72andSunny CEO and partner APAC Chris Kay has been named the new CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi London.
He will join Saatchi & Saatchi on 1 November 2021.
He replaces Sam Hawkey who left Saatchi to take on the CEO role at AMV BBDO in London.
“I’m returning to the UK for the job not the move. Even the weather couldn’t stop me jumping at the opportunity to help steer the next 50 years for this iconic agency," Kay says.
"I can’t wait to get stuck in with the team, our client partners, and collaborators, to make creative work that shapes culture, represents Britain today, and keeps the Saatchi & Saatchi name synonymous with pushing our industry forward.”
A British-native, Kay has been leading 72andSunny in Australia and the APAC region since it opened its doors here in 2017.
Prior to that he had worked as partner and managing director of 72andSunny in Los Angeles.
Kay has also held roles at BMF as managing partner, head of marketing for Manchester City Football Club and worked in account management roles at Fallon London and TBWA.
He spent eight years at Fallon during its halcyon years of Sony Balls, Cadbury Gorilla, and It’s a Skoda Honest. At Fallon, he launched Happen, a joint venture with Naked, which won a Gold Integrated Lion in its first year for its Tate Tracks campaign for Tate Modern.
He recently wrote a book about work post-pandemic called Reset Inc: A Handbook for the Future of Work, which trended as an Amazon bestseller.
AdNews has contacted 72andSunny Sydney for comment on who will replace Kay.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.