M&C Saatchi has drafted in a new chief executive from WPP to succeed Camilla Kemp, who left 12 months ago, after three years in the job following the merger of M&C Saatchi UK group and Lida.
Jo Bacon has extensive leadership experience in both agency and client-side roles, and joins from Ogilvy, where she has spent the past three-and-a-half years as global client lead, overseeing the company’s flagship Unilever beauty, wellness and food and nutrition business, including its biggest brands, Dove and Hellmann’s.
She manages global multi-disciplinary teams across 80 markets, working with Unilever across every aspect of the marcoms and media mix.
In her new role, Bacon will work alongside at M&C Saatchi group CEO Marcus Peffers and chief strategy officer Sophie Lewis to lead the revamped agency, which combines M&C Saatchi’s previous businesses in a new full-service creative proposition. She will join in May this year.
The appointment follows a year of transformation and growth for M&C Saatchi, which recently won new business from clients including Dreams, Diageo and the Financial Conduct Authority.
The agency is currently narrowing down candidates for a global chief creative officer role, with a view to making an appointment in the first half of this year.
Peffers said: “Hiring Jo to lead our newly formed UK agency is a tremendous coup. She’s a rare talent. As well as being 2023’s most awarded ad agency leader, she’s a brilliant, highly experienced CMO, leading some of Britain’s biggest media brands, across the total marcoms mix.
“To accelerate the transformation of our UK agency, we need a CEO with exceptional creative leadership and entrepreneurial flair, combined with deep brand expertise and commercial know-how. Jo has these in abundance – we’re thrilled she’s joining us.”
Bacon added: “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining M&C Saatchi at such a pivotal stage in its transformation journey. I share their ambition to make M&C Saatchi an extraordinary force in marketing, communications and creativity, and the leading company of its kind, here in the UK and globally. I know my experience and ambition can help make that happen, and I can’t wait to get started.”
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