Two of the industry’s top sports marketing leaders have officially left the agency they helped set up 20 years ago after a period of gardening leave and will launch a new venture soon.
Lead image: Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan will be launching a new venture in the coming months.
Former M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment’s global chief executive Steve Martin and UK CEO Jamie Wynne-Morgan have formally left the agency after serving their gardening leave.
Martin and Wynne-Morgan will be launching a new venture in the coming months.
They set up M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment with David Kershaw in 2004, and it has grown to become one of the largest and most awarded agencies in the sports and entertainment space, with offices in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, Sydney and Johannesburg.
In a LinkedIn post formally signing off from M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, Martin said: “Monday was our last day after six months of garden leave after we decided to resign in November last year from the agency that we have poured everything into, to take the leap to start a new venture.
“It feels emotional when you know how exhilarating that journey has been. Agency life can be tough but I can safely say it has been the most incredibly enjoyable experience, with so many highs they are impossible to list.
“We have been blessed with so many extraordinary clients who became more than just that. They became true business partners and when I look back on some of the work we created over the years for those clients it’s quite amazing. I hope we did you proud.
“The bedrock of any agency is its people. At M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment we were so lucky to attract & be surrounded by some of the very best.”
In a separate post, Wynne-Morgan said: “Seems like yesterday that we sat across from each other, sharing a look that screamed, ‘What the hell do we do now?’
“Turns out the answer was simply surrounding ourselves with ridiculously talented people whom we adored working with. Together, I hope we fostered a culture of fearless creativity & care that became the heartbeat of our agency and one that we will certainly take to our next venture.
“Can’t wait to share more on the next venture that Steve & I are going to embark on. The second half is shaping up to be even more exciting than the first.
“Until then, goodbye & good luck to M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and The M&C Saatchi Group and thank you for everything. I owe you big time. It’s been an absolute blast.”
In Australia, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment is led by Krystyna Frassetto, who paid her own tribute to Martin, who spent some time living and working in Sydney.
“Our Australian office and clients have a particular fondness for Steve, with him having spent two years in Sydney a few years ago. During his time in the market he personally recruited a number of our existing team members and won landmark assignments. He will be sorely missed,” she told B&T.
“Steve’s foremost legacy will be the enviable team he built across the world, who all have the same passion for sport and entertainment, and energy and work ethic. As a result, we now share and collaborate on iconic global brands across our offices, and join forces on creative solutions, trend forecasting and insights.
“After an incredible innings at M&C Saatchi, he leaves our global network and Australian office in a fantastic position. Locally we’re set for another bumper year, running towards the Paris Olympics, as the creative agency for the Australian Olympic Committee as well as supporting AOC partners including Old El Paso, Woolworths, Asics and Ryman Healthcare.”
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has worked with clients including Adidas, Amstel, Barclays, Coca-Cola, Dettol, Dreams, Heineken, Virgin Media O2,Kia, Red Bull and the UEFA Women’s Euro England 2022.
It has also picked up the coveted Sport Industry awards Agency of the Year seven times. The pair have previously featured prominently sports agency leaders in PRWeek’s annual Power Book, claiming the top spot in 2023.
