M&C Saatchi Abel appoints new managing partner

M&C Saatchi Abel,has announced that Jason Harrison will be joining its management team as Managing Partner to head up the and assume operational responsibility for the Cape Town agency.

Jason, a seasoned marketer who specialises in building brands in severely restricted environments, is returning from London where he spent six years working across different roles and functions on British American Tobacco (BAT).

“Having Jason on board is a coup for our company. He brings a different dimension to our wide service offering and is one of the best in his field.  He will slot seamlessly into a cohesive team who have been enticed back to our shores attracted by the opportunity of working with some of the biggest brands and talent in the industry,” said M&C Saatchi Abel CE Mike Abel.

When asked what motivated his decision to join the agency, Jason said, “In M&C Saatchi Abel I see a company that encourages entrepreneurial flair, demands incisive thought, holds itself to account for meaningful change in its clients’ business, has fun, celebrates smart ideas and empowers the people who nurture and nourish it every single day. I see a company of people who realise the old advertising model is broken and that a radical new approach is needed. A company which realises that it must be the change it wants to see in the advertising world”.

Jason’s appointment reflects the objective set by Mike Abel to bring the best global talent in the industry back to South Africa. He follows the likes of Jacques Burger, former CEO of the iconic Campaign Palace, Australia, Zeyad Davids, former Head of Digital and CRM Strategy for Deloitte Australia and Gordon Ray, Executive CD returned from Kenya. The management of M&C Saatchi Abel rivals that of the most established agencies and is made more special by the fact that it has been achieved in the space of 19 months.

As Business Director of the BAT UK Business at Ogilvy Action in London, Jason launched Pall Mall in what was, at the time, BAT’s darkest global market. His next role was as European Communications Director looking after the communications mix for both West and East Europe for BAT’s two Value for Money Global Drive Brands, which accounted for 40% of the company’s total global volume at the time. Jason’s work involved setting up and implementing new ways of working, managing the agency network across 30 countries and being responsible for creative  hubs in London, Dusseldorf and Moscow. His most recent role was as Global Business Director, Travel Retail (duty free) where he and his team focussed on redefining how to retail BAT’s Global Drive Brands and engage shoppers in this exclusive & premium channel.

In addition to his extensive BAT exposure Jason has previously worked on several blue chip companies, including but not exclusive to, Old Mutual, SAB Miller and Volkswagen, developing skills in many areas of the marketing mix across diverse cultures and geographies.