M+C Saatchi Group hires divisional managing partner

September 23, 2025 1:07

(L-R): Rhian Mason and Tanya Vragalis

M+C Saatchi Group has hired Rhian Mason as managing partner for its ‘passions and PR’ division, covering influencer and PR, social and M+C Sport and Entertainment.

Mason’s national appointment expands M+C Saatchi’s capabilities across several key passion areas — experiences, partnerships, sport, content and entertainment — by leveraging a socially derived, earned-first lens.

At the same time, Mason’s involvement in the business is expected to facilitate the growth of M+C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment in Australia, while allowing the agency to better support brands that want to invest in “social, PR, and influencer-first ideas” that can place them in the key touch points of culture.

Locally, Mason will report to M+C Saatchi ANZ’s managing director Tanya Vragalis, whose remit now covers promoting culturally relevant work and managing M+C Saatchi’s connected agency model.

Internationally, Mason will report to M+C Sport and Entertainment’s global chief executive officer Robin Clarke, while assisting him in expanding the Sport and Entertainment business across the country.

“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 in a media release.

“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.”

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Mason’s new gig sees her depart from creative agency Clemenger BBDO, where she worked as head of cultural design from July 2024 to September 2025. Her career has seen her work across agencyland in Australia and the United Kingdom, where she has acted as head of creative amplification (social, talent, and partnerships) at Emotive; head of social and content at DDB Group; EMEA content strategy director at Mediabrands UK, and several other roles at Mediabrands in Australia.

Her clients have included several giant brands, including McDonald’s, IKEA, Google, L’Oréal, and Asahi.

“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,” Mason said in the same release.

“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.”

Mason’s appointment doubles as a professional reunion, seeing her work with M+C Saatchi’s Australian CEO Dani Bassil again, after they were colleagues at Clems.

The news comes in the wake of fresh appointments M+C Saatchi has made recently.

In late August, the agency unveiled the appointment of Anita Zanesco as its new chief marketing officer, and Louise Rutherford as a client partner. Emma Robbins was promoted to chief creative officer for Melbourne a few weeks prior.

Mason has already started in the position, and she’s based in the agency’s Sydney office.