Why are advertising’s fat cats all blokes?

Actually there is one exception, Havas’s Mercedes Erra (left), a founder of BETC, in Business Insider’s list at 17 of the top-paid people in adverts. But what does that tell you about the nature of the advertising business?

If you look through the whole list (link above) you’ll see that it’s all holding company types with the finance directors/treasurers/CFOs, or whatever you like to call them, creaming off the big bucks – sometimes more than the CEOs. White boys to a man, albeit often rather elderly ones – but pensions need topping up, after all.

And this is supposed to be a creative business; one in tune with the way the world is changing – where the other 50 per cent (women) are supposed to be regarded as equals. In most places anyway.