New leadership at Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand aims to add fuel to the agency’s momentum

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Mark Cochrane as CEO and promoted Joel Clement to ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand. They will also partner with recently promoted Executive Planning Director Tarn Tanarugsachock and General Manager Iravadee Rattanananta (who both joined from Lowe and TBWA in 2011).

Saatchi & Saatchi Regional CEO Chris Foster said together they will create a formidable leadership team comprising both local and global talent.

“These changes mark the continued momentum the agency has enjoyed this year, after winning beverage giant Big Cola’s global business and the recent win of Electrolux in South East Asia,” said Foster.

“We are so excited to have these four come together in such a creatively focused market. Together they are a perfect storm of creatively focused leadership and powerful local insights. We look forward to doing great things together in Thailand.”

Cochrane has been instrumental in the transformation of Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand in the last few years and comes with an extensive global leadership portfolio of brands such as Toyota, Air New Zealand and APB owned Heineken and Tui Brewery Limited. Prior to that he was the European Business Director at TBWA\LONDON on Mars Confectionary and at TBWA\AUCKLAND where he led PlayStation and adidas in both Australia and New Zealand.

Joel Clement splits his 20 year experience evenly between the US market and SE Asia. Raised in hot shops such as Carmichael Lynch and Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Clement brings a great creative force to Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand. And as a very acclimated resident of Thailand for 11 years, he forms a perfect bridge between the two cultures.

Cochrane added: “The opportunity felt exciting the moment the four of us sat down to discuss the future of the agency. Simply, we’re focusing on transforming clients’ brands into Lovemarks. To us right now that comes through helping brands find their creative edge, ‘the unreasonable power of creativity’ and seamless brand orchestration.”

“We want the agency to become the place new world thinkers and the creative community will join when ready to do their most magical, liberated and original thinking. We are also going to ensure we have lots of fun doing it.”

Clement commented on Cochrane’s arrival: “He is the missing piece that will complete the rebirth of Saatchi Thailand. He’s looking at the big picture and has a sincere interest in all the important facets of our business: Clients, agency culture and creativity.”