Re, M&C Saatchi’s brand and experience design business, has appointed Benjamin Harrison as Managing Director, having spent over six years with the business in a number of senior positions.
Harrison returns from the United Kingdom for the role, having moved to London in 2017 to establish Re London. As a founding partner, he grew the business from a start-up of three to a team of 25, boasting a roster of global clients including FIFA, OPPO and Swisscom, as well as UK tech brands like Bango, Verint and ReceiptBank. Benjamin initially joined the business in Sydney as a Strategy Director in 2014, leading the strategy for Australian clients including Optus, Commonwealth Bank, Slater & Gordon and Uniting before relocating overseas.
“Starting Re in London, we were competing head to head with the world’s best in design: Wolff Olins, Koto and Made Thought. But Re’s approach of connecting board-level strategy through to everyday people through design really resonated. Clients want brand consultancy and the design craft,” said Harrison.
“The incredible thing about Re in Australia is the reach and scale of our design work. Almost every Australian will have at approximately two daily interactions with something Re has designed. That might be banking on the CommonwealthBank app, shopping at Woolworth or Big W store, or using an Optus product. That’s pretty huge.”
Harrison’s appointment comes at a time of significant growth for the business and shortly following the expansion of the strategy team, led by new Head of Strategy, Sonja Kallstrom.
“Ben’s return back to the Sydney business could not come at a more critical time. His leadership of transformative brand projects across the United Kingdom, Europe and the US, offers Sydney the bench strength we need as we move into a busy 2021. His deep experience across all our capabilities,specifically data-led experiential programs is critical to enhancing our extended client offering,” added Patrick Guerrera, Founder and CEO, Re.
Re delivers brand and experience design services from their offices in Sydney, London and Shanghai. The agency, founded and led by Guerrera globally, has led significant brand transformations across banking, telco, travel, technology and Government.
