M&C Saatchi Names Zaid Al-Qassab As New Global CEO
M&C Saatchi has named Zaid Al-Qassab as its new global CEO. He is Channel 4’s CMO in the UK right now. Al-Qassab will take over for Moray MacLennan, who resigned in September. Zaid will assume control of the business which is experiencing negative growth.
M&C Saatchi Appoints Zaid Al-Qassab as Global CEO
Zaid will start working in the M&C office on May 13. He started working at Channel 4 in 2019 as CMO, overseeing marketing, digital, product, communications, PR, advertising, media, and continuity. He was also in charge of the channel’s digital content and brand entertainment agency, 4Studio, as well as its award-winning in-house creative agency, 4creative.
Previous Achievements
Al-Qassab, a former employee of BT, is among the most senior marketers in the UK. He is not employed in the agency industry. On the other hand, he has managed social media and branded entertainment unit 4Studio as well as in-house agency 4Creative at Channel 4, where he has been employed since 2019 as CMO. Additionally, he worked for Procter & Gamble for two years in marketing and business capacities, most notably as the Managing Director of the company’s health and beauty division for the UK and Ireland. Zaid has been employed by the Advertising Standards Authority since 2018 and presently holds the position of non-executive director.
M&C Saatchi Announcements
Al-Qassab left Channel 4 in January, although he would continue to work there until the end of March, the channel announced. On May 13, he will start working at M&C Saatchi, pending regulatory due diligence. The announcement was made one week after Jo Bacon, the global client lead for Ogilvy and WPP at Unilever, was named CEO of M&C Saatchi. She takes over for Camilla Kemp, who departed the company a year ago.
Here’s what they said
Zillah Byng-Thorne, the executive chairman, said,
“We are delighted to have attracted someone of Zaid’s calibre to lead M&C Saatchi into its next phase of growth. Zaid has proven leadership qualities, has managed global teams, and his client-centric focus, dynamism and commercial acumen will be highly valuable as we look to accelerate our growth trajectory. The advertising and marketing landscape is fast-moving and a modern, forward-thinking, agile leader like Zaid will help shape M&C Saatchi for excellence on the global stage, supported by our exceptional regional leaders across the UK and globally. It is truly an exciting moment for us.”
Zaid Al-Qassab, on his appointment added,
“I have long admired M&C Saatchi’s creativity and industry-leading work and I am delighted to be joining one of the most recognised advertising brands in the world. I believe M&C Saatchi has a unique growth opportunity, capitalising on its combination of advertising and specialist marketing services, and its unrelenting focus on creative solutions built on client understanding, with an agile, global, integrated offer.”
Read More: M&C Saatchi Indonesia has been acquired by Anish Daryani
M&C Saatchi Indonesia has been acquired by Anish Daryani
M&C Saatchi Indonesia, which was set up six years ago as a joint venture between M&C Saatchi Group and Anish Daryani, Dami Sidharta, and Elki Hendria on 24th January 2018 has been acquired by Anish Daryani. Daryani has purchased the business’s 55% ownership from M&C Saatchi Group for an undisclosed amount. Co-founding partners Elki Hendria, executive strategy and digital director, and Dami Sidharta, chief creative officer, will both stay key members of the leadership team and shareholders in the company.
M&C Saatchi Indonesia will be rebranded as a new entity
In January 2024, M&C Saatchi Indonesia will change its name to a new company. Under a new organization, there will be total business continuity for all clients, talent, partners, and vendors. The new company will run its operations out of the same space in Menara Sentraya, Jakarta Selatah, Indonesia. M&C Saatchi Performance will, however, continue to function as a distinct legal entity even after the Indonesian creative, digital, PR, and activation industry becomes independent.
It has been a “mutually rewarding partnership” for the past six years, according to a joint statement from Zillah Bing-Thorne, the current CEO of M&C Saatchi group and chair of M&C Saatchi, and Daryani, the founder, president, and director of M&C Saatchi Indonesia, and chief growth officer of Southeast Asia. There was a mutually beneficial relationship between the Indonesian entity and the group at that time.
Anish Daryani has acquired M&C Saatchi Indonesia
On January 24, 2018, Daryani opened an office in Jakarta with executive strategy and digital director Elki Hendria and chief creative officer Dami Sidharta, who were co-founders. He had been in the advertising business for about 15 years and had previously served as CEO of Phibious Indonesia. Following the appointment of Zillah Byng-Thorne as executive chair and the departure of Moray MacLennan as chief executive in September, the agency has been grappling with exits, restructuring, and group consolidation efforts. This is the backdrop against which Daryani’s announcement of going independent in Indonesia occurs.
Read More: Vibrant Media Bags INR 100 Crore Media Account for Jio-bp
Indonesia’s road ahead
Performance was the agency’s fastest-growing division in 2022. It contributed 24% of revenue to earnings thanks to significant client wins like Asana, Asics, Julo, Noice, and Jobstreet. Promising performers such as Roshat Adnani and Kabeer Chaudhary were promoted. Adnani is the managing director for APAC. He will be responsible for the region’s P&L. Meanwhile Chaudhary is currently the global CEO for the Performance vertical, based in Singapore.
Among the companies that Daryani currently works with are Asian Paints, Adaro Energy, Ismaya Group, PermataBank, ByteDance, Sampoerna-Phillip Morris, Tempo Scan Group, Unilever, Kimia Pharma, Mandi Pharma, Mastercard, Grab, LG, Pertamina, Kemeperekraf (Wonderful Indonesia), and Astra Credit Company.
Here’s what they said
Anish Daryani said,
M&C Saatchi is one of the strongest brands in the business, and it has been my life’s honour to serve the group over the last 6 years. We started M&C Saatchi Indonesia with just the three of us (with Dami and Elki), and have grown to a team of hundred. We’ve earned many Agency of the Year titles over the years, among other awards including our first Cannes Lion, attracted the best talent, and built a formidable business. Here, I have learnt immensely, and forged strong bonds with friends I made the world over from across the network. However, as a creative entrepreneur, some of my ambitions can only be met as an independent entity, which regretfully involves my exit from the group. I’m grateful for all the good times we have shared together, and for Zillah’s keenness to agree to a deal that helps me race towards meeting my ambitions. For M&C Saatchi Group, I will continue to be a reliable friend. As we take our second first step, we wish to continue serving our clients with the same level of passion and integrity, and setting higher benchmarks in the industry.
Zillah Bing-Thorne added,
We have enjoyed our relationship with Anish and wish him & colleagues all the very best for their new venture.
Read More: Saatchi & Saatchi Bags Ibis Global Strategy and Creative Business
