M&C Saatchi is continuing its rebirth with the launch of global consultancy Life, which it is claimed will combine a proven track record in sustainability with data-driven communications, planning and creativity.
The agency group insists that the purpose of Life is to help brands and businesses inspire and enable people to live healthier and more sustainable lives, and in doing so build value.
The division will be led by Ikea’s former global head of sustainable and healthy living, Joanna Yarrow, and M&C Saatchi London MD Tom Firth.
It will work with businesses that are beginning to look beyond just supply chain and operational improvements to consider the role their products, services and brands can play in helping people live better lives within the planet’s limits – and how this can build trust and drive sustainable growth. It has already signed up The Mayor of London and Kenwood owner the De’Longhi Group, with a large US consumer corporate soon to be announced.
Yarrow brings 25 years’ cross-sector experience in strategic leadership, organisational change, engagement, and innovation. Alongside her role at LIfe, she sits on P&G’s Global Sustainability Advisory Board.
Firth has been with M&C Saatchi for 21 years, most recently as managing director of the main UK agency, where he was responsible for leading many of its most prominent behaviour change and social impact campaigns with both commercial and public sector clients.
Yarrow and Firth are supported by strategic advisors including Sue Garrard, one of the chief architects of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands Strategy and a leader in the field, and Hilary Berg, formerly Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Iceland Foods.
Life’s will be powered by sustainability insights through a partnership with GlobeScan, the global sustainability research and insight business.
M&C Saatchi chief executive Moray MacLennan said: “Our strategy is to deliver meaningful change. There is nothing more meaningful than creating positive impact for the societies we live in and the environment we rely on, which is why we’ve established Life, which will sit at the heart of the group.
“Our experts have been instrumental in accelerating the sustainability journey for some of the world’s leading brands, which combined with the capabilities of M&C Saatchi Group means that Life can offer clients unparalleled support in mainstreaming sustainable living.”
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