M&C Saatchi has opened an office in Israel, following the purchase of a controlling stake in the Tel Aviv-based agency Ben-Natan Golan for an undisclosed sum.
The new management team includes: Alon Hochdorf as chief executive; Tzur Golan, executive creative director; and Anat Ben-Natan as client services director.
Hochdorf, a former chief executive of ZenithOptimedia in Israel, was previously the chief executive of Ben-Natan Golan. Golan was co-chief executive and creative director at Ben-Natan Golan.
Moray MacLennan, the worldwide chief executive at M&C Saatchi, said: "We are starting M&C Saatchi Tel Aviv for two reasons.
"Firstly, because we have found three exceptional partners who share our entrepreneurial spirit and the belief that nothing is impossible.
"Secondly, the high concentration of hi-tech industries is of particular interest for future investment. It seems appropriate for a ‘start-up’ advertising network like us to invest in the ‘start-up nation’."
Land Rover, Jack Wolfskin and Rafa (a pharmaceutical company) will be among the founding clients.
Hochdorf said: "Chutzpah is intrinsic to Israeli society and also part of the Saatchi DNA.
"Our agency in Tel Aviv stands at the center of creative thinking and technological innovation – we hope to add some new ingredients to M&C Saatchi’s future story."
M&C Saatchi has expanded its presence in New York and India through purchases in the last six months.
This article first appeared on campaignlive.co.uk.