Saatchi & Saatchi names first shopper-marketing chief in Greater China

In November 2013, the agency's shopper-marketing arm, Saatchi & Saatchi X, merged globally with the main business Saatchi & Saatchi Group, as it positions itself to offer a more integrated set of services under the same P&L. The appointment is the first known instance of a shopper-marketing role at the C-suite level.

This provides an "unprecedented level of integration", according to Michael Lee, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China, which will allow multi-disciplinary teams to orchestrate strategies starting from the moment the agency receives a client brief. Earlier last year the agency also dissolved its Saatchi Lab digital division and placed the team under the main agency structure.

The organisation has a long history, through Saatchi & Saatchi X, of providing shopper marketing services to clients in China including Crest, Head & Shoulders and Lenovo. The integration will expand the service to a broader client base, Lee said.

Based in Hong Kong and reporting directly to Lee, Nicoll will develop 'go to market' strategies for Greater China's retail landscape, which he described as "changing daily".

Previously, Nicoll was a founding director of Saatchi & Saatchi X in London. He also served as managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi X in Dubai, one of the first shopper-marketing agencies in the MENA region at that time in 2009.