Saatchi & Saatchi appoints five top creative directors to The Creative Quorum to oversee the network’s Asia Pacific creative product
Following today’s announcement of the resignation of regional executive creative director Andy Greenaway, Saatchi & Saatchi has created a new collaborative structure, the Creative Quorum, to direct and oversee its creative leadership throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Chris Foster, chairman and regional chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific, today announced that the network’s five leading ECDs will collectively take on an expanded role for the agencies’ creative success regionally, as well as specific projects through the region as needed.
The Creative Quorum comprises:
Damon Stapleton, (above bottom) executive creative director, Australia
Antonio Navas, executive creative director, New Zealand
Bruce Matchett, executive creative director, Singapore, Malaysia (above right)
Andrew Petch, executive creative director, The Philippines (left)
Joel Clement, promoted to executive creative director, Thailand (above left)
Foster says the Creative Quorum will drive new creative thinking and further develop Saatchi & Saatchi’s offering to clients. While the ECDs have always collaborated at a creative level, the Creative Quorum formalizes their individual and collective role to lead Saatchi & Saatchi’s creative success region-wide.
“These guys share a passionate belief in the unreasonable power of creativity and that the best ideas come from collaboration and diversity – within the agency, with our partners, clients, and with consumers,” Foster says.
“Expanding their current remit to oversee all creativity in the region is a natural and logical step forward.”
Since his appointment last year, Foster has actively championed collaboration around the region. CEOs, ECDs and Planning Leaders frequently connect to develop regional strategy, and share new thinking and ideas. He says the “one team, one dream” approach is already delivering significant new ideas, business and client benefits across the regional network.
7 Comments
Makes it hard to know who to blame when things go wrong. Take it in turns maybe?
Let’s hope they don’t all want to make a thankyou speech on prize night.
The Saatchi brand is damaged goods for creatives.
The Philippines is the only office in region that is doing anything remotely creative thanks to Petchy and the fact it’s not 100% owned.
Andy did a great job but once Saatchi gave up on creative work then he became redundant. If he replaces Back in Singapore he will again be under pressure to win awards which would be very ironic.
Interesting times in Singapore.
Putting all this meaningless well trodden ‘ad spin’ to one side (mmm like each of these ECD’s hasn’t got enough to worry about in their own struggling agency!), it’s absolutely astounding that there is not one Asian creative director in their ASIA Pacific Quorum. Way back in the day when this network was the envy of the industry in this region, there was a great balance of local V expat creative directors – including brilliant talent like Edmund Choe & Jureeporn Thaidumrong. Once more there was REAL collaboration back then too under Davis & Droga. Now it looks like one big expat drinking club to me. Also, I hear that nearly all of the CEO’s in this region are now also qweilo’s too – even Thailand!!! So exactly what message does this send to the locals? Do they really think we don’t notice – or do they simply not care anyway? No wonder this once great network is continuing to perform so terribly in this part of the world! They really just don’t get it!
One (Gweilo)team. One DREAM all right!
Regional CEOs and CFOs have spoken and the Regional ECD post is now officially redundant in Asia. Publicis, BBH and now Saatchi….when will others wake up? It makes poor financial sense to pay someone 50K a month just to be the overlord of a scam empire…even when they are not exactly producing the goods.
Isn’t lifting the creative standards across the Saatchi network what David was able to do single-handedly, when he was put in charge of creative across Asia by Bob, but now needs a quorum of CD’s to hope to achieve?
Take a look at the award books from that time and then a look at yourselves, lads.
@Gweilo Central – maybe the message is us locals aren’t good enough.
I’ve worked with westerners a few times in my career. Not a problem for me. It was a good exchange of perspectives.