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WPP's Mark Read issues apology over 'ageist remarks'

2 Sep 2020

NEWSWATCH: WPP Group CEO Mark Read has been forced to apologise after a comment he made to investors at WPP's first half results presentation last week.

He was asked by an analyst if WPP has the right balance of people with skills in TV and digital, and said (as reported by Campaign):

We have a very broad range of skills, and if you look at our people – the average age of someone who works at WPP is less than 30 – they don’t hark back to the 1980s, luckily.

After a Twitter backlash, Read tweeted an apology that attempted to explain away his words. He said that he “was wrong to use age to try to make a point. People over 40 can do great digital marketing just as people under 30 can make great TV ads.”

I was recently asked if our teams have the right balance of skills between TV and digital. I believe they do but was wrong to use age to try to make a point. People over 40 can do great digital marketing just as people under 30 can make great TV ads. 1/2 https://t.co/HLGJiIlpFi
— Mark Read (@readmark) August 30, 2020

A second tweet added: “We’re fortunate to have thousands of people at WPP who have decades of experience and expertise. They’re extremely valuable to our business and the work we do for clients, and I’m sorry my reply suggested otherwise.”