The new Interpublic unit that the 17 staff are joining will handle advertising to children and families, with a health-related focus.
The news came amid reports that the man who the 17 staff were following, vice-chairman Mike Burns, faces a lawsuit from Saatchi & Saatchi seeking "damages and other relief". The suit has been filed in the Supreme Court of New York.
Burns had been worldwide account director on General Mills, which includes brands such as Cheerios and Green Giant, and a member of staff at Saatchi & Saatchi for 25 years, before suddenly departing the agency in February.
Upon the departure of the 18 staff, speculation began to spread that the General Mills account could follow them out of the agency. However, Saatchi & Saatchi has said that the General Mills account, worth $200m (拢104m), was "completely secure" at the agency.
Previously, Burns had held the role the joint chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi New York, but last September executive creative director Tony Granger and Arnold Worldwide's Mary Baglivo took over the running of the agency, leaving him to step back to the role of managing the General Mills account.
According to reports, Burns is weighing up a number of job offers, but will not make a decision until after his Saatchi & Saatchi contract expires tomorrow.
Last Friday, Interpublic revealed that it would not be filing its annual results on time and that it discovered accounting problems relating to acquisitions between 1996 and 2001, which could force it to restate its results.
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