Ad exec fired after sexual misconduct allegation
The chief creative officer of a prominent Milwaukee advertising agency and the president of a professional organization in the city is out of both positions after public allegations last week that he engaged in sexual misconduct.
Dan Fietsam was terminated as the chief creative officer at Laughlin Constable on Saturday.
“Based on information brought to our attention late last week, we terminated our chief creative officer’s employment as of May 26,” Mat Lignel, the agency’s president and CEO, said in a statement. Fietsam was hired as the CCO in 2016.
Laughlin Constable is not providing further details on the termination,
including whether it was related to the public allegations and whether an internal investigation was conducted.
“As this is a personnel matter we are limited in sharing additional information, but the matter was addressed quickly once details were made available and handled in accordance with our personnel policies,” Lignel said. “Laughlin Constable is committed to a workplace culture filled with creative and committed professionals that place trust and respect for all at the forefront of great work we do for our clients.” The statements about Fietsam were made Thursday at a panel discussion about women in leadership hosted by United Adworkers. At the time, Fietsam was president of the organization.
During a questionand-answer period with the audience, Katie Mullen, owner of independent creative studio BlackPaint, asked the panel a question about harassment issues women face in advertising. In the question, she said Fietsam was known in the advertising community for sexual misconduct.
Mullen started BlackPaint in 2015 with her business partner, Jordan Pintar, in response to the lack of women in advertising and office cultures.
Fietsam announced his resignation as the president of United Adworkers on Friday in an email to members.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I am tendering my resignation as President and as a member of the club, effective immediately,” he wrote. Fietsam said the resignation was in response to public dialogue about him. He said statements about him were “unsubstantiated.”
“I encourage you to directly reach out to me if I am the source of your frustration and I will meet with you anytime anywhere to discuss any issue you may have,” he wrote. “I own everything I do and have no fear to have direct and meaningful conversations versus anonymous, snippy and trolling in social media.”
Fietsam did not respond to an email request for an interview Tuesday.
United Adworkers Executive Director Laura Gainor said the organization is working on a statement about his resignation.