Six years after its establishment as a joint venture between M&C Saatchi Group, Anish Daryani, Dami Sidharta, and Elki Hendria on January 24, 2018, M&C Saatchi Indonesia has been acquired by Anish Daryani. Daryani has bought M&C Saatchi Group’s 55% ownership in the business for an undisclosed sum. Co-founding partners Elki Hendria, serving as the executive strategy and digital director, and Dami Sidharta, holding the position of chief creative officer, will both continue as integral members of the leadership team and retain their shares in the company.
M&C Saatchi Indonesia will be rebranded as a new entity. Starting January 2024, M&C Saatchi Indonesia will undergo a rebranding, adopting a new company name. The transition to this new entity ensures seamless business continuity for all clients, talent, partners, and vendors. The operational base will remain unchanged, continuing to operate from the existing space in Menara Sentraya, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia. Notably, M&C Saatchi Performance will maintain its status as a separate legal entity even as the Indonesian creative, digital, PR, and activation industry gains independence.
It has been a “mutually rewarding partnership” for the past six years, according to a joint statement from Zillah Bing-Thorne, the current CEO of M&C Saatchi group and chair of M&C Saatchi, and Daryani, the founder, president, and director of M&C Saatchi Indonesia, and chief growth officer of Southeast Asia. There was a mutually beneficial relationship between the Indonesian entity and the group at that time.
On January 24, 2018, Daryani, alongside co-founders Elki Hendria, executive strategy and digital director, and Dami Sidharta, chief creative officer, inaugurated an office in Jakarta. With approximately 15 years of experience in the advertising industry, Daryani had previously held the position of CEO at Phibious Indonesia. The agency faced challenges, including exits, restructuring, and group consolidation efforts, following the appointment of Zillah Byng-Thorne as executive chair and the departure of Moray MacLennan as chief executive in September. It is within this context that Daryani’s decision to pursue independence in Indonesia is announced.
In 2022, Performance emerged as the agency’s swiftest-growing division, contributing 24% of revenue earnings. This success was attributed to significant client acquisitions, including Asana, Asics, Julo, Noice, and Jobstreet. Notable achievers such as Roshat Adnani and Kabeer Chaudhary were duly promoted. Adnani now serves as the Managing Director for APAC, overseeing the region’s P&L. Concurrently, Chaudhary holds the position of Global CEO for the Performance vertical, based in Singapore.
The roster of companies currently partnered with Daryani includes Asian Paints, Adaro Energy, Ismaya Group, PermataBank, ByteDance, Sampoerna-Philip Morris, Tempo Scan Group, Unilever, Kimia Pharma, Mandi Pharma, Mastercard, Grab, LG, Pertamina, Kemeperekraf (Wonderful Indonesia), and Astra Credit Company.
Speaking about the company’s legacy, Anish Daryani, said, “M&C Saatchi is one of the strongest brands in the business, and it has been my life’s honour to serve the group over the last 6 years. We started M&C Saatchi Indonesia with just the three of us (with Dami and Elki), and have grown to a team of hundred. We’ve earned many Agency of the Year titles over the years, among other awards including our first Cannes Lion, attracted the best talent, and built a formidable business. Here, I have learnt immensely, and forged strong bonds with friends I made the world over from across the network.”
Elated upon the latest development, Daryani further added, “However, as a creative entrepreneur, some of my ambitions can only be met as an independent entity, which regretfully involves my exit from the group. I’m grateful for all the good times we have shared together, and for Zillah’s keenness to agree to a deal that helps me race towards meeting my ambitions. For M&C Saatchi Group, I will continue to be a reliable friend. As we take our second first step, we wish to continue serving our clients with the same level of passion and integrity, and setting higher benchmarks in the industry.”
Zillah Bing-Thorne added,”We have enjoyed our relationship with Anish and wish him & colleagues all the very best for their new venture.”
