The discrimination watchdog has sent a letter to a financial company accused of producing a sexist advertisement asking it to avoid publishing any further such adverts. The Equal Opportunities Commission's action came as it was disclosed that a team of women had developed the advertisement at advertising agency J Walter Thompson, which is now considering withdrawing it. The commission, which had received three complaints, said it did not have the power to take formal action against provident fund provider Bank Consortium Trust Company. The advert, displayed in MTR stations and newspapers depicted a 'cross-section' of the brains of a woman and a man - the female mind is said to be preoccupied with, in descending order, shopping, family, love, desserts and fashion. Men's obsessions were shown as women, career, investments, cars and politics. The mind of an employee of the company is devoted just to the Mandatory Provident Fund. An education academic labelled it 'disgusting' and a Hong Kong Women Workers' Association spokesman said it reinforced stereotyping. A commission spokesman said: 'The advertisement does not contravene the Sexual Discrimination Ordinance but it may have generated an unwelcome feeling among the public. 'We hope that they, in future, will avoid publishing advertisements which enforce gender stereotypes or bias.' A spokeswoman at J Walter Thompson said a creative team consisting mostly of women had designed it. 'The concept we wanted to concentrate on was the single-mindedness of the employee,' the spokeswoman said. 'I am a Hong Kong woman and I feel I am not discriminated against in this society . . . it is just a sense of humour [in the advert] and we don't find it offensive.'