Michael graduated from LSE and worked for the Saatchi Brothers for over 20 years. Having run large global clients from London he then set up M&C Saatchi’s offices in Hong Kong, New York, London, Africa and The Middle East.
In 2008 he launched LONDON Advertising as a new type of global agency, working from one office in London and using technology to disrupt the existing large, slow and bureaucratic networks. The Agency has created work that has run in more countries than WPP has offices.LONDON has been awarded Agency of the Year six out of the last seven years.
Michael has been responsible for the inception and managing perhaps one of the world’s most iconic campaigns for 22 years – the Fan campaign for Mandarin Oriental. Featuring over 100 of the world’s most renowned individuals from Dame Helen Mirren to Morgan Freeman, Michael has secured their collaboration without paying them and even reunited the Beatles to appear in a collage of the campaign by Sir Peter Blake.
Michael has ‘used the difficulty’ of crises to build his agency’s brand:
• In 2012, in the midst of the financial crisis he offered a £100,000 prize to find the best digital marketing talent. He incubated the winning idea and secured £4m investment off a business plan, making it the most invested tech start-up in Europe.
• During the Covid-19 crisis he launched a major TV, Outdoor and Digital campaign to grow his agency’s brand awareness by promoting the benefits of advertising in a recession. This resulted, according to a recent poll, in LONDON Advertising becoming the best-known agency in the UK. You can watch a short video about it here.
Michael was awarded UK CEO of the Year 2020 but is most proud of his Order of Merit awarded by the Knights of Malta for his charity work.