Ali Shabaz named M&C Saatchi creative chief, Madina Kalyayeva takes MD role

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M&C Saatchi Singapore has appointed Madina Kalyayeva (pictured centre) and Ali Shabaz (pictured right) as managing director and chief creative officer respectively. They will both report to Richard Morewood (pictured left), CEO, M&C Saatchi Asia and will be responsible for strengthening the agency’s integrated communications offering. As part of the Southeast Asia hub, Kalyayeva and Shabaz will also focus on identifying and developing the right people and partnerships to deliver impactful brand storytelling and innovative solutions across every touchpoint, M&C Saatchi said in a statement.

Morewood said that he is delighted that Kalyayeva and Shabaz are joining M&C Saatchi Singapore ."They have an amazing plan for the agency, combining world-class creativity with future thinking digital vision, which will be a real point of difference for clients both in Singapore and as part of the M&C Saatchi Southeast Asia hub," he added.

Shabaz brings with him over 20 years of experience in the advertising industry across SEA and the Middle East. He has worked at multiple international agencies including BBDO, JWT, Grey and RAPP. Shabaz was most recently chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe Indonesia, and brings with him a strong understanding of the digital landscape and track record of developing inspiring creative ideas leveraging new platforms. Over the course of his career, Shabaz has worked with brands such as GSK, KFC, P&G, Lego, MetLife, Mondelez, Nestlé, Pizza Hut and Sentosa Development Corporation.

Shabaz added that it is a truly fantastic time to be in advertising, and he is very excited to join the team at M&C Saatchi. “There is a buzz in the air and we are seeing amazing, never-before creative opportunities to tell great brand stories. The agency has a great culture and a strong vision of the future. Working with Morewood, Kalyayeva and the whole team is going to be inspiring," he added.

Meanwhile, Kalyayeva was formerly managing diector at R.S.V.P PR & Lifestyle Communications Agency for close to five years, where she was responsible for building the agency’s luxury clients portfolio and overseeing operations in Singapore and Malaysia. Kalyayeva also previously worked at Grey Group and McCann Erickson, where she handles clients such as Qatar Airways, Hotels.com, BIRLA Group, Coca Cola, COTY, Luxasia, Leica, YTL Hotels, HUGO BOSS and WWF.

Kalyayeva said that Singapore is an important market for M&C Saatchi and she is looking to apply her expertise in PR and integrated communications to craft the right stories for its clients. as one of the hubs. The foundation of new technologies such as Web3 and Metaverse are still being laid, and brands are still exploring the space. "We are hoping to put the right expertise - people and partnerships - in place to navigate, create and lead meaningful changes, not just in the real world, but also in the Metaverse," she added.

Separately, last July saw M&C Saatchi Singapore’s leadership team, namely Tanuj Philip, Anthony Khoo, Toh Han Ming, Sangram Sengupta, Katherine Teo and Nicholas Leow, leave the agency to take over ownership of female-focused, subscription-based online platform Dayre, and focus their time on growing it. Dayre was acquired by M&C Saatchi and relaunched in 2019 as a platform where women could come together to express themselves in whatever way they choose, free from judgment, prying eyes and trolls.

That month, M&C Saatchi also launched its Southeast Asia hub by combining the resources of its most successful offices: Singapore, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur as well as its Performance division. The hub was created to make M&C Saatchi more agile and integrated across the region, and more importantly, give clients access to expertise and depth of talent from across the region. The Southeast Asia Hub will include experienced, creative and strategic leaders from the three offices and will be further augmented by specialist divisions: Clear and The Source and supported by a team of over 200 experts in advertising, digital, social, eCommerce, research, performance, and consulting.