M+C Saatchi (as it now styles itself), with new leadership following a turbulent period including accounting problems and mooted takeovers, appears to be serious about expanding in the notoriously tricky North America market. It has just hired Chris Turney, formerly at Joan, as its first North America chief strategy officer.
Turney (left) says: “I’m joining M+C Saatchi because I really believe in cultural power – it’s how brands exist, and it’s their superpower. “M+C Saatchi North America is the only group that really combines all their practices in a way where they can actually work together and not compete with each other. I don’t think culture lives in silos, so clients shouldn’t have to work that way either. In the ideal state, clients don’t even need to think about how they can access a capability – it’s more about how M+C Saatchi can solve their problem, and then we act to solve it through creativity.”
CEO Nadja Bellan-White says: “Chris is an absolutely critical part of this team, and in my mind, the missing link. She is going to be my partner in every way, in helping to scale and grow M+C North America. She will be front and center, not just in terms of new business, but being my strategic partner in how we redefine the role that is vital to agencies and clients globally.”
M+C now claims to be the world’s largest independent creative network.
