Finance chief at City ad agency M&C Saatchi eyed by PE-backed rival
The finance chief of one of the City’s top advertising firms, M&C Saatchi, is reportedly set to jump ship to a private equity-backed rival.
Mickey Kalifa, who has been with M&C Saatchi for nearly three years, has been sounded out for a top job at Dept, a digital agency based in Amsterdam.
The news was first reported by Sky News.
If Kalifa leaves, it could derail the London-listed advertising agency’s efforts to swot away an unsolicited takeover approach.
One source told Sky News that Kalifa has not yet offered his resignation to the board of M&C.
Last week, news broke that M&C, who have produced some of Britain’s most memorable advertising campaigns, had been the subject of a takeover bid from AdvancedAdvT, a firm headed by Vin Murria, a top technology entrepreneur.
M&C has not formally rejected the approach, but has questioned the gains on offer from a tie up.