Zaid Al-Qassab.
Zaid Al-Qassab, the CEO of M+C Saatchi, is reportedly about to step down after less than two years in the job.
UK’s Sky News reported on Saturday that the company plans to announce the news this week.
M+C Saatchi, contacted by AdNews, declined to comment.
The company in December, after another report about the CEO, confirmed succession planning was under review.
Reports then had recruiters sounding out industry executives about potential interest in the role.
M&C Saatchi has undergone significant change in recent years, including leadership turnover, structural simplification and a renewed focus on financial discipline following governance issues earlier in the decade.
Al-Qassab, a former chief marketing officer at Channel 4, was appointed in 2024 as part of efforts to stabilise the business and restore investor confidence. He replaced co-founder Moray MacLennan who stepped down in September 2024.
The company is under pressure with full year 2025 results expected to be negative. M+C hasn't yet set a date to reveal last year's final numbers.
In a trading update in January, the company said like-for-like revenue is expected to decline about 7%, or about 2.5% excluding Australia which has been identified as a serious back hole, a "poor performer," in the global group.
The company refreshed its brand identity a year ago, including replacing the traditional ampersand in its name with a +, symbolising the power of cultural collaboration.
The visual refresh, created by experience design agency Re, includes new logos for all its agencies, as well as changes in fonts, colour palette, and bespoke Cultural Power idents, in addition to a new global website, created by digital agency MCD.
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