Jeremy Sinclair

Jeremy Theodorson Sinclair CBE (born 1946) is a British businessman and advertising executive who was a founding director in 1995 of ad agency M&C Saatchi, having earlier been one of the founders of Saatchi & Saatchi in 1970.

Early life and education

Sinclair was born in Newcastle, and educated in Scotland at Rannoch School.[1] He continued on to Watford College of Art and Technology and briefly studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.[2]

Career

Sinclair began his career in advertising in 1968 when he joined Cramer Saatchi.[3] In 1970 he joined Saatchi & Saatchi as a founding member. He became creative director in 1973 and chairman in 1982 of Saatchi & Saatchi UK.[4] In 1986 he became the Deputy Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi plc.[5] 1995 saw the creation of M&C Saatchi, founded by himself, Bill Muirhead, David Kershaw, Maurice and Charles Saatchi.[6]

Campaigns

While working at Cramer Saatchi in 1967 he was responsible for overseeing one of their most significant campaigns. The campaign was for the Health and Education Council in 1969 and was titled "The pregnant man".[7] Once Saatchi & Saatchi had formed and Sinclair had taken on his role, he was the mind behind the 1979 "Labour Isn't Working" campaign. He regularly devises political advertising campaigns for the Conservative Party, and created the "demon eyes" caricature of Tony Blair.[8] He is also one of two directors of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.[9] As part of the continued links between Saatchi & Saatchi and the Conservative party, Sinclair's political adverts have become well-known.[10]

His campaigns for Schweppes and the launch of Cosmopolitan magazine in the UK earned him international recognition with two Gold Lions at the Cannes Advertising festival.[11] He has additionally won three silver awards at the Designers and Art Directors Association, and golds at the British Press Awards.[12]

Other interests and non-executive roles

Sinclair teaches Philosophy twice a week at the London School of Economic Science.[13]

He has been the chairman of a number of charities, including the School of Communication Arts, The Designers and Art Directors Association, The Art Academy and the Independent Educational Association.[14] He is also chairman and a trustee of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.[15][16]

He is a governor St. James School,[17] a senior member and lecturer in the School of Philosophy,[18] an organiser of the School of Economic Science's annual event known as Art in Action at Waterperry.,[19] and a founding shareholder in the Dukes Education group of companies[20]

He is the author of the book, Brutal Simplicity of Thought.[21] The thesis of Sinclair's book is to strip creative thought back to ensure that advertising campaigns have maximum impact in their simplicity.[22]

Along with his wife Jacqueline, Sinclair authored the children's book Faces, Faces, Faces, published by Penguin Random House.[23] The story explores the world of faces that children see in inanimate objects.[24] The inspiration behind the book comes from previous artwork that his wife created, as well as her enjoyment of the children stories that Sinclair told their own children.[25]

Sinclair was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to advertising.[26]

References

  1. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 13 March 2017
  2. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 13 March 2017
  3. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 5 March 2017
  4. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 5 March 2017
  5. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 5 March 2017
  6. ^ "Jeremy Sinclair, M&C Saatchi Chairman/Co Founder". Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Jeremy Sinclair: Out of the 'plotting shed', on to the stock market. M&C Saatchi's pitch to the city". The Independent. 28 March 2004. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  8. ^ Ben Somerset How (25 November 2011). "Market Leader Interview – Jeremy Sinclair, Chairman, M&C Saatchi PLC". Creativebrief.com.
  9. ^ Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (14 October 2007). "'Demon eyes' guru joins Tony Blair project". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  10. ^ "The 1000 Most influential people 2009". London Evening Standard. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  11. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 13 March 2017
  12. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 13 March 2017
  13. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 8 March 2017
  14. ^ Jeremy Sinclair- M&C Saatchi, archived from the original on 3 June 2016, retrieved 8 March 2017
  15. ^ "Health". London Evening Standard. 2 October 2008.
  16. ^ "Jeremy Sinclair: Out of the 'plotting shed', on to the stock market. M&C Saatchi's pitch to the City". The Independent. 28 March 2004.
  17. ^ "St James Junior School".
  18. ^ "Play your cards?". 3 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ^ "Dukes Education Group Ltd".
  21. ^ "BITE | Our Opinion Pieces".
  22. ^ Clark, Mairi. "The Drum speaks to Jeremy Sinclair of M&C Saatchi to talk about the brutal simplicity of thought". The Drum. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Highgate picture book explores the strange faces of inanimate objects". etcetera. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Highgate picture book explores the strange faces of inanimate objects". etcetera. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Highgate picture book explores the strange faces of inanimate objects". etcetera. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  26. ^ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N9.