Saatchis nabs Malaysian digital agency

Saatchi & Saatchi has acquired Malaysian digital agency Arachnid and will see it rebranded as Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid.The management team of Arachnid will continue to lead the business as Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid.The agency will be led by Chin Weng Keong, founder and managing director of Arachnid who is based in Malaysia. Chin will report to Chris Foster (pictured right) chairman & CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific."The marriage of Saatchi & Saatchi and Arachnid signifies a major scaling up of digital capabilities in the Saatchi & Saatchi network across the region," Foster said.He added that "through the union with Arachnid's exceptional expertise and capabilities, the agency is better placed to deliver creativity for clients across the full multitude of consumer channels."Chin said the agency has for a while explored the idea of becoming part of a global network and Saatchi & Saatchi proved "to be the right fit.""Firstly, we share a common vision, values and strategy as we evolve beyond pure-play digital and as Saatchi has evolved in the region. Secondly, partnering with the Singapore regional hub allows us to grow beyond Malaysia, leveraging the regional and global experience we've developed over recent years," Chin said.Chin also added that the two entities have worked on a "practical level" to integrate their capabilities "into a new generation agency that will see an exciting shared future."Arachnid was founded in Malaysia in 1996 and has clients list which includes names such as Toyota, Lexus, Petronas, Dutch Lady, MINI amongst others.