M&C Saatchi Group snares Steve Coll from Meta for group chief creative officer AUNZ role

M&C Saatchi has announced a major new hire, Steve Coll as group chief creative officer AUNZ. This strategic move underlines M&C Saatchi’s commitment to delivering transformative creative solutions across the entire Group.

Coll, who replaces Cam Blackley who departed the agency last month, is renowned across the industry for his unparalleled creative and strategic effectiveness. He joins M&C Saatchi with a formidable reputation and an impressive track record. For the past four years, Coll served as Meta’s head of Creative Shop for Australia and New Zealand, where he collaborated with agency creatives and marketers to deliver innovative campaigns across Meta’s diverse suite of platforms.

Prior to Meta, Coll was partner/CCO at With Collective joining in August 2015 from Droga5 Sydney, where he had a brief stint as ECD. Prior to Droga5 Sydney, Coll held the role of ECD at Havas Worldwide Sydney.

In welcoming Coll, group chief executive officer of M&C Saatchi APAC, Justin Graham, expressed his excitement: “Steve is a rare gem in our industry, possessing a unique blend of skills and an exceptional leadership style. As a truly modern creative leader, Steve brings invaluable experience from both integrated and digital agencies, and the media realms. His ability to unlock creativity from every angle aligns perfectly with our vision.

“Clients today seek holistic brand experiences, and Steve will play a pivotal role in creatively integrating our end-to-end Group capabilities, merging impactful storytelling with data, technology, and media. We know he will resonate across our clients, ushering in a fresh approach and an inclusive culture to our Group agencies.”

Coll, with over two decades of experience in world-class agencies including Leo Burnett, AMV BBDO, Havas, Droga5, and With Collective, is a distinguished creative leader whose impact has been recognized through a plethora of awards. His accolades include being named one of Campaign Magazine’s ‘Top Ten UK Creatives,’ ADMA’s Australian Creative of the Year, the Havas Network’s ‘Person of The Year’, and winning the inaugural Cannes Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix.

Says Coll: “For many reasons, this Group CCO role at M&C Saatchi feels absolutely right, and I am delighted to be joining. I’ve long admired M&C Saatchi’s ability to consistently create lasting brand platforms with some of the best marketers in the country.

“I am looking forward to bringing my Meta experience to the Group’s diverse expertise in strategy, creative, media, design, UX, production and PR. They have been steadily connecting these fundamental capabilities which excites me because, in my experience, gathering diverse skills around big ideas can be absolutely transformative. Not only do creatives want this, clients want it too. I can’t wait to get started at M&C Saatchi working alongside the highly-talented local leadership team.”

Coll joins the agency at the end of the month.