Maurice Saatchi, Baron Saatchi
Encyclopedia
Maurice Nathan Saatchi, Baron Saatchi (born 21 June 1946) is the co-founder, with his brother Charles
, of the advertising
agencies Saatchi and Saatchi and M&C Saatchi
, where he currently serves as Executive Director.
, Iraq
. Maurice's brothers are David (born 1937), Charles Nathan
(born 1943) and Philip (born 1953). Nathan was a successful textile merchant and in 1947, he pre-empted a flight that tens of thousands of Iraqi Jews would soon make to avoid persecution and relocated his family to Finchley
London. Nathan purchased two textile mills in north London and after a time re-built a thriving business. Eventually the family would settle into a house with eight bedrooms on Hampstead Lane in Highgate.
Saatchi attended Tollington Grammar and graduated from the London School of Economics
with first class honours in 1967. His first job was at Haymarket Publications
where Maurice would form valuable relationships with Michael Heseltine
, the Group Managing Director and with staff at the Haymarket's leading trade weekly for the ad industry Campaign. He spent three years at Haymarket as Creative Director before leaving to join his brother Charles' fledgling ad agency.
isn't working" posters on behalf of the Conservative Party
for the 1979 British general election
and advertisements for the cigarette
brand Silk Cut
. Maurice Saatchi served as chairman of the firm which became the world's largest advertising agency. However, a shareholder revolt in 1994 ended the brothers' role in the company, and they founded a new company, M&C Saatchi
, the following year. The new company has also been described as a success.
as Baron Saatchi, of Staplefield in the County of West Sussex
in 1996. He sits in the House of Lords
as a Conservative
. Under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
, Saatchi served as shadow Treasury spokesman in the Lords, forming a close relationship with the then-Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Michael Howard
. Saatchi argued for the simplification of the tax system and that the poorest eight million people in the United Kingdom
should not pay income tax
.
After Howard became leader of the Conservatives in November 2003, Saatchi was appointed joint chairman of the party with Liam Fox
. He had responsibility for running the party campaign for the 2005 general election
, after which he stepped down. He published his reflections on the election campaign in a Centre for Policy Studies
pamphlet If this is Conservatism, I am a Conservative in a chapter entitled How I Lost the Election. Among his failings listed in the document, Saatchi highlighted the following:
He recommended that future Conservative leaders establish a "moral purpose" as an ideology and future direction for the Party.
from where he had graduated with a First class honours degree in Economics. Saatchi is a trustee of the Museum of Garden History
, and also a director of the Centre for Policy Studies
. He was also a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum
from 1988 to 1996.
He is a previous recipient of the St. George’s Society Medal of Honour. An award established in 1996 which recognizes American and British industry leaders for significant contributions in the fields of business, finance and education.
(1942-2011), whom he first met when they worked together at Haymarket Publications
in 1967. She died on 2 July 2011.
His country property is a mock Tudor castle called Old Hall in Sussex built in 1842. There are sixty acres of parkland and ten acres of flowers, trees and lakes. Maurice Saatchi has a fondness for gardening, laid out the garden on the estate and built a conservatory to house semi-tropical plants. The property was the subject of a display article in the January 1995 issue of Architectural Digest.
Maurice Saatchi and his brother Charles were listed at number 366 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
, with an estimated wealth of £220m in advertising and art. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
they were listed at number 438.
Charles Saatchi
Charles Saatchi is the co-founder with his brother Maurice of the global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and led that business - the world's largest advertising agency in the 1980s - until they were forced out in 1995. In the same year the Saatchi brothers formed a new agency called M&C...
, of the advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
agencies Saatchi and Saatchi and M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi is an international advertising agency network formed in January 1995 by the brothers Maurice Saatchi and Charles Saatchi after they were ousted from the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi which they had founded in 1970...
, where he currently serves as Executive Director.
Early life
Maurice Saatchi is the third of four sons born to Nathan Saatchi and Daisy Ezer, a wealthy Iraqi Jewish family in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Maurice's brothers are David (born 1937), Charles Nathan
Charles Saatchi
Charles Saatchi is the co-founder with his brother Maurice of the global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and led that business - the world's largest advertising agency in the 1980s - until they were forced out in 1995. In the same year the Saatchi brothers formed a new agency called M&C...
(born 1943) and Philip (born 1953). Nathan was a successful textile merchant and in 1947, he pre-empted a flight that tens of thousands of Iraqi Jews would soon make to avoid persecution and relocated his family to Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
London. Nathan purchased two textile mills in north London and after a time re-built a thriving business. Eventually the family would settle into a house with eight bedrooms on Hampstead Lane in Highgate.
Saatchi attended Tollington Grammar and graduated from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
with first class honours in 1967. His first job was at Haymarket Publications
Haymarket Group
Haymarket Media Group is a privately owned media company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and the United States....
where Maurice would form valuable relationships with Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, the Group Managing Director and with staff at the Haymarket's leading trade weekly for the ad industry Campaign. He spent three years at Haymarket as Creative Director before leaving to join his brother Charles' fledgling ad agency.
Advertising career
In 1970, Saatchi, with his brother, formed the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi. They are credited with a number of successful advertising campaigns, most notably the "LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
isn't working" posters on behalf of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
for the 1979 British general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
and advertisements for the cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
brand Silk Cut
Silk Cut
Silk Cut is brand of low tar cigarette produced by the Gallaher Group. The packaging is characterised by a distinctive stark white packet with the brand name in a purple, blue, red, silver, white or green square....
. Maurice Saatchi served as chairman of the firm which became the world's largest advertising agency. However, a shareholder revolt in 1994 ended the brothers' role in the company, and they founded a new company, M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi is an international advertising agency network formed in January 1995 by the brothers Maurice Saatchi and Charles Saatchi after they were ousted from the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi which they had founded in 1970...
, the following year. The new company has also been described as a success.
Political career
Maurice Saatchi was created a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Saatchi, of Staplefield in the County of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
in 1996. He sits in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
, Saatchi served as shadow Treasury spokesman in the Lords, forming a close relationship with the then-Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is in the gift of the Leader of the Opposition but is informal. The Shadow Chancellor has no constitutional...
Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
. Saatchi argued for the simplification of the tax system and that the poorest eight million people in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
should not pay income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
.
After Howard became leader of the Conservatives in November 2003, Saatchi was appointed joint chairman of the party with Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
. He had responsibility for running the party campaign for the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, after which he stepped down. He published his reflections on the election campaign in a Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies is a British right wing policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence...
pamphlet If this is Conservatism, I am a Conservative in a chapter entitled How I Lost the Election. Among his failings listed in the document, Saatchi highlighted the following:
- I DID NOT convince the Party that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
- I DID NOT dispel the illusion of research, which said that, as immigration was the number one issue in deciding how people vote, it should be the number one topic.
- I DID NOT prevent economics, the Conservatives' former ace of trumps, becoming a 'second order issue.
- I DID NOT avoid the underestimation of public intelligence, as in the policy description 'Lower Taxes' when in fact taxes would be higher.
He recommended that future Conservative leaders establish a "moral purpose" as an ideology and future direction for the Party.
Other roles
He is also chairman of Finsbury Foods plc, and is a Governor of the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
from where he had graduated with a First class honours degree in Economics. Saatchi is a trustee of the Museum of Garden History
Museum of Garden History
The Garden Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Garden History, is based in the deconsecrated parish church of St Mary-at-Lambeth adjacent to Lambeth Palace on the south bank of the River Thames in London, located on Lambeth Road...
, and also a director of the Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies is a British right wing policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence...
. He was also a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
from 1988 to 1996.
He is a previous recipient of the St. George’s Society Medal of Honour. An award established in 1996 which recognizes American and British industry leaders for significant contributions in the fields of business, finance and education.
Personal life
Saatchi's first wife was Gillian Osband, a children's book editor and writer whom he had had known since childhood and whom he married in 1972. They divorced in 1984 and that same year he married novelist Josephine HartJosephine Hart
Josephine Hart, Lady Saatchi was an Irish-born British writer, theatrical producer and television presenter...
(1942-2011), whom he first met when they worked together at Haymarket Publications
Haymarket Group
Haymarket Media Group is a privately owned media company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and the United States....
in 1967. She died on 2 July 2011.
His country property is a mock Tudor castle called Old Hall in Sussex built in 1842. There are sixty acres of parkland and ten acres of flowers, trees and lakes. Maurice Saatchi has a fondness for gardening, laid out the garden on the estate and built a conservatory to house semi-tropical plants. The property was the subject of a display article in the January 1995 issue of Architectural Digest.
Maurice Saatchi and his brother Charles were listed at number 366 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
Sunday Times Rich List 2008
The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 was published on 27 April 2008.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, with an estimated wealth of £220m in advertising and art. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
Sunday Times Rich List 2009
The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 was published on 26 April 2009.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
they were listed at number 438.
External links
- Maurice Saatchi profile
- Business profile at Bloomberg Businessweek
- The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Media Top 100 2001 number 44; 2002 number 47