Ali Shabaz and Madina Kalyayeva to lead M&C Saatchi Group Singapore as CCO & MD respectively

M&C Saatchi Group Singapore has announced a new leadership team hiring Ali Shabaz in the Chief Creative Officer role and Madina Kalyayeva as Managing Director.

Kalyayeva (pictured middle) and Shabaz (pictured right) will report into M&C Saatchi’s Asia CEO, Richard Morewood (pictured left), and will be responsible for strengthening the agency’s integrated communications offering with a vision to rebuild it into a digital-first, Web3-ready outfit. Working as part of the Southeast Asia hub, a key focus for them will be to identify and develop the right people and partnerships to deliver impactful brand storytelling and innovative solutions across every touchpoint.

Shabaz comes to M&C Saatchi with over 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry across SEA and the Middle-East. He has worked at multiple international agencies including BBDO, JWT, Grey and RAPP. Most recently the Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe, he brings with him a strong understanding of the digital landscape and track record of developing inspiring creative ideas leveraging new platforms.

During his career, he has worked with a range of clients like Sentosa Development Corporation, KFC, Pizza Hut, GSK, P&G, Lego, MetLife, Nestle and Mondelez. His work has been recognised multiple times at the Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Spikes Asia, Adfest, Effies and Webby.

Kalyayeva joins the agency from R.S.V.P PR & Lifestyle Communications Agency, where she served as a Managing Director and was responsible for building the agency’s luxury clients portfolio and overseeing operations in Singapore & Malaysia. Prior to this she has had stints at Grey Group and McCann working on clients that include Qatar Airways, Hotels.com, BIRLA Group, Coca Cola, COTY, Luxasia, Leica, YTL Hotels, HUGO BOSS and WWF. In her career stretching advertising, PR and communications, Kalyayeva has won her agency their 1st Effie and scored personal awards such as Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS) “Upstart of the Year Award”.

Morewood said: “I’m so delighted that Madina and Ali are joining M&C Saatchi Singapore. They have an amazing plan for the Agency, combining world class creativity with future thinking digital vision, which will be a real point of difference for clients both in Singapore and as part of the M&C Saatchi Southeast Asia hub”

M&C Saatchi CEO, Moray MacLennan, said: “We welcome Madina and Ali who will be hitting the accelerator pedal on our Southeast Asia strategy – digital first, fully integrated, delivering Meaningful Change.”

Kalyayeva said: “As one of the hubs for Asia, Singapore is an important market for M&C Saatchi and I am looking to apply my expertise in PR and integrated communications to craft the right stories for our clients. The foundation of new technologies like Web3 and Metaverse are still being laid, and brands are still exploring the space. We are hoping to put the right expertise – people and partnerships – in place to navigate, create and lead meaningful changes, not just in the real world, but also in the Metaverse.”

Shabaz said: “It is truly a fantastic time to be in advertising. There is a buzz in the air and we are seeing amazing, never-before creative opportunities to tell great brand stories. I’m very excited to join the team at M&C Saatchi. The agency has a great culture and strong vision of the future. Working with Richard, Madina and the whole team is going to be inspiring. I think we are definitely looking at some interesting times ahead.”