M&C Saatchi Abel, Liquorice announce top appointments

Jason Harrison

Harrison, a seasoned marketer who specialises in building brands in severely restricted environments, is returning from London where he spent six years working across different roles and functions on British American Tobacco (BAT).

In addition to his extensive BAT exposure, he has previously worked on several blue chip companies, including Old Mutual, SAB Miller and Volkswagen, developing skills in many areas of the marketing mix across diverse cultures and geographies.

"Having him on board is a coup for our company. He brings a different dimension to our wide service offering and is one of the best in his field. He will slot seamlessly into a cohesive team who have been enticed back to our shores attracted by the opportunity of working with some of the biggest brands and talent in the industry," said M&C Saatchi Abel CE, Mike Abel.

"A radical new approach is needed"

When asked what motivated his decision to join the agency, Harrison said, "I see a company that encourages entrepreneurial flair, demands incisive thought, holds itself to account for meaningful change in its clients' business, has fun, celebrates smart ideas and empowers the people who nurture and nourish it every single day. I see a company of people who realise the old advertising model is broken and that a radical new approach is needed. A company which realises that it must be the change it wants to see in the advertising world."

Jason's appointment reflects the objective set by Abel to bring the best global talent in the industry back to South Africa. He follows the likes of Jacques Burger, former CEO of Campaign Palace, Australia, Zeyad Davids, former head of digital and CRM strategy for Deloitte Australia and Gordon Ray, executive CD returned from Kenya.

Among the most notable recent wins for the agency have been Frisco, Five Roses, Heineken, Geely, Lil- lets, Deloitte and MWEB.

Social media expansion

Following Liquorice's recent win of the SAB social media account, Tomlinson will be taking the agency's offering of digital innovation for brands to the Gauteng market, further expanding its footprint.

Miles Murphy, managing partner at Liquorice, commented, "He is one of the most experienced digital experts in South Africa and we are excited to have him as part of our senior team."

Tomlinson has over 16 years' experience working in the US, UK and Southern Africa in web, mobile, social media and eCRM. Most recently, he was account director at Native (previously Cambrient) running accounts such as SA Tourism, DStv and SAB.

Tomlinson said, "I've been following the agency's rapid growth over the past few years. In just six years, it has become one of the dominate forces in the South African digital space. With the growth of digital and social media, there are many new entrants professing to be experts. However, the depth of expertise in South Africa is limited. This is one of the few agencies, which has both local and international depth of digital experience. In my research before I made the decision to move, I kept talking to clients and industry experts who could only say great things about it."

The agency has some of the country's largest brands as clients including, Unilever, Distell, Investec, Sanlam, SAB, Pioneer Foods, Auction Alliance and SA Home Loans.