Fired WPP exec sues, alleging ‘boys club’ culture, lack of support and misleading conduct

A lot of heightened emotions on both sides. But when you take a step back out of all of this chaos, all of it (short deadlines, out of this world expectations, profits on both sides, extracting as much value as you can), it’s driven by shareholders need for never ending growth in a finite world. We live amongst neo-capitalism and this is the entire reason for our existence in media, as we tell ourselves we work for a higher purpose whilst banging out media strategies on a Friday night, all for our higher purpose… whatever that is. Go get em Vodafone, get those new customers Team Red.. whatever means necessary. It will never end though, and that’s when you ask yourself, when Vodafone has every man, woman and child on this earth signed up for a phone plan, what then, what do they do then? Like a dog chasing a car, they won’t know what to do with it when they get there and with the trail of destruction of all the neighbours flower gardens along the way, the dog won’t understand the damaged caused.

It’s unfortunate that Ms Williamson’s mental health suffered while at work and she has my sympathies. .This does not mean that she has been discriminated against though.

I have a few comments.

my (informed) understanding of this is that all JWT staff members working on Vodafone were given the option of whether to move across to Team Red [Edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons]

I have had extensive dealings with Paul Everson over several years and have found him to be the opposite of a bully

Hi I have no opinion on this case. I just want to reiterate how bad a client Vodafone are. I worked on them for a while and it was horrible. They were bullies and incredibly disorganised and completely incompetent. It comes down to the 50/50 ownership structure they have making it impossible to get any systems of processes happening. It was, and they were horrible.

This would have created more stress and anxiety for all involved – possibly contributing to further bad corporate behaviour?

I was in the original Team Red, 10 years ago, when JWT had Vodafone before. Dreadful bullying client and agency. Many unfair dismissals. Stress levels beyond. I have never felt so sick in a job in my whole career. I can’t believe a decade on, this hasn’t changed. Go for it Carmel. It is time this changed.

Yeah, this is not good, and yet not surprising either. It’s called the Singo-legacy, and it’s filtered down from Singo Ogilvy to STW to WPP. I’m just disappointed to see it’s still alive and kicking in 2018/1019. Time to move on guys, and do the right thing while you’re about it.

Hello, just curious as to why the Rob Moore story is no longer on the front page when it is one of the most commented and you have less engaged and older stories there? This could be a multi-chapter novel in the saga of WPP….

But anonymous comments are still a bad idea . Definitely..

‘Alleged’ is the most important word in that article.

Paul Everson is one of the loveliest people I ever worked with to all people at every level.

I can’t comment on the situation at JWT as I have never worked there but I have known Paul Everson for over 16 years and have never seen this sort of behaviour from him. He has always been very supportive, to all member of his team/agency.

Looking at the monthly economic loss numbers put forward one can certainly say there was no gender discrimination by WPP when it came to remuneration.

I can’t comment on the WPP boys club, however having worked with Paul for many years, he is anything but a bully or a part of that boys club. He is a kind and considerate leader who cares about his people and clients. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].

I’ve known Paul for years (as a friend and his employee) and never have known him to be any of the things described above. I’ve always found him to be empathetic and nurturing. Sad to see this.

There’s no doubt that Boy’s Clubs are still very much a thing in our industry. And I have no doubt that they would be the cause of a great many mental health issues. But I have had experience working directly with Paul, and he would be the last person I would associate with any “boys club”.

This is the kind of existential awareness the industry needs, but will never achieve

Unfortunate for Ms Williamson’s mental health suffering while at work, but I don’t believe that she was necessarily discriminated against.
Vodafone would be a big bad pushy client, [Edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons].
I have worked with Paul Everson as a client and found him to be nothing but professional and inclusive. One of the nicest, caring humans and leaders I have worked with. Anyone who knows Paul will attest to his character. Sorry he is being dragged through this.

To Mumbrella’s credit at least they’ve reported on Rob’s and Carmel’s story. AdNews haven’t covered either.

Can anyone remind me where [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]?

You’d hope those staff timesheets are in order during the transition period from agency team to client team.

Imagine if staff were billed concurrently to two clients!

Well spotted. Was wondering where the story was. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelinesns]!

I have known Paul Everson a very long time and I find these allegations of harassment and bullying uncharacteristic and completely false. The article in The Australian reported that as her role as MD for Team Red created exclusively for Vodafone, required her to manage and facilitate deals on behalf of Vodafone which she failed to carry out. The article also indicated a level of dissatisfaction of Ms Williamsons’ performance by her client which needed to be addressed by the business. [Edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons]

[Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]

There’s lots in this story that we can’t comment on and that we shouldn’t comment on. So much of this needs to be left to the court proceedings to uncover the facts not the headlines. But what I can comment on is Paul Everson’s good character. Paul is in no way a bully. In both his work and his life, he is the exact opposite. He is respectful and supportive of those around him at all times. He’s a good leader and a good person who doesn’t deserve to have his name sullied in this way.

This saddens me on many levels, but mostly because of the acquisitions made against my ex colleague and friend, Paul Everson. Having worked side by side with Paul for many years, I can honestly say he is one of the most caring and compassionate leaders in our industry. He cares deeply for his staff and his clients and has always done the right thing by both. Keep your head up Paul, you rock.

That’s a pretty fair summary of one

Paul Everson is a good bloke. WPP and their client team rubbish is a bad idea, always has been. Not surprised this ended up here, but sad Paul’s name has been dragged through it.

Those commenting in defence of Eversen should note the following paragraph :

“WPP also denies it failed to act, citing examples such as Eversen being told to apologise to Williamson on two occasions”

The employer has acknowledged there were two occasions where the employee’s conduct wasn’t appropriate, otherwise they wouldn’t have been told to apologise. No further details are given in the court documents nor does it say if these occasions are related to the legal action.

Since ‘friends and former colleagues’ are unlikely to be privy to events directly relating to these allegations, perhaps it’s best to not project a belief that someone could not do something?

Paul Everson couldn’t even get a membership to the boys club, let alone run it. A more decent man you could not meet.

Paul Everson is one of the best managers and leaders I’ve ever worked with. In fact, are we talking about the same Paul Everson?? I have worked alongside Paul and these allegations are so far from the truth. He is not a bully, or a masochist. He’s a people person, a visionary, a champion, and an equal opportunity leader.

In all these comments supporting Paul Everson, can i just ask if he was so nice and lovely, why was he asked to apologise to Carmen (twice) by his masters at WPPAUNZ?

[Edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons].. will be interested to see what comes out in court

[Edited for legal reasons].

Indeed. IP check please Mumbrella.

Perhaps the sycophants are calling from inside the house?

Working across WPP can be hugely complex, wrought with politics and an intense focus on the bottom line.

In my 4 years working across agencies (small and large) and with Paul personally, he has demonstrated integrity, leadership, kindness and a firm but fair approach to doing business. He’s savvy and a smart operator for sure. We may not have always seen eye to eye on the negotiating table but the last thing I would label him a bully and part of a boys club.

Paul is a stand out agency leader and I’ve always admired his style, intelligence, approach and inclusiveness while running a top creative agency.

It’s disappointing to see one MD go after another as a way to get to WPP.

I have worked with Paul at two creative agencies over the year. He is a positive and motivating leader who is well liked by all. I’m really sorry to see him dragged into this.

Wasn’t Team Red setup by GroupM?

There’s a current trend where Media Agencies are setting up these in-house full service creative agencies. One way to protect I suppose.

Unfortunately the people who create impossible situations, never have to deal with the ramifications for lazy foresight. Something here was messed up prior. And clients aren’t patient enough to wait, no matter how right you are to fix it.

Poor scoping, poor understanding, poor implementation caused this. But I’m sure the initial deck and predicted costs looked nice. And drinks to celebrate when sold in.

But that was FY17. Ancient history

Paul Everson has always been committed to his work and his clients, the bloke works harder than anyone I know. 20 years of Paul being in the industry and no bad words said. The article does not represent his character in anyway!

I too feel deeply saddened by this article, Paul Everson is one of the best managers and leaders I had the pleasure of working alongside for many years at JWT. He treats all members of his team as true equals, backing everyone under his watch 100%. In addition, Paul does everything in his power to give the people he works with the support and tools they need to succeed. Couldn’t speak more highly of the man.

I can appreciate that quite a few people here had a great experience working with Paul, but [edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons].

I too feel deeply saddened by this article, Paul Everson is one of the best managers and leaders I had the pleasure of working alongside for many years at JWT. He treats all members of his team as true equals, backing everyone under his watch 100%. In addition, he does everything in his power to give the people he works with the support and tools they need to succeed. Couldn’t speak more highly of the man.

Regardless of the specifics of this case, from previous experience i wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people that have worked at an agency “partner” of vodafone over the last 10 yrs have had mental health issues either directly or indirectly as a result of the way they deal with agencies.

I have known Paul Everson in a variety of capacities in the industry for a number of years. During the time I have known Paul he has been honest, trustworthy, patient, kind and his respect for others is second to none. This entire situation is sad for all [edited by Mumbrella for legal reasons]. You cannot find a better human than him.

WPP calling for an industry ban on anonymous comments just weeks prior to two court cases coming to light needs to be questioned.

Lets let the courts decide how truly awful WPP is, and by that i mean confirm whats pretty clear for anyone who has worked there before.

But these testaments to Paul’s character at least speak well of him. Though obviously I don’t know anything about the case, at least it doesn’t seem to be systemic behaviour.

“[Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]” to be more precise.

Can someone please share a copy of the mass email asking for character references on Paul in the comments section of this article? Just wondering how many people it went out to.

I’ve known Paul for 10 years and worked with him in advertising for 5. He is one of the loveliest guys I’ve ever met, an absolute gentleman, a terrific leader and all round stand up guy.

In case you guys haven’t worked it out, Mumbrella removes all negative comments related to individuals. It’s why you’ll only ever see glowing comments about people who have been fired from positions.

If you don’t believe me, try writing something negative about the people featured in this article.

I don’t know the characters in this, but be aware that you’re very likely only reading one side in these comments.

Incredibly suspicious. Here are some tips for WPP’s astroturf squad:

1. It would be more believable if you just called him Paul.

2. Try switching up the structure every now and then. There’s only so many times you can put out the same “I’ve known PAUL EVERSON for ages. He’s always been the opposite of the allegations. Actually he’s literally Jesus!”

3. Mix in some male names. You’re trying too hard.

Really don’t know either way on the case itself, but this is clearly not a major league crisis control team.

or proof that they tried their best to conciliate Ms Williamson

I can’t speak for the wider WPP team and management, but my experience at J Walter Thompson, and with Paul Everson, do not match this description in the slightest.

We’re talking about people’s careers. Not The Bachelor.

While I can’t comment on Paul specifically I can say that working in/with JWT was a nightmare, the senior suits (predominantly male, ‘boys club’ close to accurate) were awful & bullying to staff working for them, after they committed to timelines that were unfeasible. Too much pandering to clients, and ‘wellness’ is an unheard of word in that culture.

I don’t know the background to this case, but I’ve worked with Paul at Leo’s and know him well. I’ll readily join the long list of former colleagues and clients who have spoken out on his track record. A more fair-minded and highly-regarded person would be hard to find.

Anyone who has been bullied by a real bully pro knows that the really great ones make sure they have a big fan club. For the most part they are wonderfully charming to almost everyone, except their target. Usually they focus on one target at a time. They are predators and love the taste of the kill.

I do actually have some insight into this situation, knowing both Paul and having met Carmel.
Bottom line – it wasn’t a happy or sustainable arrangement, and I’m not surprised it ended badly as I’m convinced the structure wasn’t designed to succeed, with ‘borrowed’ WPP agency resources servicing Voda, some of them on a part-time basis, and Team Red being considered ‘less than’ by the agencies involved.
I felt Carmel was under a huge amount of pressure, was a bit out of her depth, and wasn’t making a load of friends in the process.
But equally Paul is not a bully, and shouldn’t be wearing this story. My opinion was that intra-agency politics played out, based on a flawed client servicing agreement designed by WPP.

Right?!?! I mean, seriously y’all, get your noses outta there.

While I appreciate people may feel the need to leap to Mr Everson’s defence (though it does look suspiciously like astroturfing) maybe spend a minute wondering if your experience with him negates Ms Williamson’s? It is like people saying “I know he can’t be a murderer because he never murdered me” Or “he was such a nice young man” it takes a lot of guts to come forward with a claim like this and this comments section is a good indicator that our industry culture is still pretty toxic.

I know Paul and worked with him many years ago. I can’t comment on the current situation but I never had a bad interaction with him. Secondly, at the time I knew him there were at least two Pauls in the office so if you were ever referring to this Paul you always included his last name so I actually think the comments are real and from different people who know him.

That’s fine and I support the moderation practice, but it’s also worth remembering that it exists. This is a binary 1v1 case, and nothing but support in one corner has effects on the other.

I would suggest that Paul has been well and truly hung out to dry here, and for a situation and problem not of his making. Anyone who actually made the decision (and many others like it) that caused this are conspicuous by their absence. Situation normal.

Gee with all these incredibly authentic and genuine comments from single-named people willing to dismiss this case based on one of the accused being a “good bloke” is it any wonder women are scared to come forward? I don’t know any of these people but I do know that people can have many sides to them and your experience of that person is not relevant to that of someone else.

A WPP agency without a toxic culture? It’s deeper than a boys club.

I can’t comment on WPP post-the Sorrell era, but during it the prevailing group management philosophy appeared akin to Game of Thrones. I worked there twice, and both roles were by far the worst experiences of my long career.

But it’s not 1 v 1, it’s 1 vs WPP (in which one person within an agency within that parent company has been singled out).

There’s a reason why in-housing doesn’t appeal to the people who need to do the work. Hell, even Sorrell said so in an article a few months back.

People from JWT were asked to move to Team Red, and that was likely met with a ‘yeah… nah.’ – And there was no backup plan, because backup plans means the initial plan wasn’t a confident one that would get bought.

But Paul’s somehow the face of an issue about staff from one agency not wanting to now be staff at an in-house agency, and the affect that caused on the Managing Director who was promised them.

He can’t force his team members to commit career suicide despite the pressure to do so.

This situation was created by the people above them, and its not fair that either of them were thrown in this fire.

I couldn’t agree more! WPP overall has toxic work culture and the way Team Red was “planned” was off from Day 1. I couldn’t be happier I’m out of the toxic workplace called WPP! I hope Carmel gets what she is owed.

this puzzles me.

the former MD was female, the current GM who was CSD under Paul was female as were several of the GADs.

The CSO and Head of Planning were both female too.

Incidentally, Carmel WIlliamson’s manager at WPP was also female.

I just don’t see how there is somehow a ‘boys club’ or a team that is ‘predominantly male’ here

I can’t comment on [court case], but in the [number of years] I’ve known [first name][surname], [he/she] has been a great [job description], and a nicer [bloke/lady] you could not meet. These allegations against [him/her] are a real shame.

That is so true! Spot in

Bullying doesnt need to be systemic, in character, regular or a part of your persona.. to be bullying. It depends on how the interaction is with that other person . Be interested to see what the court says

Folks who have worked there know that there could be douzens of court cases for bullying, mistreatment and other extreme behaviour. Leadership quiet on these issues, and some agencies claim HR related awards and complain about anonymous comments on sites like this.

WPP has a massive boys culture and unfortunately it’s hard for women to rise up the ranks….Vodafone on the otherhand are absolutely horrible as a client

certainly v. ‘acquisitive’ – innit
.