M&C Saatchi LA has put a joint leadership team in place consisting of Kate Bristow, chief strategy officer and partner, Maria Smith, chief creative officer and partner, and Rebecca McGough, managing director and partner.

All three women will retain their individual responsibilities leading their departments, drawing on their respective disciplines to jointly make the big business decisions. They collectively succeed Huw Griffith who was the last to hold the title of sole CEO at the agency. Griffith died last September at the age of 55.

Bristow said, “Last year was obviously one of huge loss, heartbreak and challenges but I am excited about the future ahead. This new leadership is not only groundbreaking for our agency and clients but for the whole industry. We are used to seeing the CEO role fulfilled by just one person but Rebecca, Maria and I saw an opportunity to completely revolutionize that role. We decided to reimagine the ‘traditional’ CEO function and start a new highly collaborative, women-led era at M&C Saatchi LA.”

As part of this new structure, Bristow, Smith and McGough are refreshing their approach to client relationships and new business. Embracing the M&C founding principle, Brutal Simplicity of Thought, they are choosing to be more selective with opportunities to ensure that it is the right decision for the business, staff and clients. 

McGough stated, “The industry is changing at an extraordinary pace, with fewer retained clients and more preferring ongoing project relationships. This has required us to learn how to pivot quickly and seamlessly to service our clients’ needs.”

Smith added, “We each bring a slightly different piece to every big business decision. And we’ve found that we are able to make decisions more quickly and more efficiently, simply by being in the same office and literally sharing desk space. Our collaboration is constant and fluid. We’ve found it to be incredibly important and beneficial to the way we run the agency.”