3rd March 2026
Zaid Al-Qassab on insular thinking, managing complexity and demonstrating impact
Episode 66
Zaid Al-Qassab
Global CEO, M+C Saatchi Group
Today’s guest is Zaid Al-Qassab, Global CEO of M+C Saatchi Group. Fascinatingly, having been client-side CMO with the likes of P&G, BT and Channel 4, this is his first agency role. So his rare perspective is gold dust.
Zaid explains why agencies must stop talking to themselves and start truly understanding the complexity faced by modern CMOs – not least how the old brief-led model is being replaced by the need for orchestration.
He shares how M&C Saatchi has repositioned itself around ‘Cultural Power’ and why that can – and should – be measurable. The conversation also explores AI, productisation and why agency leaders must make a stronger case for embracing a changing market.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[03:00] Agency navel gazing
[06:28] Treating agencies as partners
[07:47] Searching for a new model
[11:14] Flexible orchestration
[14:08] A former CMO’s advantage
[17:32] The Goldilocks zone
[22:22] Cultural Power as a proposition
[30:35] AI as a democratizer
[36:01] AI and the future of work
[38:06] Three things that matter
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