Coller nets M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment top job

M&C Saatchi has promoted “lifer” Laura Coller to chief executive of its Sport & Entertainment division as well as its associated lifestyle offering, M&C Saatchi Fabric.

Coller first joined M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment 15 years ago, and has served as a board director for the past seven years, playing an instrumental role in shaping and building the business.

She has been responsible for some of the agency’s highest-profile work, including global campaigns for Reebok with Victoria Beckham, Kendrick Lamar, Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande.

She was also involved in launching Cristiano Ronaldo’s personal CR7 brand and activating work for Adidas with Hailey Bieber and Stormzy.

More recently, Coller spearheaded the creation and commercial growth of the agency’s lifestyle offering, launching M&C Saatchi Fabric as a standalone proposition within the M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment network and working with a roster of clients including The Adidas Group, The LEGO Group, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever.

In her role, she will oversee a team of over 100 communications professionals in the UK, with the aim of ensuring the continued growth of the agency’s offer.

Coller will be supported by managing partners Ross Watson and Jenny Mitton (Sport) and Lois Kettlewell and Nicola Murray (Entertainment) and report to UK group CEO Marcus Peffers who said: “Laura has been instrumental to the agency’s sustained success. She’s proven herself to be an inspirational and visionary leader and I’m delighted that she is stepping up to take the helm as CEO.”

Coller added: “I’m very proud to be running the business I love and plan to continue a culture of creativity, entrepreneurialism, tenacity and excellence, protecting the core DNA of the agency while ushering in a new decade.

“This year we added ‘The Passions Agency’ as a signature to who we are and how we work, and I’ll continue to pour my passion into the future of the business, and our incredibly talented team.”