The chairman of Saatchi and Saatchi has been put on immediate leave of absence after suggesting that the debate about gender bias in the advertising industry is “all over”.

Kevin Roberts, who is head coach at the advertising agency’s parent company Publicis Groupe, said he did not think the lack of women in leadership roles “is a problem”.

In an interview with Business Insider, Mr Roberts claimed that Cindy Gallop, an advertising consultant who has campaigned for gender equality, is "making up a lot of the stuff to create a profile, and to take applause, and to get on a soap[box].”