We salute FCB Africa for putting principle ahead of profit

The KPMG debacle generated a lot of debate about ethics in the world of business.

Much as the Gupta family stands accused of capturing key figures in government for the benefit of their grand enrichment plan, it is also true that they could not have got away with what they did for so long without the help of professional service providers.

KPMG, and certainly there must be others like them, decided that money was more important than professional standards or morality.

For a long time, there have been question marks about the Guptas and their network of companies, so there really is no excuse – other than greed – for people having done business with them.

So it was refreshing to hear this week that top ad agency FCB Africa’s board of directors shot down a proposal by its own executive chairperson to run a R14.8 million marketing and PR spin campaign to polish the image of the Guptas.

The way the Guptas and their companies do business does not accord with how FCB believes things should be done ethically, said the company’s CEO, Brett Morris.

We hope the KPMG affair will convince more companies to think twice about putting profit ahead of principle.