M&C Saatchi Replaces Moray MacLennan, Appoints Channel 4's Zaid Al-Qassab as New Boss

M&C Saatchi Group, a global advertising agency, announced it has appointed a new chief executive officer to replace its co-founder, Moray MacLennan. The company recruited Zaid Al-Qassab to lead the group.

According to Reuters, M&C Saatchi Group said on Thursday, Feb. 22, that Al-Qasaab’s appointment will take effect on May 13. He will take over the job from MacLennan, who stepped down in September 2023.

About the NEW Chief

Al-Qassab was the chief marketing officer at UK’s Channel 4, and he has held several marketing posts at BT Plc, including as chief brand and marketing officer. His longest job tenure is with Procter & Gamble, where he spent 20 years of his career in the marketing and commercial fields.

Moreover, while at Channel 4, he oversaw the company’s high-profile in-house agency called 4Creative. As he left the British free-to-air public broadcast television channel, he joined several commercial and marketing executives exiting the struggling company.

Leadership Realignment as New CEO Arrives

As Al-Qassab joins M&C Saatchi as the new leader, Zillah Byng-Thorne, who has been serving as interim executive chairman, will return to her non-executive role.

“We are delighted to have attracted someone of Zaid’s caliber to lead M&C Saatchi into its next phase of growth,” More About Advertising quoted Byng-Thorne as saying in a statement. “Zaid has proven leadership qualities and 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.”

She added, “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.”

Photo by: M&C Saatchi Website