Andy Greenaway to leave Saatchi & Saatchi for SapientNitro

Greenaway will move to SapientNitro next month, and will continue to be based in Singapore. He will work alongside APAC business unit lead Christian Oversohl, reporting to worldwide chief creative officer Gaston Legorburu.

The move to SapientNitro marks a shift for Greenaway, who has built his career on the ad agency side. He landed in Singapore in 2002 as group chairman for Ogilvy Singapore, before moving to Saatchi & Saatchi in 2004. He was most recently regional creative director for Asia-Pacific at Saatchi & Saatchi.

Greenaway told Campaign Asia-Pacific that he is making the transition as he believes digital is the future of the industry. He said many are stuck in traditional ways of thinking, adding that the industry must now focus on making digital the foundation of campaigns.

“I see the future changing very quickly and I want to be part of that change,” he said. “SapientNitro is incredible at integrating brand, digital and commerce in a way no one else in the industry does. They are redefining what it means to be an agency.”

Oversohl said Greenaway’s appointment would be key to SapientNitro’s ability to serve client demand for integrated services.

“We believe there is a fundamental shift taking place in marketing,” he said. “Brands are recognising the need to start and maintain meaningful relationships with their customers, across multiple devices and channels, in an always-on world. Having senior industry leaders like Andy realise and embrace this industry shift is a powerful endorsement of our vision and strategy. “

SapientNitro is eyeing growth in the region, recently appointing Kim Douglas to head up the Singapore office. The team in Singapore is currently working with global brands such as Citi, Unilever, Credit Suisse, and Coca Cola, and regional clients including RACQ, SingTel and Ferrero China.