M&C Saatchi Group UK Roars for the Year of the Dragon
The Year of the Dragon is here and at M&C Saatchi Group UK, the celebrations are in full swing. With its thriving Heritage Network keen to platform and party with employees who celebrate Lunar New Year and to raise awareness among the wider group, they’ve decked out the agency, have brought in plenty of edible treats and have even created video content to get the word out.
In the heart of London’s Soho, the agency is a short hop from Chinatown, so the team is also collaborating with lots of local Asian-owned businesses to bring the Year of the Dragon celebrations to life.
Georgina Wong is lead consultant at M&C Saatchi’s Fluency agency and she’s been inspired by her experiences working in the Singapore office, where big festivities are the norm. Here she speaks to LBB’s Laura Swinton about bringing the joy of Lunar New Year to London - and some of her colleagues share what the festival means to them,
LBB> Why is Lunar New Year such a special occasion for M&C Saatchi and the Heritage Network?
Georgina> Lunar New Year is special because it is an important holiday celebrated by our colleagues and clients across the global network – particularly in Asia. It marks the beginning of the new year for an estimated two billion people globally and is an exciting time of celebration and reunion for family and friends.
Having spent a number of years working from our Singapore offices, Lunar New Year is a major public holiday for our colleagues and clients in Asia, and much like we have Christmas in the UK, there are office parties and dedicated days off to celebrate.
LBB> How do you make sure that you centre the voices of those who celebrate and observe Lunar New Year at the agency?
Georgina> As part of our Heritage Network, we have looked to involve and engage our colleagues around the UK agency who celebrate Lunar New Year through our internal employee communications networks. This year, Georgina Wong (Fluency M&C Saatchi) and Natalie Brierley (M&C Saatchi Talk), who both celebrate Lunar New Year with their families, have supported Tanya Nyamadzawo (M&C Saatchi, Heritage Network Chair) to organise the London agency’s in-office festivities.
LBB> I hear last year was a real success - what was the response? And how did you collaborate with the local East Asian community and businesses in Soho around Lunar New Year, especially considering its proximity to Chinatown?
Georgina> Supporting Asian-owned businesses and the local community has been an important factor in how we have chosen to celebrate Lunar New Year in the agency. In 2022, we worked with our committee member Vinchy Chan to share her story and memories of celebrating Lunar New Year with her grandma through illustrations created by Chinese artist Luxi Rong. The network also hosted its first Heritage Supper Club at Lucky & Joy in Clapton to celebrate. In 2023, we hosted a dim sum lunch for our colleagues in Lido on Gerrard Street, a Chinese-owned restaurant open since 1969. This year, we are working with Polly Chan’s Bakehouse, a female-owned Hong Kong micro-bakery business to serve up some special Lunar New Year festive-themed bakes for our London colleagues to savour.
We’ve also filmed fun video content to share on our internal communications platform ‘Huddle’ featuring interviews with colleagues around the building to talk about their zodiac animal and their fortunes for the Year of the Dragon. Our ground floor space is also set to be decorated with festive red Lunar New Year decorations and internal screens displaying fortunes for the year ahead by zodiac animal. We’re hugely excited to unveil and share all of this all with our colleagues!
LBB> For employees of Southeast and East Asian backgrounds, what does Lunar New Year mean to you personally and professionally?
Damian Symons (M&C Saatchi Consulting)> Having been born in Hong Kong and having a father of Chinese/Portuguese heritage, Chinese culture was central to my experience growing up and who I am today. The Lunar New Year was a big part of that. In Hong Kong, my memories in the ‘70’s and ‘80s are of fun, food and family. Every year the extended family would take a trip from Kowloon to the island to spend time together in smoky, boozy, chaotic restaurants to celebrate the new year. It was simply the best food and best vibe every time.
Today, in London it’s a little more sedate. The family is smaller and the restaurants are smoke free and civilised, but the rituals remain the same. It’s still all about the food and family.
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Georgina Wong (Fluency, M&C Saatchi)> Being British-born Chinese, Lunar New Year has always been a very happy highlight in my year. Since I was little, we have always gathered as a family over delicious Chinese food, and of course, plenty of lucky red envelopes. Having spent four years working in Singapore, where Lunar New Year is widely celebrated, it was wonderful getting closer to my Chinese heritage and I loved learning more about their new year customs such as the ‘lo hei’ prosperity toss. Can’t wait to ring in the Year of Dragon in style over some delicious dim sum in Chinatown this year!
Kay Hwang (RE, M&C Saatchi)> To me, Lunar New Year (called 'Seol lal' in Korea) has always been one of my favourite holiday celebrations since childhood! You get spoiled with delicious food, get a chance to wear beautiful traditional clothes called 'Hanbok', reunite with families and relatives, and get so much pocket money given by elderly family members for wishing you good luck throughout the year! Now that I live and work in the UK, I don't get a chance to celebrate the Lunar New Year as I used to before, but it's still a wonderful time for me to reflect on my heritage and share my culture with friends and colleagues.
LBB> How does the agency use the celebration as an opportunity to educate and raise awareness about the cultural significance of Chinese New Year among its staff?
Georgina> To raise awareness of Lunar New Year, we use inclusive pathways to engage our colleagues across the group – ranging all the way from sharing food to speaking directly to our colleagues around the building about concepts such as Lunar New Year and their zodiac animals.
