THE gender debate in advertising is like the emperor’s new clothes, says the chairman of Saatchi and Saatchi in the UK, Kevin Roberts. It’s just not there. But while the emperor’s clothes really didn’t exist, his idiocy was in plain view.In an interview with Business Insider, Roberts says "the *&%$@*# debate is all over". He also says women are quite satisfied not reaching leadership roles because they lack the "vertical ambition" of men.Within 24 hours of making those statements, Roberts was asked by Saatchi’s holding company, Publicis Groupe, to take a leave of absence. Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy, Saatchi’s worldwide CEO, Robert Senior, as well as Kate Stanners, the global chief creative officer, have all weighed in on the discussion and distanced themselves from Roberts’ comments.So, the big guns have stated unequivocally that diversity remains a big issue and have reinforced their commitment to gender issues. But is it appropriate that Roberts has been asked to take a leav...
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