Less than a week after making dismissive comments about gender bias in the ad industry, Saatchi & Saatchi chairman Kevin Roberts has opted to resign, effective Sept. 1.
Roberts was placed on a leave of absence shortly after backlash erupted over a July 29 article in Business Insider highlighted his opinion that gender balance has already been achieved in advertising, colorfully noting “the fucking debate is all over.”
He further infuriated diversity advocates by saying the lack of women in executive roles could be because women don’t have the “vertical ambition” of men. He also attacked the industry’s gender-balance advocate Cindy Gallop, saying: “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.”
