M&C Saatchi Group has tapped Rhian Mason for a new leadership role that sits right at the intersection of culture and commerce.
She steps in as managing partner of the Passions & PR division, which brings together Sport & Entertainment, social, PR and influencer under one roof.
Sport & Entertainment already manages household names like Adidas, Heineken, Coca-Cola, Samsonite and LEGO.
Mason’s appointment is designed to accelerate the unit’s presence in Australia and respond to clients chasing more authentic ways to tap into cultural moments.
Locally she will report to managing director Tanya Vragalis, who described Mason’s arrival as a signal of intent: “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. 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’s path to M&C
Mason has carved out a 15-year career built on earned-first thinking.
At Clemenger BBDO she launched and led its cultural design practice. Before that she headed creative amplifications at Emotive, ran social and content at DDB Group Australia, and held senior content strategy roles at Mediabrands across EMEA and Australia.
Her client list spans Asahi, L’Oréal, BMW, Google, IKEA, McDonald’s, Unilever and Volkswagen. Across those brands, she’s built a reputation for making campaigns cut through in cultural spaces where attention is scarce.
Speaking on her new role, Mason said: “Passions are where Australians connect most deeply – through sport, entertainment, and culture. Around the world, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has built culture-shaping work, and my ambition is to create that same impact here in Australia.
“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,” she said.
Based in Sydney, Mason will work closely with global CEO Robin Clarke and locally with Vragalis to push M&C’s connected agency model further into the cultural spaces clients are chasing.
Main image: Rhian Mason and Tanya Vragalis