AMSTERDAM — M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment is opening an office in Amsterdam in January 2020 to meet demand for representation from clients in the Netherlands and the wider Benelux region.

Heineken, with which the agency has existing retained business, is the launch client for the new office, which will be co-headed by long-term M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment business director, Toan Ravenscroft (pictured, left), and Jasper Hunter (right), former head of innovation and a strategy director at M&C Saatchi London.

Amsterdam is widely viewed as a particularly creative city, and is often cited by agencies based in London and internationally as a possible new base in Europe, especially with continued uncertainty over Brexit.

Ravenscroft said: “Amsterdam already sets the bar creatively, but we feel there is a real opportunity to bring our specialism and approach to brands based here and to create big ideas that influence culture.”

Steve Martin, Global CEO, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment added: “We are always looking for opportunities to grow our footprint in the right locations, at the right time, for the right reasons. We have strong existing client relationships with brands like Heineken and we believe a great opportunity to creatively connect brands to their audiences through the things they love in a brutally simple way.”

The expansion is the third European and seventh global office for the M&C Saatchi Group agency, which is also based in London, Berlin, Sydney, New York, Johannesburg and Los Angeles.

The firm looks after clients including Coca-Cola, Reebok and Pernod Ricard, with specialisms including sponsorship consultancy, rights amplification, PR, branded content creation and experiential production.