16590: Lipton TTFN.

 

Advertising Age reported McCann Worldgroup Global Executive Creative Director Pierre—“So Fucking Bored”—Lipton left the White advertising agency to pursue other opportunities. Don’t expect Lipton to land elsewhere in the IPG network as a Chief Diversity Officer.

 

Remember when former IPG CEO Michael Roth declared the White holding company had zero tolerance for any behavior conflicting with the corporate mission to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion?

 

Lipton is a poster boy for the hypocrisy, performative PR, and outright lies embedded in the DNA of Adland. People of color who take bold stands for equality are routinely blackballed, blacklisted, and blacked out of the industry. Yet for White people who display cultural cluelessness, exhibit blatant bias, and enforce systemic racism, all is forgiven and forgotten.

 

McCann Global Executive Creative Director Pierre Lipton Departs

 

Lipton had been with McCann for seven years

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

Pierre Lipton, global executive creative director at McCann Worldgroup and former co-chief creative officer of McCann New York, is no longer with the agency. The news comes five months after Lipton was assigned the executive creative director role.

 

“Pierre Lipton is leaving McCann Worldgroup to pursue other opportunities. He contributed to many groundbreaking pieces of creative work during his time here and we wish him well in his next chapter,” Interpublic Group of Cos.’ McCann Worldgroup wrote in a statement.

 

Lipton declined to comment.

 

Lipton’s departure comes five months after he was accused of making an “inappropriate remark” at an internal agency meeting tied to an initiative meant to teach ways to recognize and eradicate unconscious bias. As a result, Lipton took a leave of absence.

 

Lipton had been with McCann for seven years. For nearly three of them, he was co-chief creative officer of McCann New York. Before joining McCann, Lipton was chief creative officer at 360i, which has since been absorbed into Dentsu Creative.

 

“When I came [to McCann] 7 years ago, I did so for the opportunity to walk amongst giants. To be surrounded by and learn from people who were better than I at what I loved doing: making great work for the biggest brands on the planet, and trying to make the world better because of it,” Lipton wrote on his LinkedIn page.

 

In his LinkedIn post, Lipton listed several brands he worked on at McCann such as Mastercard, Verizon and Microsoft, and gun control activism group March For Our Lives.

 

McCann lost its Verizon account to Ogilvy last year and recently shut down its McCann 215 agency, which has long held Xbox as a major client. McCann remains the lead creative agency, according to a spokeswoman for the agency.

 

“I count myself extremely lucky to have connected with some remarkable humans during my time at 622 Third Ave and around the world. I have great affection and respect for more people than I can count, at more companies than I can list, in more cities than I can believe,” Lipton wrote on his LinkedIn. “Thanks to each and every one of you who’ve filled my days with richness, laughs and the drive to do beautifully impossible things.”

15613: IPG Chairman & CEO Retiring & Tiring.

 

More About Advertising saluted IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth, whose retirement officially goes into effect on December 31. “My time as chairman and CEO of IPG has been a tremendous privilege,” said the 76-year-old executive. “I am most proud of the work we have done to help shine a light on equity and inclusion, as well as being a values and purpose-driven enterprise.” Um, given the IPG EEO-1 data presented in 2020, it’s right to say Roth’s proudest accomplishment is an absolute failure. But he’s sure to nab an ADCOLOR® Lifetime Achievement Trophy.

 

Michael Roth steps down as Interpublic boss

 

By Stephen Foster

 

Michael Roth is retiring as executive chairman of Interpublic (IPG) after nearly 20 years in what was once a very hot seat as Interpublic, the original ad holding company, wrestled with all manner of problems.

 

He handed over the CEO reins to long-serving deputy Philippe Krakowsky a year ago. Since then IPG has outperformed its peers in terms of organic growth and markedly narrowed the gap on its big US rival Omnicom.

 

Roth, 76, says: “My time as chairman and CEO of IPG has been a tremendous privilege. I am most proud of the work we have done to help shine a light on equity and inclusion, as well as being a values and purpose-driven enterprise.

 

“Operationally, we have evolved to meet the needs of an industry that is not only creative, but also increasingly about digital and data.”

 

“Philippe (Krakowsky) has been key to the efforts to move the company forward on all these fronts, working with me and the board to build a contemporary organisation that delivers high-value services for marketers. Our clients, people and shareholders are in very good hands going forward.”

 

Roth’s last big bet was the $2.2bn acquisition of data firm Acxiom, which seems to have been incorporated pretty seamlessly. IPG has arguably thrived thanks to its simpler structure, mainly built around creative agencies McCann and FCB and media shops UM and Initiative, although it owns scores of other businesses. It also created a strong footprint in digital with R/GA.

 

Roth, by accounts a pleasant man, has earned his time on the golf course. IPG will now appoint a non-executive chair to work with Krakowsky.

15375: The Latest Ultimatum From Byron Allen.

 

AgencySpy posted on the latest move by media mogul Byron Allen, who took out a 1/4-page advertisement in Advertising Age, Adweek and Campaign—depicted above—calling out holding company leaders for their collective failure to bring diversity to the industry. Allen closed by demanding that the honchos resign. When AgencySpy asked the executives for their reactions to the open letter, Mark Read, Michael Roth, Arthur Sadoun and John Wren declined comment.

15047: IPG EEO-1 Data WTF.

Advertising Age reported a leaked staff memo showed the state of divertsity at IPG, where Blacks account for less than 3 percent of senior executives. Plus, IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth admitted, “We must do better.” Huh? This is the White holding company that has historically claimed to be “recognized for leadership in diversity and inclusion.” If a “leader” in diversity has such awful EEO-1 data, it’s no wonder Omnicom has kept its numbers a guarded secret. 

15046: Spies And Lies From Old White Guys.

White men leading White holding companies addressed systemic racism in advertising—and AgencySpy was first to cover the conversations…? Perfect proof of the disinterest and indifference the industry displays for diversity.

15035: Mo Memos, Mo Hypocrisy, Mo Bullshit.

AgencySpy posted on more memorandum and dummies from holding companies expressing shock and outrage over the race-rooted events rocking the country. IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth is furiously churning out memos—and Omnicom Pioneer of Diversity John Wren is accelerating the memo momentum. Plus, WPP CEO Mark Read is joining the memo mob. Of course, no one is publishing a memo featuring hard numbers for diversity in their own offices—as the reality would warrant a meme.

15029: No Fandom For Memorandums From Random Dummies.

AgencySpy posted about IPG memos expressing shock and outrage over systemic racism and hate. Okay, but the best way these hypocrites can effectively address systemic racism and hate is to finally end institutionalized exclusivity and pseudo unconscious bias in their own currently empty hallways. Guess these clowns missed the memo.

14986: Holding On And Holding Out At Holding Companies.

As White holding companies respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by instituting hiring freezes, furloughs, pay cuts, layoffs and more, why aren’t any of the CEOs announcing self-imposed salary reductions to help the troops and boost morale?

Holding-company drones aren’t holding their collective breath waiting for such things to happen.

14476: Former McCann Health Global CCO Racks Up Minor Victory.

MediaPost reported on the latest legal volleying between IPG/McCann and former McCann Health Global CCO Jeremy Perrott, with a motion to dismiss Perrott’s $25 million wrongful termination lawsuit being denied by a judge in Virginia. Hey, Virginia is for T&A lovers. MediaPost reiterated Perrott’s contention that IPG and its Chairman and CEO Michael Roth have jumped on the White women’s bandwagon, creating a “toxic corporate policy” for White men. Yes, and side effects include vomiting vulgarities and speedy termination.

Judge Tosses IPG/McCann Motion To Dismiss $25 Million Suit By Former CCO Perrott

By Richard Whitman

A U.S. District Court in Virginia has denied a motion to dismiss a $25 million law suit against Interpublic Group and its agency McCann by former McCann Health global chief creative officer Jeremy Perrott. But the denial, by Judge Robert E. Payne was ordered without prejudice, meaning IPG and McCann can try again if they want to.

Perrott was terminated by McCann Health in June for alleged violation of the firm’s code of conduct, including alleged remarks to women such as “nice rack” and “nice ass.”

Perrott filed his lawsuit in October denying wrongdoing on his part and charging the defendants with wrongful termination, defamation, tortious interference with contract, common law conspiracy and gross negligence.

In its motion to dismiss IPG/McCann countered that Perrott failed to state an actionable claim, noting that Perrott was “advised of seven complaints by his colleagues in New York prior to his termination.” Defendants also stated that evidence at trial would “also show that McCann management acted appropriately to address the situation, and to protect its employees in the face of Plaintiff’s behavior.”

In his suit Perrott also accused various parties at the agency of acting “upon orders from [IPG CEO Michael] Roth…in furtherance of IPG’s toxic corporate policy of ritualistic sacrifice to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements—a corporate policy that spares no male at IPG, MWG or McCann Health and that promotes fear, distrust and loathing amongst executive talent.” He alleged that IPG had a “predetermined agenda to appease #MeToo and #TimesUp by unceremoniously getting rid of” Perrott.

In its dismissal motion IPG/McCann argued that Perrott was attempting to “cast himself as victim” by issuing a “full-throated indictment of the #MeToo movement in an effort to excuse his inappropriate behavior.” And he did so “despite providing no reason why he—one of Defendants’ key creatives—would be singled out and sacrificed to this movement.”

IPG/McCann also argued that the Virginia court lacked jurisdiction and venue because none of the parties involved in the contest live in the state and none of the alleged action or behavior occurred there. If not dismissed, at the very least the case should be transferred to New York where the activity in dispute occurred, the defendants argued.

Judge Payne said the defendants could separately refile dismissal motions of they choose to do so, but for now the case will proceed and in Virginia.

14433: Michael Roth’s Memo To The Troops Features Massive Poops.

IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth is undoubtedly crossing his fingers that he wrote his last memo for 2018—as racist and sexist scandals at the White holding company prompted continuous messages to the troops over the past years.

The latest missive was posted at AgencySpy, which kinda indicates it’s not newsworthy material. However, there were a few gems to highlight:

FCB Health was named Healthcare Network of the Year, marking the third consecutive year an IPG agency has been awarded this prestigious honor.

Okay, but McCann Health pulled the plug on its Global CCO for violating the company’s Code of Conduct, marking too many consecutive years an IPG agency has been marred by this dubious honor. And the White man refuses to go quietly too.

At our annual Women’s Breakfast in Cannes, we [celebrated] “sheroes” who have changed the world through their excellence, perseverance and passion and featured feminist icon Gloria Steinem and founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke.

Yeah, and the breakfast played on while the aforementioned Code of Conduct violator was quietly banned from attending Cannes. Hell, Ms. Burke could launch a #MeToo spin-off exclusively starring victims of IPG perpetrators and predators.

None of this would be possible without the supportive and inclusive communities we have worked so hard to build. At IPG, we take diversity, equality and inclusion seriously. An environment that encourages respect and trust is paramount, especially in a world often plagued by intolerance. This year we took additional actions to ensure that our workplaces and communities remain safe spaces. We hosted our first Day of Understanding with thought leaders on D&I and participants across the network. We spoke at major industry conferences and events on topics that included upholding change, what leadership looks like in violent times, and the importance of challenging stereotypes. One-third of all the women leaders who signed up in support of Time’s Up Advertising were from IPG and IPG agencies.

Um, none of this would be necessary if IPG wasn’t such a den of deviants. The “additional actions” were probably mandated by IPG attorneys feeling overwhelmed by discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits. And the “women leaders” supporting TIME’S UP/Advertising were likely “encouraged” to do so by Roth versus drawing inspiration on their own. Finally, it’s a wonder Roth didn’t brag about being on an all-White D&I panel at Advertising Week.

Roth’s memo warrants hitting the delete button pronto.

14393: TIME’S UP/Advertising’s Messy, Murky, Mushy Mission.

Adweek published a lengthy look at the latest lollygagging from the ladies at TIME’S UP/Advertising. The stumbling sisterhood declared, “Our mission is to create workplaces that are Safe, Fair, and Dignified.” An accompanying chart (depicted above) feels like something conceived, composed and crafted by an intern—and the type of intern who landed her gig solely through blood relations to a major client.

David Ogilvy said, “Search the parks in all your cities. You’ll find no statues for committees.” The TU/A mission statement and goofy graphic appear to underscore Ogilvy’s perspective. It’s easy to imagine a giddy steering committee covering a whiteboard with Post-It Notes, pondering every pillar and overthinking each participle. Although it’s more likely the Ms. Magna Carta was cobbled together via IM and email. A competent creative director would have instructed the group to start over, because the final mess is kinda embarrassing.

Aren’t professional advertising agencies already striving—at least through HR-drafted employee handbook instructions—to foster Safe, Fair and Dignified workplaces? Surely shops within holding companies have processes and principles that employees are required to uphold. Sorry, but TU/A is presenting common knowledge, common sense and common courtesy.

Additionally, how is TU/A authorized to enforce anything? Especially considering the majority of its members are hardly credible advocates for equality. Need proof? Adweek pointed out that women of color already feel left out from the cause. It’s time to admit that WOC underrepresentation in the advertising industry has been orchestrated by White men and White women. Contrary to the hysterical hollering from Cindy Gallop, there’s no evidence to believe White women will fight to secure true Safety, Fairness and Dignity for all. Indeed, there’s lots of historical data to demonstrate they won’t do the right thing.

Intersectionality is a tough concept to grasp, and tougher if you’re culturally clueless. Even the woman who originated the notion—Kimberlé Crenshaw—admits there are complex and confusing components. Certain Chief Diversity Officers have attempted to inject intersectionality into conversations, but the continuing conflicts show there’s still a great need for awareness and acceptance before taking action. Yet how can one expect to make proper decisions in this overall scenario if the collective membership is not fully informed and legitimately enlightened?

Anyway, here’s a suggestion/comment that’s bound to piss off TU/A enthusiasts: Ending sexual harassment and gender inequality—particularly in the advertising industry—is a man’s job. Hate to admit it, but IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth has done waaaaay more to address matters than TU/A. Granted, he’s been forced to act because his network is seemingly filled with predators and perpetrators. Nonetheless, the old man is setting standards for performance, practice and punishment. To be clear, this suggestion/comment is rooted in a few imperative realities: 1) men must minimally be a partner in any solutions; 2) men are better equipped to go toe-to-toe with offenders and; 3) men need to make amends for having started the problems—even if by virtue of simply sharing the same gender as the chronically-corrupt bad boys.

Think of it as a form of reparations. Then again, in the advertising industry, White men and White women have steadfastly refused to acknowledge their roles and responsibilities in nettlesome affairs and be held accountable for their misdeeds.

14390: Rack Friday—Fired McCann CCO Fires Back.

Adweek reported former McCann Health CCO Jeremy Perrott—who was fired last summer for allegedly using “offensive and inappropriate language” that violated the company’s Code of Conduct—filed a lawsuit against the White advertising agency and IPG for defamation and wrongful termination. In addition to seeking $25.4 million in damages, Perrott leveled charges that his former employers will likely deem even more offensive and inappropriate. The rest of the industry will likely deem Perrott’s tirade highly entertaining.

First of all, the court papers read like a melodramatic TV commercial script: “[Spurious.] Deceitful. Vengeful. Told with reckless disregard for the truth. Cowardly lies that poison and kill a man’s reputation. Rob him of his life’s work. Turn him into a leper and an outcast.” Gee, Perrott is really maximizing his experience working in pharma advertising with such copy.

Next, Perrott went straight after IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth, blasting the old man’s obsession “with diversity” as having created a “toxic corporate policy that encouraged, facilitated and condoned the lynching and character assassination of McCann Health’s phenomenally successful global CCO and his dismissal without any due process.” Wow, diversity is now being used to lynch White men. The filings whined that Perrott was canned thanks to an “unjust corporate culture of #MeToo and #TimesUp appeasement,” as well as “a corporate policy that spares no male at IPG, MWG or McCann Health.” Guess Perrott didn’t read Roth’s memo on zero tolerance for bad-boy behavior.

So what were Perrott’s culturally clueless crimes? According to the Adweek report, the former CCO allegedly told a female associate she had a “nice rack” and another had a “nice ass”—which he’ll undoubtedly insist were sincere compliments taken out of context and misinterpreted.

It will be interesting to see how Perrott fares, as he’s the maddest Mad Man to date. Specifically, he represents the growing unhappiness of White men in advertising and society at large. Hey, if serial sexual harasser Donald Trump landed in the White House, could Perrott lead the counterassault for White men to reclaim retain the power position on Madison Avenue?

Fired McCann Health Global CCO Sues Former Employer for Defamation and Wrongful Termination

Jeremy Perrott blames the ‘unjust corporate culture of #MeToo’

By Lindsay Rittenhouse, Patrick Coffee

Jeremy Perrott, McCann Health’s global CCO who was fired for unspecified behavioral violations in July, is suing McCann Worldgroup and the larger IPG network for “defamation, tortious interference with contract, common law conspiracy and gross negligence.”

Perrott is seeking $25.4 million in damages.

According to court papers filed in Virginia in late October, Perrott said he was fired by McCann and IPG unexpectedly for using “inappropriate language.”

When Perrott asked his employer for examples when he was fired, the suit states he was accused of telling a woman in a McCann Workgroup elevator in New York that she had a “nice rack.” The former CCO denied that allegation, saying he rarely was in New York.

According to the court filing, Perrott’s former employer also accused him of commenting to a woman, “nice ass,” which he also denied. The suit states McCann and IPG did not specify who made those accusations or where the second incident happened.

The suit describes the allegations and circumstances surrounding Perrott’s firing as “spurious. Deceitful. Vengeful. Told with reckless disregard for the truth. Cowardly lies that poison and kill a man’s reputation. Rob him of his life’s work. Turn him into a leper and an outcast.”

“We stand by our actions to protect our employees and our earlier and truthful statements. We will defend the case vigorously,” read a joint statement from IPG and McCann.

Adweek reached out to Perrott’s lawyer, who did not respond to an email and voicemail seeking further comment. Emails sent to each individual IPG employee named in the suit were not immediately returned, and Perott has not responded to requests for comment via his LinkedIn account.

Perrott, a native of Australia who held the title of global CCO at McCann Health since 2008, was fired in July. During his tenure, he also served as chairman of judges at Cannes Lions Health 2014 and inaugural president of the international LIA Health and Pharma Awards.

The McCann spokesperson declined to elaborate on what led the agency to fire Perrott but said it came after an investigation into “a complaint about a violation of our Code of Conduct.”

Perrott is suing McCann and IPG for defamation, the court filing asserts, because the two organizations leaked news of his firing to the press and because the July statement in which they alleged he was terminated because of a complaint against him was defamatory. A slew of McCann and IPG executives are mentioned in the suit, as well.

“The defendants’ categorically false and defamatory statements about Jeremy spread like wild-fire through the internet, social media and the advertising industry,” the suit states, “destroying Jeremy’s name and reputation, making him an instant pariah.”

The suit also names IPG chairman and CEO Michael Roth, claiming his preoccupation “with diversity” at the company has led to a “toxic corporate policy that encouraged, facilitated and condoned the lynching and character assassination of McCann Health’s phenomenally successful global CCO and his dismissal without any due process.”

Perrott’s lawyers wrote that he was fired due to an “unjust corporate culture of #MeToo and #TimesUp appeasement,” which later in the filing is described as “a corporate policy that spares no male at IPG, MWG or McCann Health.” The suit even cites Joe Alexander, IPG-owned The Martin Agency’s former CCO, who was fired following accusations of sexual harassment by multiple women (who then detailed their accusations directly to Adweek), as another victim of this “toxic policy.” He told Adweek those accusations were false, though one led to a six-figure settlement.

Perrott’s lawyer claims in the lawsuit that Perrott was “denied the right” to defend himself and instead was “immediately sacked and ordered to return to Australia.” The court filing states it would have been “basic decency” for McCann and IPG to identify Perrott’s accusers to him.

The suit also alleges McCann denied him the right to talk to the press or attend Cannes, where he was scheduled to be interviewed by TV and print media, in June.

14368: Holding Holding Company CEOs Accountable…?

Newsweek reported on workers at a Chinese home improvement company being whipped with belts—as well as ordered to eat cockroaches and drink urine—for failing to meet sales goals. Imagine if the CEOS of White holding companies were held to similarly rigorous standards of performance and faced such punishments for financial flops? The Big 4 could change their names to WPeePee, Omnicockroach, Pubeltcis Groupe and IPeeG.

Managers Caught on Video Whipping Staff and Forcing Them to Drink Urine for Missing Sales Targets

By David Brennan

Three managers at a home improvement company in China have been jailed after reportedly forcing employees to eat cockroaches and drink urine as punishment for missing sales targets.

According to the South China Morning Post, the abusive behavior came to light after videos emerged on social media showing workers being whipped with a belt and drinking an unidentified yellow liquid while holding their noses.

Though the footage has now been taken down, local media sites were able to capture screenshots of the videos showing abuse. The employees were working for a home renovation company in the southwestern province of Guizhou, the BBC noted.

The footage prompted a wave of outrage as it spread on social media site Weibo. Additional posts allegedly showed screenshots of messages from managers threatening a host of other punishments for workers, including eating cockroaches.

The revelations sparked the hashtag “employees who failed to meet their goals forced to drink urine,” which has now been viewed almost 540,000 times.

The punishments were apparently part of a wider culture of abuse at the company, which included forcing underperforming employees to sell condoms and sanitary pads on the street, drink toilet water or vinegar and have their heads shaved.

Others were forced to eat large amounts of wasabi mustard, China’s Global Times reported. One screengrab translated by the newspaper explained: “If employees couldn’t sign enough orders by the end of the month, their team leader had to eat three cockroaches for every order their team was short.”

Police from the Honghuagang district released a statement describing the incidents “humiliating corporal punishment,” ABC News noted.

The company had also withheld workers’ salaries for the past two months, with employees scared to complain in fear of losing their jobs. One staff member said the managers threatened to reduce their severance pay if they resigned.

Police in Zunyi county arrested three managers, two of whom were sentenced to 10 days in jail and one to five days. The culprits were only identified by their last names—Guo, Cai, and Huang.

The Post suggested that reports of abuse in the workplace are becoming more common as slowing economic growth in China prompts labor unrest and demands for improved worker rights.

Previous reports have detailed workers slapping each other at a company event to improve motivation, or crawling around public roads and kissing dumpsters as punishments or in team-building exercises, the BBC added.

14367: Michael Roth The Turnaround Fartist.

Advertising Age published a lengthy report on how IPG CEO Michael Roth rescued the White holding company. How does helping a mediocre company maintain its 4th-place position translate to victory? Whatever. The nearly 1900-word exposition failed to include a single syllable on diversity and inclusion, despite Roth’s repeated rodomontade that IPG is a recognized leader in the area. Actually, IPG has also been a recognized leader in the areas of racism and sexual harassment. It’s quite a feat to simultaneously hold the leading and losing positions. Bravo, Mr. Roth, bravo!

14335: CEO = Caucasian Exclusivity Officer.

Black Enterprise spotlighted an Advertising Week event titled, “CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion,” where the panel was exclusively comprised of White people. Plus, one of the White men—Scott Kauffman of MDC Partners—recently lost his CEO job. Ironically, at the same event last year, Kauffman declared, “I’m intolerant of intolerance. We are on a journey that is not going to end, at least as long as I’m on this planet. We are swimming against a tide of hundreds of years of history, and I think we have to keep pressing on.” Okay, but we’ll have to keep pressing on without you. Meanwhile, the other advertising-related White panelist was IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth, who reportedly is plotting his exit from the company proclaiming to be recognized for leadership in diversity and inclusion, despite staging the most notorious racist- and sexual harassment-based scandals in recent years. Oh, and the White holding company Chairman and CEO crowned a Pioneer of Diversity—John Wren of Omnicom—didn’t bother showing up. Somebody needs to change the event name to “CEO Inaction for Diversity & Inclusion.”

All-White Panel at #AWNewYork Addresses the Lack of Diversity in Corporate America

By Selena Hill

Day one of New York Advertising Week kicked off Monday with a plethora of sessions, workshops, industry leaders, and networking events centered on marketing, advertising, technology, and creative spaces. One panel discussion, titled CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, focused on fostering D&I solutions within corporate culture. During the discussion, the panelists addressed a wide range of issues, including gender inequality, Charlottesville, LGBTQ rights, and implicit bias. The only problem, however, was the blatant lack of ethnic diversity among the all-white panel.

Facilitated by PwC, the panel was named after PwC’s CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion initiative, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. The speakers included Shannon Schuyler, the Chief Purpose Officer at PwC; Deirdre Mahlan, the president of Diageo North America; Scott Kauffman, the Chairman & CEO of MCD Partners; and Michael Roth, the Chairman & CEO of Interpublic Group. Shortly before wrapping up the conversation, the elephant in the room was finally addressed when Kauffman acknowledged the irony of “two white Jewish men and three white women” talking about the need for more diverse work environments.

When asked about the lack of diversity on the panel, Schuyler told BLACK ENTERPRISE afterward that both she and her partner, who happens to be a black man, were aware of the glaring oversight. “Certainly, it was not lost on me. In fact, my husband said he was watching [via livestream] and he was like ‘do you know you guys are all white?,’” she said. “It’s something we need to work on.”

Schuyler admitted that working in a corporate D&I role and being married to an African American has helped make her more aware of situations where minority voices are missing. “We’re all white and we’re talking about diversity,” she said very matter-of-factly. “That’s why I think this is a journey and we’re not there. We’re not even close to being there. But it’s about recognizing it and saying what can we do differently next time.”

She went on to talk about how she sees her role in overseeing PwC’s CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion program as part of a much-needed solution. Since its inception in 2014, the initiative has recruited over 500 CEO and university president signatories who are actively working to recruit and retain diverse employees and ultimately change the face of their organizations, industries, and corporate America. “One of the things we hope for is that we get more CEO’s who sign up for CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, then the number of women and minorities will increase,” she said. “Generally, you don’t have many African Americans or Hispanics that are CEO’s. So that’s the problem we have to solve.”

Another main part of Schuyler’s role at PwC is to help employees find their individual purpose at the multinational professional services firm. “If we can’t create a sense of belonging and fulfillment [making] people believe that they can succeed, then we won’t be successful,” she said. “We have really focused the last couple of years on being this focus-driven organization and what our values are.” Schuyler added that data “shows that a more diverse workplace is more successful financially, but more importantly, it’s more successful for your people to be able to grow, develop, and be their best.”

14313: IPG Succession Sucks.

Campaign reported IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth shared his thoughts on potential successors with the IPG board of directors. Despite the contention that adland is unfriendly to seniors, the businesses are typically run by Old White Guys like Roth, Sir Martin Sorrell and John Wren (Arthur Sadoun is only 47 years old, but he had to wait for predecessor-dinosaur Maurice Lévy to exceed retirement age; and Yannick Bolloré is a mere 38 years old, but he won his role via nepotism). Plus, despite IPG’s boasts of being recognized for leadership in diversity and inclusion, the Campaign article identified Roth’s potential successors as two Old White Guys. Perfect.

Michael Roth talks to IPG board about potential CEO successors

By Lindsay Stein and Gideon Spanier

An industry executive with direct knowledge of the matter told Campaign that Michael Roth has offered his perspectives on a few potential successor candidates to the Interpublic Group board of directors.

Roth, 72, has run Interpublic, the fourth largest ad group, for 13 years since 2005.

Interpublic’s board has a guideline in place for the CEO to retire by the age of 75.

Multiple sources say Philippe Krakowsky, 56, the long-serving chief strategy and talent officer and the architect of July’s $2.3 billion acquisition of data business Acxiom deal, is the front-runner, although Harris Diamond, global chief executive and chairman of McCann Worldgroup, is also seen as a strong contender.

Krakowsky’s current responsibilities include the media operation, IPG Media Brands.

“It was notable when Interpublic made the Acxiom announcement that Philippe was on the call because most investors are unfamiliar with him and often companies are communicating something when they’re introducing executives to investors in a conference call or event like that,” said Pivotal Research Senior Analyst Brian Wieser.

“That doesn’t mean necessarily that these people are successors but it certainly sparks some speculation among people who watch these companies closely,” he added.

Wieser also told Campaign that if the Acxiom transaction goes well, then Krakowsky “could very well be the successor to Michael Roth.”

The Acxiom deal is expected to close by the end of 2018.

Diamond could be a good alternative to Krakowsky, according to an industry insider, who said: “The beauty of Harris Diamond is that he’s worked across disciplines and he’s running a huge piece of revenue globally.”

Wieser said Diamond is “perfectly capable” to run Interpublic but his current position as a business unit CEO is different — and more client-facing — than a holding company leader who deals with Wall Street.

Most groups would “want to think of someone 50s or younger” for the role, Wieser added, noting Diamond is over 60.

“If you know your industry and your company is going through a significant transformation, then you want someone to see it through and it could be a five or 10-year or even longer process,” added Wieser.

One industry insider expects that Interpublic will name Roth’s successor within this fiscal year.

But another source believes no boardroom change is imminent and, points out that, hypothetically, the company could extend the retirement age for Roth.

Wieser said “it wouldn’t be the worst thing for Roth to go out on a high note” after a decent first-half performance this year.

“He’s having fun and enjoying it,” added Wieser, “but this is a great time for him to step aside and be remembered favorably.”

The group is set to hold an annual strategy meeting with senior management in the autumn.

Representatives from Interpublic Group declined to comment.

Speculation comes as the group’s UM shop wins the $300 million Quicken Loans media account.

WPP’s recent appointment of Mark Read, 51 as the new CEO, succeeding Sir Martin Sorrell, and the promotion of Arthur Sadoun, 47, as CEO of Publicis Groupe last year has put attention on both IPG and Omnicom’s future plans.

Omnicom has already taken one step towards succession planning.

CEO John Wren added the title of chairman in April in what looks like a precursor to him relinquishing the role of chief executive. Wren, 66, has headed Omnicom for 21 years since 1997.

Despite speculation around Wren’s succession plans, a source close to Omnicom “vigorously” dismissed any suggestion that the CEO is planning his exit.

14255: TIME’S UP Pays Up…?

Advertising Age reported Diet Madison Avenue announced TIME’S UP is providing legal assistance to help the DMA crew deal with the lawsuit filed by former CP+B CCO Ralph Watson. However, when Ad Age probed for confirmation, a TIME’S UP spokeswoman would only say, “The [TIME’S UP] Legal Defense Fund is supportive of individuals coming forward and speaking out about sex harassment at work and in their careers; we aren’t prepared to talk about funding at this time.” Does this mean the 180 adwomen who launched TIME’S UP Advertising openly support Diet Madison Avenue? They certainly weren’t offering much of their own money for the DMA GoFundMe donation drive. And given the fact that IPG and its Chairman and CEO Michael Roth encouraged leading women executives to sign up for TIME’S UP Advertising, is it logical to conclude the White holding company would also support Diet Madison Avenue? Hey, Roth just coughed up $2.3 billion for Acxiom’s marketing services unit. Surely IPG—as a recognized leader in divertsity and inclusion—could afford to cover the DMA crew’s legal bills. Think of it as partial restitution for the Joe Alexander fiasco.

Diet Madison Avenue says it’s working with Time’s Up for legal representation

By Megan Graham

Days after a judge signed an order allowing subpoenas to unmask anonymous Instagram account Diet Madison Avenue, the account said it has closed down its GoFundMe page. The reason: DMA says it has representation from Time’s Up, the organization dedicated to addressing inequality and injustice in the workplace.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner signed an order last week allowing the legal team for former Crispin Porter & Bogusky Boulder Chief Creative Officer Ralph Watson to serve business record subpoenas to Instagram, its parent Facebook and Gmail (part of Alphabet-owned Google) to provide identifying information about the anonymous individuals behind Diet Madison Avenue. Watson has sued his former agency and its holding company MDC Partners in a separate lawsuit.

The judge’s action was the latest development in a suit filed by Watson in May, claiming defamatory statements posted to the account led to his wrongful termination from the agency. DMA has taken aim at some of the biggest names in advertising with a goal of exposing sexual harassment and discrimination at ad agencies.

Diet Madison Avenue began a GoFundMe page on May 25 to seek $100,000 to “defend our team members and volunteers against false accusations,” according to the site. The page said all funds would be used for legal assistance, with any left over being donated to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. As of Monday, the account had collected $1,970. The page indicates the last donation was made around two months ago.

On its Instagram page Saturday, Diet Madison Avenue displayed a message from someone who said they had attempted to donate to the group’s legal fund unsuccessfully and it explained that the fundraising account was no longer active.

In a temporary Instagram Story, the account said “Hi fam, we actually closed it down a while ago because we have awesome representation via Times Up Now. We are all well doing great. All funds donated will actually be refunded by GoFundMe and whatever you choose not to get back will be donated to the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. For the time being we do not funds (sic) because we have a great team in place. But thanks for the love.”

In a later post, it corrected that to say “for the time being we do NOT need any funds.”

DMA did not return a direct message asking for comment at press time.

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund — which is housed within and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund — connects those who have experienced sexual misconduct to attorneys who agree to take on their cases, according to its website. The organization helps defray legal and public relations costs in certain cases based on criteria and availability of funds. Only attorneys can apply for those funds, though some attorneys will also accept reduced fees or take on cases pro bono.

Asked whether the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund would confirm whether it is working with Diet Madison Avenue on this particular lawsuit, a spokeswoman for the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund said: “The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund is supportive of individuals coming forward and speaking out about sex harassment at work and in their careers; we aren’t prepared to talk about funding at this time.”

Brooklyn Law School professor Jonathan Askin, a founder and director at the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy Clinic, said in an email that Watson’s attorneys could attempt to subpoena the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund and the organizations funding and supporting it if they couldn’t otherwise ascertain the names of those behind Diet Madison Avenue.

“I imagine the judge would be reluctant to allow subpoenas to issue to third-party legal defense funds, opening up a hornets’ nest of potentially profound Constitutional and judicial process issues, without a compelling chance of success on the merits of the underlying claims,” wrote Askin. “Instagram would still seem the more likely source to obtain the names of those behind Diet Madison Avenue.”

The Los Angeles Superior Court order last week said the court had determined the plaintiff had demonstrated a “prima facie case of defamation necessary at this stage in the proceedings to compel disclosure of the identities of the anonymous individuals behind Diet Madison Avenue.” Last year, a California state appeals court handed down its decision that Yelp needed to turn over documents that could identify an anonymous user who was accused of defaming an accountant in a review on its website. The appellate court in that case said plaintiffs seeking to unveil anonymous posters needed to make a “prima facie” case that shows anonymous statements are libelous and that the plaintiff can’t pursue claims without establishing a poster’s identity.

Paul Alan Levy, a lawyer at Public Citizen Litigation Group in Washington, D.C., said generally speaking if a client has retained counsel for the purpose of protecting their identity, the identity of the client would be subject to attorney-client privilege. But he said Watson’s camp could argue that identity isn’t covered by attorney-client privilege. Levy said he wasn’t sure whether the California state courts had decided that issue yet, in which case it could be a decision made by a trial judge.

Levy added that when it comes to subpoenas, much will depend on how the accounts were set up and maintained, and whether the users created throwaway or fake accounts to set up its accounts.

In the long run, the individuals behind Diet Madison Avenue could well be identified, Levy said. He said the individuals will need to make judgments with advice from their lawyers about how likely they are to be identified using these means and whether they have an interest in opposing these subpoenas.

“Or do they want to play hard to get?” he said.

14232: IPG Health Violation.

Campaign reported McCann Health Global CCO Jeremy Perrott was fired after an internal investigation determined he had violated the company’s Code of Conduct. While no official statements specified the violating behavior, an unnamed source claimed Perrott used “offensive and inappropriate language.” Additionally, Campaign revealed Perrott was axed days before the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The scenario inspires at least two points of criticism:

1) Because McCann can’t or won’t divulge details of the violating behavior, and Campaign stated it involved “offensive and inappropriate language,” it’s impossible to know if Perrott’s words were sexist, racist, homophobic, ageist, political, religious, etc.—or a combination of culturally clueless obscenities. This is especially important to Cindy Gallop, Kat Gordon and Diet Madison Avenue, as they’ll be unable to take credit for Perrott’s firing.

2) IPG deserves derision for apparently keeping the affair quiet during Cannes—essentially, the band played on by conducting patronizing propaganda and a blissful breakfast to display faux commitment to divertsity and inclusion, despite having employed veteran violators, bigots and predators in C-suites throughout the holding company. Gotta believe IPG Chairman and CEO Michael Roth must be experiencing writer’s cramp from all the memos penned in recent years.

McCann Health terminates global CCO following employee complaint

Jeremy Perrott violated the agency’s code of conduct.

By Oliver McAteer

McCann Health’s global chief creative officer Jeremy Perrott has been fired following “a complaint about a violation” of the company’s code of conduct.

Perrott, who had been with the Interpublic Group company for nearly three decades, was let go in the days leading up to the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

A person with knowledge of the matter said the complaint surrounded allegations of “offensive and inappropriate language.”

A statement from McCann reads: “We received a complaint about a violation of our Code of Conduct by McCann Health’s, Jeremy Perrott. As a result, following an investigation, he is no longer with the company.

“Our foremost priority is to foster a workplace where people are respected and valued, and importantly, an environment where people feel safe and protected to come forward to report actions that run counter to our values and code of conduct.”

McCann Health is in the process of replacing Perrott. Other members of his former leadership team are taking on his responsibilities in the interim.

Perrott was not immediately available for comment.