It makes no difference where your advertising agency is located
because every market faces more or less the same issues, according to
Saatchi & Saatchi Taiwan's new CEO Neil Hardwick.
Having recently relocated from Europe to Asia, Mr Hardwick told MEDIA
the skill applied to the job is basically the same everywhere apart from
local cultural and community issues.
"Management is about managing a company by applying the right
principles," said Mr Hardwick, who previously set up and then managed
the Saatchis Budapest office for six years.
"It's a good time to take this new challenge," said Mr Hardwick, who
helped build up the agency's profile in Budapest from scratch to the
strong position it now enjoys.
Like managing other offices, Mr Hardwick said the role of the CEO was to
deal with issues like human resources, finance, legal arrangements and
business development.
Many successful managers have worked in many different countries, and Mr
Hardwick noted that the local versus expat debate is not an issue.
Mr Hardwick said his new job plan is "to have more fun" and "to make the
office more of a Saatchis brand", which stands for strategic thinking,
creativity and great ideas.
Saatchis is not keen to develop into an advertising conglomerate with
broadbase development in every discipline, but rather to focus on what
the brand stands for - big ideas and creative solutions.
Improving creative work is one key objective for Mr Hardwick, who
stressed that it was also a common aim for advertising heads around the
world as creativity had no boundaries.
With 50 per cent growth in business over the past two years, Mr Hardwick
said the agency's priority was to also improve and maintain the quality
of services to clients.
"Many agencies have new business directors, but more importantly, my
function now is actually an old business director in charge of existing
business," said Mr Hardwick.
Ensuring subsequent and significant growth is one of the key priorities
of any manager; that is, offering efficient and effective service to
existing clients.
Armed with major clients across different business sectors like
FarEastone in telecom, HSBC in banking, and P&G in FMCG, Taiwan is no
doubt a potential market for further strong growth opportunities.
