Former Channel 4 CMO Zaid Al-Qassab has been named as the new group chief executive of M&C Saatchi, marking his first foray into the agency sector.
Al-Qassab left Channel 4 at the end of last month alongside chief product officer Dave Cameron, as the broadcaster revealed that it would axe as many as 250 roles due to a steep downturn in the advertising market.
He wil take up the role on 13 May, when M&C Saatchi acting executive chair Zillah Byng-Thorne, who has been in post since the agency’s long-serving chief executive Moray MacLennan left in July last year, will return to her non-executive position.
Byng-Thorne 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.
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“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.”
Unveiled at the close of a “competitive search process”, the move will come as some surprise to many industry insiders, with Al-Qassab having no agency experience to date.
He has previously held senior marketing and brand roles at BT and P&G before joining Channel 4 in 2019.
Al-Qassab said: “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.”
