Andrew Stone new CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi NZ

Saatchi & Saatchi
Media Release
For immediate release

15 January 2004

The appointment of Andrew Stone as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand was today confirmed by worldwide head of the agency Kevin Roberts.

Andrew Stone returns to Saatchi & Saatchi after eight years as CEO of Generator, an agency he founded in 1995. From 1988 to 1991 he was at Saatchi & Saatchi London before coming back to New Zealand to lead Saatchi's Auckland office, first as General Manager and then as Managing Director.

Mr Stone replaces Ian Christie who has transferred to a global account management position in the London office.

Kevin Roberts says Mr Stone is "an outstanding business leader. I worked with Andrew a decade ago on the Lion account. He was the best Agency guy I'd ever worked with."

For his part, Mr Stone says that returning to lead Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand is the highlight of his career so far. "Saatchi & Saatchi is still the team everyone wants to beat. The agency has outstanding clients, an invigorated team and ended 2003 with the #1 awards for both creativity and effectiveness.

"My goal is for Saatchi & Saatchi to be the most valuable marketing resource our clients can imagine. We have deep commercial experience, a passionate ideas-driven approach and an unrivalled ability to execute.

"Business is intensely competitive and creating lifelong emotional connections with consumers is the best way companies can prosper. They need to be relentlessly innovative and the best creative partners can help maintain or gain leading market positions."

Mr Stone takes up his position on 3 February and will spend his initial weeks immersed with clients.

Peter Moore, General Manager of Saatchi & Saatchi, will continue to play a leading role in the day-to-day management of the agency teams in Auckland and Wellington.

"We finished last year well. We were best in show at the Effies and Axis awards, we retained all our key clients and recently we were appointed to handle Griffins, ETA, BT Funds and Wella. I've worked with Andrew before and can't wait to be part of his team again. I predict 2004 will be 'Saatchi's' year," said Mr Moore.

ENDS

Andrew Stone - Key Biographical Details

1982-87 Colenso
1988-91 Saatchi & Saatchi London (appointed to board in 1990)
1991 -95 Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland GM, then joint MD, then MD

(part of team that took agency from No 6 to No 1 in the Auckland market)

1995 Set up Generator with three others

(sold business in 2000 to Bates network)

2004 Appointed CEO Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand

Qualifications and Associations

BBS Marketing (Massey University)

Vice President CAANZ (industry body)

Interests

Family (wife Nicki, Harrison 6, Patrick 4)

Pottering on 10 acre block at Coatesville

Horse riding

Tennis

Learning fishing

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