonder why these women don’t want to advance into senior roles? Don’t they have wives at home, raising their children, cooking their dinners, and maintaining their homes? Don’t they want to spend their middle age working late into the night, and then drinking with colleagues? Well, it’s their choice.
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“War on white men”.
Oh, stop it, I’m laughing too hard! You poor little darlings who are in the majority of management positions in the majority of industries and government are under attack are you? Bwahaha!
Oh no, what might happen? Are you afraid that men might soon be treated LIKE WOMEN?!?!
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Should of been fired for the atrocious love marks concept/book.
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@penny and @yeah nah
Your perspective on the issue is a narrow and simplistic one, coloured by a mind made up. Shouting slogans is easier than thinking for yourselves, and feminism offers a way for you to blame everything on someone else. I understand the appeal.
But please have a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv7LvRhvgNI
Two old-school feminists on why today’s feminism is madness. Please, let me know if it makes you change you minds just a tiny little bit.
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Btw @Penny
Why do you talk about men as if we’re all in it together? As if we rule the industry together? Having been bullied from my job by my female boss twice, I resent you suggesting I benefit from some kind of white male privilege. I’d love a management position, but I won’t get one. Unfortunately, I have no one to blame but myself. Boo hoo!
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He’s saying “bless them, they don’t want to worry abkut boss stuff. Clever them.”
How does that soften the blow?
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Smoked !!
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to all the dudes whinging on here that Tim dare to write this article, you’re totally right – you are a special snowflake and you are the only one with the special skills, alpha dog management nous and supreme intellect to carry out these roles in this industry. women love getting paid less and not being listened to!! besides we’d probably spend all the extra money on make-up and shopping!
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Grant, your response confused me. What is your definition of sexism?
He said that the women he personally offered jobs too refused them more often than the men he personally offered jobs too. He then stated the reasons he heard.
How does that fall under your definition of sexism?
If I said that I saw the earth revolve around the sun. Would it be gravity-ist that I disagreed with the dogma of past times that the sun went around the earth?
Does a world where you can’t talk about your actual experiences seem a little like communism or fascism?
Tell us your definition.
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Tim,
That is why I am confused. You haven’t stated your definition of sexism. The dictionary says it is discriminating based on gender. He hasn’t discriminated against anyone based on gender. He presented data that he collected first hand.
By that definition, stating fact is not sexism.
What is your definition?
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Further to my last comment. You said he was ‘sexist’ because he assumed women make specific decisions. I’m unsure where he assumed anything about any gender. He presented facts from first hand experience offering people jobs
You say you are a journalist? Where is your source for such a defamatory statement. When did he assume anything?
Thankfully hacks like you are in an industry that is dieing.
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Most creative directors i’ve encountered, and gender aside, get in those positions not to foster talent, but rather to feed their own ego and promote their own ideas. So, to say that one particular person chose to be creative rather than pursue a managerial position where your primary role is to be everything but a creative, sounds like an example of someone that may have clarity on what they want to do. When does becoming a manager = self-worth, happiness?
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Nah, Tim is presenting an emotional statement. He lost the argument to Peter.
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What makes me really cringe while reading the comments about KR on this and every other ad industry site, is the vitriol from many of those who are blindly defending him. Sadly, some of the more poisonous comments have done nothing to advance his case but merely prove that ‘gender issues’, and other matters of diversity and tolerance are well and truly embedded problems in our industry.
I’ve seen some comments suggesting that our industry is no worse than many others, as if that is an excuse.
Well it isn’t. If there is any industry that should lead the way in terms of diversity and tolerance in general, it should be advertising, if for no other reason than we are supposed to be a creative environment to work in, plugged into, and reflective of contemporary culture and society – it’s how we’re supposed to help our clients connect with consumers.
Unfortunately, the truth tends to be quite different, as this is an industry that’s top heavy with older white guys still trying to be ‘hip.’….. but then making hopelessly out of touch statements and leadership decisions – think David Brent, but less funny and a damn sight more damaging to real progress.
For those who don’t buy into the above, then perhaps the following may convince you why KR’s stance is damaging to the industry in general, and Publicis Groupe / Saatchi & Saatchi in particular.
As a chairman of a major global industry player, and ‘Lead Coach’ for the wider group, he is a senior member of a global corporation.
He should have well-developed cultural insight, the empathy to understand the magnitude and depth of feeling on the issue, and an obligation to everyone within the group to look at the issue objectively and act appropriately.
He did not, and that has put his employer in an untenable position.
Finally, and to be clear, I myself am one of those older white guys (and my adult children are quick to point out that not only am I not ‘hip’, the very fact I use the term proves it). However, I still enjoy working in the industry.
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This is a clear case of give a voice to the loudest, and don’t mention the war. Where is the court that decides what is sexist and what is not?
Who has proven intent here? Is a person entitled to an opinion or not?
This is the kind of political warring that belongs in totalitarian regimes, the very stuff that makes up jingoism and promotes KGB type activity.
Feminists and individual women have a right to their opinions, but they are not always right, neither do they make policy and rules for freedom of speech and opinion.
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The reason why people are angry is that you are victimising a man who did not commit an act of sexism. He disagreed with some political statements based on data that he saw himself.
People are angry because this sort of speech patrol and victimisation is not good for society. Have you read 1984?
I lived in a communist country. In that country the government labelled disidents racist, sexist, facist etc. when they disagreed with popular dogma. I saw people shot on the street.
So yes, it makes me angry when someone labels someone sexist when he isn’t. He disagreed with a political dogma. He presented evidence for this that is convincing. He has never discriminated against anyone. People are entitled to their views.
Thankfully only 10% of the population believe that this is so called sexism.
Take a long hard look at your life. Stop blaming conspiracy theories like patriacy and get your life on track. Stop defaming good people.
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Fundamentally, if you are responsible for the career development of 80,000 people in a global agency network, you are accountable for ensuring that you are across and understand the issues involved in diversity and inclusion, have formal plans on how to at least begin to deal with the many issues involved in what is a very complex set of topics, and take a thought leadership role on the issues involved.
If you can’t do that, and Kevin Roberts obviously can’t from his comments, you don’t deserve the job. Publicis Groupe would do well to extend this to finding a replacement who is up to the task.
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Since he is (wankily) called ‘head coach’ – perhaps a bit of coaching would be appropriate.
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Woman from feminist country here. I agree with Peter and Jess, and it would be helpful if the author of the article could tell us what his definition of “sexism” is.
I agree that top positions are still a white-boys club in just about every profession, but from reading Roberts’s statements I do not get the idea that he’s against women in top roles but rather that he’s saying that based on what he observes women *choose* not to take on top roles. It seems that women who are offered such roles decline because they want to “keep doing the work.”
And btw, here in feminist land a surprisingly low number of women choose top roles because they want to work part-time and stay home with the kids. No man is telling them to, but that’s how feminazis have their cake and eat it, too.
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Peter,
I don’t affiliate with your beliefs.
I do care that our industry has a diverse cross-section of people working in it, that would include more than 50% of the industry coming from publicly educated / TAFE backgrounds and a lot less white people.
White women want diversity, but they only want less men and more white women.
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Hi Anna,
I’m curious why you and Peter are both so curious about my definition of the word “sexism”, given that the word does not actually appear in the article?
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
I agree with Peter.
I believe women make great leaders as they are inclusive in their style of leadership.
I am in charge of a group where 80% of the staff are women.
When Directorship or Leadership roles become available, despite the fact that 80% of the staff are female, more men accept the leadership roles than the women as a percentage.
Reasons cited by the women are they have children at home to take care of and do not want the extra responsibilities at work.
We would love it if more women took on Directorship/Leadership roles because they are simply good at it but we cannot get them to accept these roles despite the larger numbers of women in our group.
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Man, I’m glad I’m no longer a middle-aged white man – they’re being demonised!
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I think it is sexist to say that women, due to gender are happier not in exec roles.
I am a woman. I am in an exec position and answer to a female CEO. I am happier working at an executive level and I am ambitious.
In my last role. Also an exec position, my boss was female and the CEO female.
We were all ambitious and wanted to also improve our personal financial position.
What he says about women is such a generalisation.
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A woman here. He doesn’t reflect my own perspective, nor the perspective of my female exec colleagues, nor our female CEO.
Doesn’t reflect my last workplace either. Also mostly female executive management team and a female CEO. Why would we be happier making less money.
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Oh thank you. Finally a comment I can agree with
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Awesome comeback Tim
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I am a female and work in executive management. My goal is CEO.
My level of ambition and committment to my career cannot be predicted simply based on gender.
It would be discrimination were I to miss out on promotion because I am a woman, because someone presumed I would not be happy in a higher role due to my gender.
Generalisations like this would natually by default impact on my career prospects. If it is thought that women are likely to not hunger for promotion and want to work in management positions, they are naturally going to be less likely to be offered them.
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Double bias. Women here. Asian. New to Australia…
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So… “my female exec colleagues, nor our female CEO” and “Doesn’t reflect my last workplace either. Also mostly female executive management team and a female CEO” …umm, where is the domination by old white guys in this scenario. You’re defeating your own argument right there Lee.
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My first CD was a woman. I was definitely hired based on my looks. How do I know? She told me.
She also only hired men. Her entire department.
Why?
Maybe it was the fact she was still single at the ripe young age of 30. She definitely put the word on us more than once. But it’s pretty awesome for anyone to become CD at age 30.
The other reason might be what she told us. ‘I don’t want to hire difficult people. Women are difficult.’
Now we thought that was a bit sexist. But that was her opinion. And as a woman, she’s entitled to it.
We’re all victims when it suits us, but we’re all winners when it doesn’t.
Be a winner.
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