Vice Media has fired the founder of its digital ad agency Carrot Creative following a sexual misconduct investigation
- Vice Media has fired Mike Germano, the cofounder and CEO of its digital advertising agency Carrot Creative.
- Germano was put on leave after the New York Times reported on harassment allegations against him and Vice Media president Andrew Creighton.
- The company is also planning to fold Carrot Creative into its creative agency Virtue.
Vice Media has fired Mike Germano, the cofounder and CEO of its digital agency Carrot Creative.
The Wrap first reported Germano's ouster. A spokesman confirmed the news to Business Insider.
The news comes less than a month after Germano was put on a leave of absence as the company investigated harassment allegations against him and Vice Media president Andrew Creighton, reported in a story by The New York Times.
Vice is also planning to fold Carrot Creative into its creative agency Virtue. The merger had been in the works since January 2017 when Vice announced plans to integrate its various ad operations into a single division - Virtue Worldwide. The two agencies had continued to operate separately until now.
Both Germano's ouster and the merger were announced by Vice COO and CFO, Sarah Broderick, in a memo sent to employees Tuesday, according to Digiday.
Vice Media has come under fire since The Times' described its culture and workplace environment as "degrading and uncomfortable for women." Germano was specifically called out by two former employees, Amanda Rue and Gabrielle Schaeffer.
Since then, a number of clients including Unilever and Ally Financial, have set up meetings with Vice to discuss their concerns, according to Ad Age.