Saatchi & Saatchi appoints new chief executive
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London advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Sam Hawkey as its new chief executive, as the firm’s headquarters prepare to reopen after months of lockdown.
Hawkey has served as Saatchi & Saatchi’s chief operating officer since 2018, after being promoted from managing director several years earlier. Since joining the firm in 2012, Hawkey’s clients have included BT, EE, Betway, Guinness and Visa.
He started his career in website development and flash game design before moving over to digital specialist Glue London where he spent three years working across News Group, Bacardi, and Aviva.
In his new role, Hawkey will report into his predecessor, Magnus Djaba, who has been chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi London for eight years,
Hawkey said: “The thing I’ve loved about Saatchi & Saatchi is always being given the freedom to fundamentally challenge and change what has gone before. Nothing is off limits.
“The idea of being the person to take on that mantle and become its guardian in our 50th year makes me immensely proud.”
The ad agency, which counts Sir Martin Sorrell and Robert Louis-Dreyfus as alumni, was founded in 1970 by siblings Charles and Maurice Saatchi. The duo were ousted in 1995 and went on to form a separate advertising agency, M&C Saatchi.
Saatchi & Saatchi was acquired by French-based agency Publicis Group in 2000, and went on to win high-profile clients including the Labour party.
Djaba said: “In two months, this iconic agency celebrates its 50th birthday. We wanted to continue the legacy of Saatchi & Saatchi and our ‘nothing is impossible’ mantra, and make sure we have the same breed of entrepreneurial audacious leadership now as we did 50 years ago.
“When I became chief executive eight years ago, [Hawkey] was my first hire. There are two things that have remained constants during my time as CEO — one is the agency mantra that ‘nothing is impossible’ and the other is my belief that [Hawkey] was born to lead this agency.”
Hawkey takes up his role today as the agency opens the doors of its Chancery Lane headquarters for the first time since the start of lockdown. The office will re-open for a limited number of employees, with a booking system and social distancing measures in place.
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