M&C Saatchi snares Droga5 planning chief Justin Graham for Chief Strategy Officer role

M&C Saatchi has appointed Droga5’s Justin Graham to the newly-created role of Chief Strategy Officer.

Graham will lead strategy across the 10 businesses that comprise the M&C Saatchi Group, working alongside ECD Ben Welsh and CEO Jaimes Leggett.

“Justin is a world class strategist who will help drive the M&C Saatchi Group forward,” Leggett said. “His expertise and experience are a perfect fit for our integrated offering. It is also encouraging that after a global search we found Justin right here in Sydney.”

Adds Graham: “The M&C Saatchi ethos of Brutal Simplicity of Thought is more relevant now than ever. The power of the M&C Saatchi Group lies in its power to deliver cut-through communications at every level, from big campaigns to the nimblest of executions. There’s a real climate of collaboration between all the specialist businesses.”

For three years prior to Droga5 Graham was BBDO Global Planning Director in New York where he led Proctor & Gamble and Diageo brands.

In October Boss Magazine anointed Graham one of its six Young Executives of the Year, the only ad industry representative in the exclusive group, with judges praising his “inspirational and effective leadership”.

He is also Vice-Chairman of the Account Planning Group, is a regular commentator in the media and runs strategy workshops for the Communications Council.

Graham is the latest in a series of moves by M&C Saatchi that includes the appointment of Group Operations Director Marc van den Berg from Ogilvy & Mather and Social Strategy Director Tiphereth Gloria.