DDB CEO Wendy Clark to step down from Time's Up Advertising committee

DDB worldwide CEO Wendy Clark has stepped down from the Time’s Up Advertising steering committee, but remains a member of the group. This was after DDB had been found to have hired former Droga5 chief creative officer Ted Royer to work on a Volkswagen pitch, Adweek reported.Multiple media reports said Royer left Droga5 earlier this year after his employment was terminated, with the agency saying it was because it was "committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for [all employees]". According to the Adweek report, Royer was hired by DDB as a freelancer to work on the Volkswagen pitch, and had worked independently.The surfacing of the news also led to Clark acknowledging she had made a mistake in hiring the former Droga employee and agreed to step down. Clark admitted she had “regrettably [fell] into a traditional paradigm of business first” and given the choice again she would do things differently. She also thanked Time’s Up for being a moral compass and for the support and added that Lisa Topol, co-chief creative officer of DDB/NY, will take on the role on the Time’s Up Advertising steering committee during this time.In a separate interview with Marketing earlier this year, Clark opened up on her personal goal to bring women forward in her own career. At the time, Clark said she often feels like it is her “responsibility to bring women forward” with her, as she advances in her career. Her personal mantra, one she takes very seriously, is to lift as she climbs."What I have tried to do in every step of my career is bring people with me – particularly women. I want to create a wealth of opportunities around me that carries other people with me. That’s perhaps the most fulfilling thing in my career, having worked 27 years," she added.Marketing has reached out to Time’s Up Advertising, DDB, Droga5 and Royer for comment. Time’s Up Advertising also took the opportunity to reiterate its purpose for being around.