Roberts resigns — but stops short of recanting his comments

Kevin Roberts has resigned as Saatchi & Saatchi chairman and "head coach" of parent company Publicis Groupe effective September 1.

In his resignation statement (below), he apologises for "upset and offense" caused by his controversial interview with Business Insider, which touched on gender issues.

But the 66-year-old stops short of recanting any of his comments.

Instead, he focuses on himself and his apparent propensity to "fail fast" and offers the more general observation that debate around his comments has generated "a lot of learning to reflect on."

Publicis sent the former Lion Nathan chief executive and long-time Telecom director on leave after the Business Insider piece was published on July 30.

Mr Roberts said during the interview that the gender debate in the advertising industry was "over"; that the low percent of female creative directors reflected that women often did not want to step up to a senior role; and that advertising industry gender-balance advocate Cindy Gallop was "making up a lot of the stuff to create a profile, and to take applause."

In a Business Pulse poll, NBR ONLINE readers overwhelming backed the ad man, with 81% agreeing that his enforced leave was an example of "political correctness gone mad." So did veteran ad man Mike Hutcheson, who called it "a storm in a teacup."

But Rainger & Rolfe managing partner Jen Rolfe told NBR that Mr Roberts comments were “fundamentally wrong.”

Most local ad industry figures approached by NBR were of the same opinion.

Livia Esterhazy, who heads one of New Zealand's top advertising agencies, Clemenger, said there is "still much work to do" to improve gender diversity in the advertising industry, but "we have moved a long way in 15 years."

In the US, JPMorgan Chase chief marketing officer Kristin Lemkau said Mr Roberts' remarks sounded "positively Trumpian."

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RAW DATA: Statement by Kevin Roberts
“Fail Fast, Fix Fast, Learn Fast” is a leadership maxim I advocate.

When discussing with Business Insider evolving career priorities and new ways of work/life integration, I failed exceptionally fast.

My miscommunication on a number of points has caused upset and offense, and for this I am sorry.

I have inadvertently embarrassed Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Groupe, two companies I love and have been devoted to for almost 20 years.

I have expressed my regret and apology to the companies for the furor my remarks and language stimulated, and I extend this to colleagues, staff and clients.

So that we can all move forward, I am bringing forward my May 1, 2017, retirement from the company, and will leave the Groupe on September 1, 2016.

There is a lot of learning to reflect on, and within the thousands of tweets, comments and articles there are many powerful and passionate contributions on the changing nature of the workplace, the work we do, what success really looks like, and what companies must do to provide women and men the optimal frameworks in which to flourish.

I believe that new thinking, frameworks and measures are needed to make more rapid progress on diversity in all its forms, in all professions and occupations. Hopefully, the focus on this serious and complex issue will gather momentum.