Ad large M&C Saatchi names Channel 4 advertising and marketing chief as subsequent CEO

Channel 4’s departing advertising and marketing boss will turn out to be the subsequent chief government of M&C Saatchi, the promoting company stated on Thursday.

Zaid Al-Qassab is ready to hitch in mid-May, changing Moray MacLennan, who stop final September having been with the advert large since its breakaway from Saatchi & Saatchi in 1995.

Al-Qassab introduced in January that he would depart Channel 4 after 5 years as its chief advertising and marketing officer, the place he oversees in-house company 4Creative and digital model 4Studio.

Appointment: Zaid Al-Qassab (pictured) will turn out to be the subsequent chief government of M&C Saatchi 

The departure was introduced on the identical day the broadcaster unveiled plans to chop round 200 jobs and shift to offering extra digital companies as a result of challenges within the promoting market.

Before working at Channel 4, Al-Qassab was head of branding at BT Group and labored for twenty years at shopper items large Procter & Gamble.

His roles on the latter agency included managing director of its British Isles magnificence and grooming division, and industrial and operations director in Greece.

Al-Qassab stated: ‘I’ve lengthy admired M&C Saatchi’s creativity and industry-leading work, and I’m delighted to be becoming a member of some of the recognised promoting manufacturers on this planet.’

AIM-listed M&C Saatchi is one in every of Britain’s most distinguished promoting firms, with over 2,500 staff and operations throughout 23 nations.

Known for its shut affiliation with the Conservative Party, the group’s company purchasers embrace Amazon, McDonald’s, Uber and flag carriers KLM and Air France.

Under the management of Moray MacLennan, the corporate endured a large downturn in commerce throughout 2020 when companies slashed their advertising and marketing budgets as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

It additionally suffered the repercussions of an accounting scandal involving sure divisions in its UK arm overstating earnings and the quantities owed by purchasers. 

The Financial Conduct Authority later dropped a probe into the matter.

Two years in the past, M&C Saatchi fended off takeover approaches by Vin Murria’s funding car Advanced AdvT and advertising and marketing consultancy Next Fifteen Communications.

MacLennan was changed final autumn as momentary CEO by Zillah Byng-Thorne, the previous boss of Future, the writer behind magazines MoneyWeek, Country Life and Marie Claire UK.

Following Al-Qassab’s appointment, Byng-Thorne will return to being M&C Saatchi’s non-executive chairman.

She informed buyers that Al-Qassab ‘has confirmed management qualities, has managed world groups, and his client-centric focus, dynamism and industrial acumen can be extremely precious as we glance to speed up our progress trajectory’.

She added: ‘The promoting and advertising and marketing panorama is fast-moving, and a contemporary, forward-thinking, agile chief like Zaid will assist form M&C Saatchi for excellence on the worldwide stage, supported by our distinctive regional leaders throughout the UK and globally.’

M&C Saatchi shares have been flat at 176p on late Thursday afternoon and have risen by round 12 per cent for the reason that starting of the yr.