Rob Doubal and Laurence “Lolly” Thomson, the chief artistic officers of McCann UK and co-presidents of McCann London, are becoming a member of M&C Saatchi because the group’s world joint chief artistic officers.
M&C Saatchi stated the newly-created roles will present “a central focus for the group’s artistic ambition and actions” because it rolls out its new working mannequin.
Doubal and Thomson – recognized throughout the business as “Rob and Lolly” – joined McCann London in 2012 from Wieden & Kennedy London as government artistic administrators earlier than their elevation to regional chief artistic officers throughout the UK in 2019. Previous to Wieden & Kennedy, the duo fashioned at Mom London the place that they had a four-year stint.
During the last 20 years they’ve delivered campaigns for manufacturers together with Xbox, Simply Eat, Microsoft, Aldi, and Sky, and have overseen work that has received greater than 100 Cannes Lions and over 800 awards from main worldwide reveals.
Doubal and Thomson, who’re set to take up their new positions later this 12 months, described M&C Saatchi as “an company with one probably the most well-known names in promoting historical past and a legacy of artistic brilliance”.
“A very iconic model with some improbable places of work world wide. Driving fame and commerce by leveraging artwork and creativity is what we like to do and becoming a member of the brand new workforce with a shared ambition to make M&C Saatchi a world powerhouse with creativity at its core bought us very excited,” they added.
Govt chair Zillah Byng-Thorne stated of the pair: “Their artistic imaginative and prescient combines with a ardour for doing the very best for purchasers, and I anticipate them to make an enormous cultural affect on all components of the M&C Saatchi Group, which can produce world-class creativity and enterprise outcomes.”
Zaid Al-Qassab, the incoming group chief government, added: “I used to be wowed by Rob and Lolly’s ardour for innovation and dedication to artistic excellence all through the recruitment course of.
“Their distinctive method of trying on the world, and observe file of success with iconic and class disrupting campaigns, will undoubtedly drive transformative outcomes for our purchasers,” he stated.
Doubal and Thomson had been ranked quantity 11 in Marketing campaign’s annual checklist of prime UK creatives in The Lists on the finish of 2023.
Byng-Thorne has been seeking to create a brand new group-wide chief artistic officer function since telling traders in September that it was key to progress. “As know-how advances, creativity is much more integral to our future progress than it has been in our previous,” the corporate stated on the time.
McCann has additionally been shaking up its personal senior administration workforce underneath Daryl Lee, the worldwide chief government of McCann Worldgroup, recruiting Javier Campopiano as world chief artistic officer and Regan Warner as government artistic director at McCann London final 12 months.
McCann stated in an announcement that Doubal and Thomson “go away an awesome artistic legacy right here at McCann they usually have had an awesome run”, including: “They developed a robust inner artistic tradition right here in London and the UK, and we thank them for his or her indelible artistic affect on purchasers, the enterprise and our individuals. We want Rob and Lolly our greatest of their subsequent enterprise.”
McCann went on to say “our enterprise is evolving at tempo” and can announce new artistic management in the end.