Saatchi Chairman Kevin Roberts Placed on 'Leave of Absence' Over Gender Comments

CEOs of the agency and Publicis have disavowed him

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Saatchi & Saatchi Chairman Kevin Roberts has been asked by his agency's holding company, Publicis Groupe, to take a leave of absence due to his recent, dismissive comments about gender balance and women in leadership.

Publicis' Supervisory Board will then "further evaluate his standing," according to a statement released today by the holding company. Saatchi's global CEO has also released a statement in opposition to Roberts' comments and emphasizing the agency's commitment to diversity.

Roberts infuriated many advocates for diversity and gender balance by making several comments this week in an interview with Business Insider.

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