Saatchi & Saatchi hires Carol Lam to lead South China creative 'comeback'

In June, Lam confirmed her resignation from her role as chief creative officer and managing director of McCann Shanghai; she is leaving the agency at the end of this week.

Lam will take a short break and move back to her hometown of Hong Kong after working in China for almost five years. She will join Saatchi on 17 September, reporting to Michael Lee, who has been promoted to chief operating officer and president of Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China.

Although she will be based in Hong Kong, Lam will work extensively between both the Hong Kong and Guangzhou offices, and will work closely with Daisy Ching, managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou.

Lam told Campaign Asia-Pacific that her appointment is part of the agency’s restructuring plan that has been in development for a while. "We want to make a big comeback," she said.

"Many Hong Kong’s clients have been talking for years about expanding their business opportunities ‘up north’, while many China businesses are eager to ‘go international’," she pointed out, “Hong Kong and the Hong Kong office has its international profile, lifestyle and system, which has attracted a diversified types of talents, while Guangzhou and South China have the big market size and potential. My appointment is hopefully to leverage this ‘cross-border’ synergy and better talent deployment.”

Saatchi & Saachi South China’s key clients include Guinness, Mead Johnson, Emirates and Chinese clients including Arawana cooking oil (金龙鱼食用油) and sports apparel brand X-Step.

Lam’s extensive 20-year-plus 4A agency career began with her university summer internship at Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong. Since then she has worked for Leo Burnett, JWT, Grey, Ogilvy, McCann in Hong Kong, and TBWA and McCann in China. She has crafted numerous award-winning campaigns for well-known brands like Cathay Pacific, McDonald's, Standard Chartered, P&G and Shell, and is a well-known face in international award judging panels.

Lam has known Ching, Lee and Ng Fan, Saatchi’s executive creastive director in Shanghai, for many years. "In advertising industry," Lam said, “having a good team is crucial. With good team and operational support, we could amplify our development and potential. I look forward to working with the high-calibre and like-minded 'comrades' in Saatchi & Saatchi. Together, do some great work, have some great fun, and help our clients transform the brands into something people love in South China and beyond."