Saatchi & Saatchi UK Names Claire Hollands as CEO

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Claire Hollands as its new CEO.

Claire joins from MullenLowe, where she held the same role. She will report to Charlie Rudd, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK's creative practice.

With a career spanning more than two decades, Claire joined MullenLowe in 2021. She has spearheaded a successful change agenda for the business, leading it through the integration of three agencies (MullenLowe London, MullenLowe Profero and MullenLowe Salt) into one operation.

Prior to MullenLowe Claire spent 13 years at AMV BBDO, where she rose to chief client officer. She was responsible for leading many of the agency’s biggest global and domestic brands, including BT and Bacardi Global, and was heavily involved in the agency’s talent initiatives.

Claire launched her career with an internship at Publicis, before holding account management roles at agencies including Leo Burnett.

Charlie said, “We were very clear that for the next Saatchi’s CEO, we wanted a modern and progressive leader who comes with a proven track record in running successful agencies. Claire has an exceptional reputation, she is a real champion of creativity, and has exactly the leadership skills required to lead the agency in its next chapter.”  

Claire said, “The Saatchi talent, creativity, and love for what they do is inspiring. I’ve been impressed by the quality of the client work, the strength of the client partnerships, and the ambition for progress and I look forward to working with the team to elevate this further.”

Claire is also a trustee of the Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, which provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children.

Claire’s appointment is the second addition Saatchi & Saatchi has made to its leadership team this year. Earlier this summer, the agency announced that Ruth Bates had been promoted to the newly created role of chief data officer. The agency has delivered high-profile work across its client portfolio this year, including John Lewis’ biggest ever marketing campaign, which launched in September.