M&C Saatchi appoints Andy Cairns to the role of managing director to lead the Melbourne agency
Today, M&C Saatchi has announced the appointment of Andy Cairns to the managing director role of the Melbourne agency. Cairns brings to the role over 20 years of international agency and brand experience.
Says Russell Hopson, group MD: “I’ve watched Andy’s career with admiration for many years. He has a proven track record of galvanising agencies into doing great work for clients. And he does it with a sense of fun and decency that’s contagious. I couldn’t be happier that he’s joining the M&C Saatchi family.”
Says Cairns: “‘The momentum behind M&C Saatchi at the moment is massive. Hires like Cam and Russell are game changers. The opportunity to return to my home town and drive that agenda here makes this the dream job for me.”
Cairns began his advertising career in Melbourne in 1994 and since then it has taken him around the world and back. He had a significant stint in London working for major agencies including TBWA, CHI and BBH.
Before returning home in September of this year, Cairns was global brands director for Havas, responsible for the company’s largest client Reckitt Benckiser, as well as the Huawei account.
At BBH, he was responsible for the Barclays Retail banking business. While there, he led the major re-positioning of the Bank in the wake of the global financial crisis. Cairns was also responsible for leading the Virgin Media account and driving multiple integrated campaigns in a highly competitive category.
Prior to this, Cairns held the role of managing director at Inferno and helped build it into one of London’s most successful independents. He also spent a few years in New York heading up hot shop Taxi.
Cairns will head up the agency alongside executive creative director, Paul Taylor. He will report into Russell Hopson.
Cairns will commence his role this month.
10 Comments
That is the most top heavy agency in the industry…
It’ll be a hard road Cairnsy. But if anyone can resurrect the long- sleeping, underperforming giant, it’s you. Go get em mate!
Pamela you might have noticed that M&C Melbourne have been without an M.D since August.They now have one.Just ONE.And an ECD.Which I’d say is fairly normal.What are you on about?
Duh?, What am I on about?
Chairman
Group CEO
Group CSO
Group MD
Group CFO
Group Ops Director
Agency GM
9 group MDs
2 CCO
3ECD
4 Heads of strategy
less then 400 people
Which means
Top Heavy, Slow, Expensive, Dinosaur, Verge of Extinction
@Duh? Me thinks thou doth protest too much.
Regardless of who ‘runs’ Melbourne, the puppet strings are pulled from Macquarie Street.
Too much information Pamela.Just figured out who you are.Hope you are happier than you used to be.
@pamela
600 people spread across 14 businesses. Most innovative company in Australia.
How them apples?
Obviously GWH is high on all the fumes from the M&C smoke screen. You actually believe your own bull shit. Most innovative company in Australia?? I spit my coffee out reading that. Seriously your fire blanket was more of a wet blanket, snuffed that client right out.
Sticky clients, not sticky tissues guys.
It’s one thing to be proud of where you work but surely you don’t believe that bullshit do you?
NRMA gone, Optus and Commbank both looking dodge and no work of any quality to be seen anywhere.
As the comments above have pointed out, there are too many average cooks in the kitchen.
Andy, I don’t know you but I wish you lots of luck.
This is a terrific appointment for you and an opportunity to achieve what nobody has been able to do – revive a once terrific agency to something decent.
By my count, in the last five years there’s now been four MD’s there. That’s not good for business whichever way you look at it.
In the same time there’s been one ECD and no decent work or any real new business. Hmmm, I’d say that the overlords in Sydney are fiddling with the deckchairs.