Saatchi chief ’s gaffe ‘shows scale of problem for women in business’
CONTROVERSIAL comments by the boss of the world’s most famous advertising agency demonstrate the “scale of the problem” women in business face, an advertising supremo said today.
Kevin Roberts, chairman of Saatchi and Saatchi, was suspended after claiming women lack “vertical ambition” and saying low numbers of women in senior roles in the industry was “not a problem”. The agenc y ’s French parent company, Publicis, put him on leave, saying the company would not tolerate anyone who “does not value the importance of inclusion”.
Today Cilla Snowball, who was the first female chairman of the Advertising Association and chairs the Women’s Business Council, said of the comments: “It demonstrates the work we still have to do. In advertising we do not have enough women in leadership positions, particularly in creative roles.
“Women want to progress on their own terms and men can help facilitate that. This will not put us back. It’s been dealt with quickly and appropriately but does demonstrate the scale of the problem.”
Saatchi & Saatchi was founded in London in 1970 by brothers Maurice and Charles. It was taken over by Publicis in 2000 and now has more than 6,500 employees, with around 65 per cent female. But the chief executives running all six of the big advertising agency holding companies are men.
Mr Roberts, from Lancashire, who has been at Saatchi & Saatchi’s helm for 20 years, told the Business Insider that rather than holding ambitions to climb the career ladder, many women, and men, simply wanted to be happy and “do great work”.
He said: “They are going, ‘Actually guys, you’re missing the point, you don’t understand: I’m way happier than you’. Their ambition is not a vertical ambition; it’s this intrinsic, circular ambition to be happy. I don’t think [the lack of women in leadership roles] is a problem.
Arthur Sadoun, chief executive of Publicis Communications, said in a note to staff: “Behaviour like this is simply unacceptable in our group.”