Saatchi & Saatchi replaces UK chairman as Hall leaves

Saatchi & Saatchi’s UK chairman James Hall has left the agency to return to his native New Zealand, two years after joining the agency. He has been replaced by managing director Kevin Dundas.

Dundas has been promoted to the position of chief executive and will take full responsibility for all aspects of the agency’s operations. He will work alongside executive creative director Tony Granger, who joined the agency early this year from Bozell/New York.

Hall is leaving the agency to return with his family to New Zealand and has yet to reveal his professional plans. An agency spokeswoman says it was made clear when Hall arrived that he would not stay in the UK for more than a few years.

Hall joined the London office in March 2001 from his position of chief executive at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand. He oversaw a restructuring of the agency designed to cut costs and ten per cent of the agency’s staff were made redundant within five weeks of his arrival.

The agency is believed to have won the &£5m Saga Services business, although this is still to be confirmed. However, it lost Diageo’s &£7m Archers account and its hold on Procter & Gamble’s Sunny D business is uncertain as the brand is being sold.

Dundas joined Saatchi & Saatchi as executive planning director in 1999, with a position on the worldwide planning board. Previous to joining he was executive vice-president/director of planning at FCB San Francisco and worked on the Levi’s business. He began his career at Publicis and has also worked at Young & Rubicam London and Saatchi & Saatchi, San Francisco.