M&C Saatchi drafts in former Reach and McColl’s veteran as new finance chief

Advertising giant M&C Saatchi has hired Simon Fuller as its new chief financial officer, the firm announced today.

The company said Fuller has held the CFO position at publisher Reach and McColl’s Retail Group, and has also handled senior managerial roles in the finance functions of Tesco and BT.

Fuller will take over from finance chief Bruce Marson at the start of the next month, the firm said. He will stay on as the firm’s deputy chief financial officer.

Zaid Al-Qassab, M&C Saatchi’s chief executive, said Fuller’s skills will be “highly valuable in the new phase we have entered, as we drive M&C Saatchi to become the leading creative solutions partner for our clients.”

Fuller, said: “I am thrilled to be joining M&C Saatchi at such an exciting time for the business. Not only does this truly international brand have a remarkable creative heritage, but there is also a clear and compelling plan and vision for the future.”

The new hire comes after a turbulent period for the firm, which has seen a number of high-profile management changes.

In April, media stalwart Zillah Byng-Thorne said M&C Saatchi, which she now chairs, still had “much more to do.”

The former head honcho at publishing giant Future was parachuted in as executive chair at M&C Saatchi last year, after former CEO Moray MacLennan ended a decades-long association with the firm.

Speaking about Fuller’s appointment, Byng-Thorne said: “Simon joins us with a distinguished career of over 20 years of listed company experience and deep operational and strategic expertise. His wide experience in corporate governance, business transformation and investment strategy will help drive M&C Saatchi forward.”