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
Ageism row: WPP CEO Mark Read apologises on Twitter - More About Advertising
CEO Mark Read apologises over ageism remark - Best Media Info