Diversity Advocates Are Dumbfounded as Saatchi Chairman Claims Gender Bias Is 'Over'

Kevin Roberts urged to apologize

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Depressing. Damaging. Nonsense. Dead wrong.

These are just a few of the many terms being used to describe Saatchi & Saatchi chairman Kevin Roberts' recent comments on women in advertising, and the chorus of angry voices is likely to continue growing.

This week, when asked about the ongoing industry discussion of gender balance and the need for more women in leadership, Roberts told Business Insider "the fucking debate is all over." He pointed to Saatchi's 65 percent female employee pool and parent company Publicis Groupe's 50-50 total gender split as signs that gender bias is no longer a problem.

UPDATE 1: Publicis CEO Maurice Lévy has issued the following written statement about Roberts' comments: "The opinion expressed by Kevin is neither shared nor supported by myself or the Groupe.

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