Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Chris Foster as chairman and regional CEO

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Chris Foster as chairman and regional chief executive officer.Foster will be based out of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and will begin work effective June 1, 2011.

Prior to this, Foster was the chief executive officer of Fallon, Minneapolis.

Foster had previously worked with Saatchi & Saatchi from 1998 to 2005 in the agency's Hong Kong and Tokyo offices.

Commenting on Foster's appointment, Kevin Roberts, chief executive officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, said, “Chris is an inspirational leader. His return to Asia Pacific is good news for clients and for our people. He is a world-class brand navigator with very successful US experience to add to his previous decade in Asia.”

Roberts says that Foster’s region, which excludes China, has one third of the world’s population, over two billion people. “Serving the everyday needs of these peoples is a serious business and Chris is our natural leader for this region.”

Foster’s region includes 13 nations that include India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and New Zealand.

In his new role at Saatchi & Saatchi, Foster will work with Justin Billingsley, chairman and regional chief executive officer of Greater China, Justin Billingsley.