Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore/Malaysia CEO Dean Taylor leaves the agency to return to New Zealand
Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore & Malaysia CEO Dean Taylor is the latest high profile senior executive to leave the agency. Taylor is returning to New Zealand due to personal reasons.
The move follows a tough period for the agency which has experienced major setbacks including the loss of the prestigious Singapore Navy and Tiger Beer accounts, plus the turnover of the majority of the creative departments of both offices. Adrian Miller resigned as ECD of both offices in March and Head of Art Richard Copping left the agency in May.
Taylor previously was the managing director of Saatchi’s Aucklandoffice and transferred to run the Singapore agency at the start of2009. He then took on responsibility for the Malaysia office soonafter. Patrick Brett, South East Asia CEO, will take over both officesas acting CEO until a replacement is found.
Taylor told CB Asia back in early June: “I start filming the new seriesof The Gruen Transfer today so I’ll be in Sydney a lot over the nextfew months. As for mynext move, I’d rather not say, but there are some very exciting thingshappening.”
34 Comments
Resigned due to personal reasons? yeah right.
Hmmm… it’s interesting what the latter part of the article says… I guess Mr. Greenaway has to roll up his sleeves now and show us his true mettle.
I heard from someone on the inside that thy’re shutting down the Singapore office. All the movements seem to be pointing towards that. End of an era.
Wish it won’t affect Malaysia office…
What a disgrace….bet theyre finding out how much those lions and pencils are really worth now.
What a shame that Saatchi is done. Saatchi senior management have totally ruined it. Pat Brett saying he did a fantastic job is unbelievable.
Mismanagement and bullshit has destroyed this agnecy.
I can hear champagne corks popping everywhere
.. bruce matchett will be alone
Why so few comments guy!!
He destroyed Saatchi Spore & Malaysia. Patt wake up!! Andy!! Responsibility with you.
Bruce?? Same boat..
I guess everyone at BBDO Proximity is tired from their weeks of celebrating her departure.
Pretty sure Saatchi Singapore was going destroyed before he got there, he just got to be the scapegoat.
I hear he’s going to NZ Tourism! He’s English isn’t he? Headline in NZ next year: Unexpected decline in visitors to NZ.
Agree, agency not had a good time under his leadership…..
Things not good under him at Saatchi Singapore but Malaysia still alright anyway.
wow! what a negative bunch!
Saatchi Malaysia alright? 23 (24, including Dean) resignations between January and May. No Tiger Beer, Toyota, Lexus, Guinness to play with, no new wins for more than a year, no planning department, virtually freelance AV and creative dept. Only P&G, Mead Johnson and Kraft to keep them afloat.
This begs the all important question….how do you go out of business when you’ve had the most famous names in the business working under your banner?
Too many comments have been moderated. Why protect him, especially since no-one, bar those who have similar views, actually like the guy.
Why don’t you ask pat bret, Andy and the Ginger haired dude pictured above.
Saatchi Singapore might not have been doing very well, but Dean made it worst.
His departure should have been earlier. A lot earlier…
you have to respect local talent and clients and being MD can destroy an agency if you don’t know the lay of the land. He’s gone now but not sure the new people have a clue about Singapore either.
after Neil French & Droga era, there’s a lot great local talent especially in leadership .. no need asked someone from abroad to lead
Dean and Bridget are off. I wish them well. They are both very talented people in the respective disciplines. What amazes me is how all the comments above fail to recognize one important fact. Take Saatchi for example a bastion of scam…all those print awards but no real work. No work that aligns with the integrated digital times. This island produces year in year out some of the worst REAL work on the planet. Look around you, see anything good. Just scammy print stuck behind bus stops, hidden in half baked magazines like IS. The creative industry here is in turmoil. Steve Elreck a judge of Cyber at Spikes says it all what an absolute joke, who did you call Steve????? All the old hats bar a few should stop pretending and leave. It’s time change took place…NOW. So by all means bitch and moan about Dean and Bridget but the reality is this island is full of hacks that wouldn’t get a single offer from any half descent agency in NZ.
Welcome to the Air Conditioned Advertising …always cool but never any real fresh air
11:26, A load of hot air yes. At best a second salesman. The quintessential over promiser under deliverer. Clients disliked him. The staff disliked him. It has nothing to do with scam versus non scam. It has everything to do with Andy Greenaway and Pat Bret allowing him to run wild.
Nearly 60 people left saatchi in the last year+. Cheers
Wow, who wrote that – Bridget or Dean?
Remember, 3D Television is not going to take-off, because Ben Stiller said so, backed by his many years of experience in the entertainment business – duh.
The Cyber in this region has always been abysmal, bar Japan. Singling out Cyber is like calling a handicapped person a retard – you make yourself look like an idiot.
You need people skills to run an agency.
Exactly 11.26!
Ben Stiller thinks 11:26 is full of crap
Well, I am sure Ben Stiller would have said that Dean and Bridget can turn this place around too. They are both so respected in the industry that both their ex-agencies are going to have a combined celebration party soon. This island has hosted some of the most luminous expat creatives, Droga and Craig Davis to name a few. And the agency flourished under them. Maybe this place too good for Dean and Bridget.
By the way, I agree with you 11.26, all the old hats, especially those in agencies that lost all their major clients in the past year should leave. And stop hiding behind the veil of Cyber. Mouthing the the big “C” word does not make you any more creative.
9.15, when you said: “you need people skills to run an agency”, are you referring to some CD that left Bbdo in June? You must be working there.
Combined celebration party… that’s funny.
Whoever referred to the “Hacks on the island” must speak of the people posting here.
It´s obvious both Bridget and her husband went to agencies that still live in the 90´s with the mission and good will that they could change anything. Obviously if you´re the only one trying to do so you´re destined to fail.
Regarding Droga and French: those guys where at the forefront of inventing scam.
“Mission and goodwill”?!!! Hahaha! Only Ben stiller will agree.
7:47PM at last someone who get’s it. It’s astounding how many delusional creative heads there are on this island clinging on to their scam accolades.
This is the CEO who once asked when is the pitch the day after the pitch, which he so enthusiastically got involved in the beginning, but only at the beginning, and was never to be seen after that.