On a recent visit to Sydney, Lord (Maurice) Saatchi suggested the
start of the agency - at a meeting in Sydney's Regent Hotel five years
ago - was "a happy accident".
But it's no accident that the agency has recorded compound annual
revenue growth of 100 per cent since its inception - and this year will
record revenue of USdollars 165 million, billings of USdollars 1.5
billion and 700 staff.
The recent worldwide board meeting, held in Australia and attended by
the partners from London, congratulated the Asia-Pacific group on their
buoyant profit results.
And with the early signs of a recovery in the economy of the Asian
region, M&C Saatchi is poised to continue that substantial growth
path.
The foundation for these achievements has been laid in Hong Kong and
Singapore - and the agency is now beginning the next phase - with plans
in the future to open a major new office in China.
Hong Kong has recorded revenue growth of over 40 per cent and profit
growth of 100 per cent.
Staff numbers have grown to 32 - among them important new recruits
including general manager Janice Chan, executive creative director Tan
Khiang and creative director - head of Chinese copy, Andy Wong.
The office has also expanded its services to provide an ecommerce
consultancy through eMCSaatchi, which was originally launched in London
and Sydney.
The Singapore office's revenue was up 20 per cent and it now ranks 10th
in the market. Importantly, the client list is of high quality -
including BMW Asia, Bank of Singapore and SingTel.
The arrival of new creative director Shane Gibson and his deputy, Mark
Ringer, has underlined the Singapore office's outstanding performance
and reputation - it was in the top three finalists in all the major
global creative awards this year.
On the back of this success, M&C Saatchi is now looking to open an
office in Shanghai.
The office is to provide a marketing beachhead for clients such as
British Airways, Qantas and Asia Airlines.
While this year saw the more reckless elements of dotcom mania collapse,
there is no doubt that many Asian economies have started to recover and
business is becoming more robust.
Next year, we expect the trend to continue.
M&C Saatchi throughout Asia expects to ride high on that economic
growth.
