M+C Saatchi Group appoints Rhian Mason to lead Passions and PR

M+C Saatchi Group has appointed Rhian Mason as managing partner across its Passions & PR business, overseeing M+C Sport & Entertainment, Social, PR and Influencer.

The new role marks a step in the group’s push to expand leadership across "passion touchpoints" spanning sport, entertainment, partnerships, content and experiences - all through a socially driven lens.

M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment manages brands from Adidas to Heineken, Coca-Cola, Samsonite and Lego. The agency said Mason’s appointment was critical not only to its growth in Australia but also to meeting demand for social, PR and influencer-led ideas that help brands embed themselves authentically in culture.

Mason joins from Clemenger BBDO, where she established and led the earned attention offering as head of cultural design. She has also held senior roles at Emotive, DDB Group Australia and Mediabrands, working with brands including Asahi, L’Oréal, BMW, TAC, Google, Optus, IKEA, McDonald’s, Unilever and Volkswagen.

She will report to Robin Clarke, global CEO of M+C Sport & Entertainment, and locally to managing director Tanya Vragalis.

“This is a hugely exciting moment for us. Rhian is one of the best in the business, and her arrival is a statement of intent,” Vragalis said. “We are building an agency that doesn’t just respond to culture, but creates it, and Rhian will play a central role in further making that a reality.”

Mason, who starts her national role out of Sydney, said passions are where Australians connect most deeply - through sport, entertainment and culture.

“We’ll be partnering with brands that want to lead through passion - moving beyond campaigns to deliver ideas that are social by design, earned-first and built to shape culture.”