M&C Saatchi finds replacement for Cam Blackley
M&C Saatchi has announced the appointment of Steve Coll as group chief creative officer AUNZ, replacing Cam Blackley who departed the agency last month.
His impressive history includes CCO at Havas Worldwide, creative group head at Leo Burnett Sydney, and more recently CCO at Droga5 and WiTH Collective.
For the past four years, Coll has been head of Facebook Creative Shop in Australia and New Zealand, where he collaborated with agencies to deliver innovative campaigns across Meta’s platforms.
The strategic move aims to underline the group’s commitment to delivering transformative creative solutions across its offerings.
Justin Graham, CEO APAC of M&C Saatchi Group, welcomed Coll to the new role and said: “Steve is a rare gem in our industry, possessing a unique blend of skills and an exceptional leadership style.
“As a truly modern creative leader, Steve brings invaluable experience from both integrated and digital agencies, and the media realms. His ability to unlock creativity from every angle aligns perfectly with our vision.
“Clients today seek holistic brand experiences, and Steve will play a pivotal role in creatively integrating our end-to-end Group capabilities, merging impactful storytelling with data, technology, and media.
“We know he will resonate across our clients, ushering in a fresh approach and an inclusive culture to our Group agencies,” Graham added.
Just two weeks ago, the group announced chief creative officer Cam Blackley was stepping away from the agency, after nearly six years in the role.
Graham said of Blackley’s departure: “He has been a valued member of the executive team and is admired for his commitment to the industry as evidenced by his impactful contribution as AWARD’s Chair, and his inclusion in the Cannes Lions jury this year.
“His work, and his unique humour, will have a lasting impact on the agency.”
Coll said of his appointment: “For many reasons, this group CCO role at M&C Saatchi feels absolutely right, and I am delighted to be joining.
“I’ve long admired M&C Saatchi’s ability to consistently create lasting brand platforms with some of the best marketers in the country,” he continued. “I am looking forward to bringing my Meta experience to the group’s diverse expertise in strategy, creative, media, design, UX, production and PR.
“They have been steadily connecting these fundamental capabilities which excites me because, in my experience, gathering diverse skills around big ideas can be absolutely transformative.
“Not only do creatives want this, clients want it too. I can’t wait to get started at M&C Saatchi working alongside the highly-talented local leadership team,” Coll concluded.
He will report to Graham, who earlier this year was made global head of advertising for M&C Saatchi, which sees him define and lead a global, unified advertising proposition for the group.
He will join the agency at the end of the month.
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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