Tag: Havas India

India – Havas India has appointed Manas Lahiri as its new chief growth officer, tasked with driving accelerated growth and fostering innovation across the network’s 25 companies.

In this newly created role, Lahiri will collaborate closely with Havas India’s executive leadership team to drive strategic growth initiatives, strengthen client partnerships, and lead innovative business opportunities across the network’s 25 agencies nationwide.

Lahiri brings over 20 years of experience in advertising, brand marketing, and business leadership, having held senior roles at agencies like VML India, Ogilvy, McCann, and Contract India. He has worked with major brands such as Samsung, Lenovo, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Reckitt, starting his career in client-side sales and marketing before transitioning to advertising, giving him a comprehensive understanding of both sectors.

With this appointment, Lahiri returns to Havas India after holding multiple roles from 2018 to 2023, including managing director of Havas Creative India (formerly Havas Worldwide India). During his previous tenure, he reshaped the agency, driving key business wins, strengthening client relationships, and developing growth strategies that delivered impactful results.

Most recently, Lahiri served as executive growth partner at VML India, where he played a key role in expanding the agency’s footprint and securing several major accounts.

Speaking about his new role, Lahiri said, “I am thrilled to rejoin Havas India at such an exciting juncture. Havas has always been close to my heart, and the network’s journey of transformation into a consolidated, client-centric ecosystem is truly inspiring. I look forward to contributing to this next phase of growth by driving meaningful partnerships, fostering innovation, and building on the strong foundation created by Rana and the team. I look forward to partnering with all the fabulous leaders in this journey.”

Lahiri will be based in Mumbai and report to Rana Barua, group CEO of Havas India for SEA and North Asia (Japan & South Korea).

Commenting on the appointment, Barua explained, “Manas’ return to Havas India comes at a crucial time as we continue our strong momentum as a proven integrated and future-facing network. With Havas India’s phenomenal transformation over the past few years, we needed a proven leader to scale our growth ambitions further. Manas’ strategic acumen, extensive industry experience, and deep understanding of our network’s values make him the ideal choice to take on this role. He will also be pivotal in advancing our converged strategy, working closely with Sanchita Roy and John Thangaraj—our respective chief strategy officers of the media & creative networks.”

India – In a move to boost its data-driven marketing capabilities, Havas India has launched CSA, the global technology, data, and analytics arm of Havas, helping brands leverage customer data to drive growth and meaningful results.

To further strengthen its data and technology capabilities, Havas India also merged PivotConsult, the strategic consulting arm of PivotRoots, into CSA India. PivotConsult, a 55-member team, collaborates with high-profile clients such as Kotak Bank, Bisleri, Wildcraft, Coca-Cola, and Samsung, among others.

CSA’s entry into the Indian market brings a strong understanding of clients’ business challenges, blending global expertise with local insights to offer a complete view of marketing performance. Its product suite adapts to various markets, helping clients at all data maturity levels boost their return on investment.

CSA’s core offerings focus on three pillars: CSA Tech for automation, data consolidation, and digital transformation; CSA Science for data-driven marketing measurement; and CSA Consult, providing expert insights through a global network to accelerate growth.

Jamie Seltzer, global EVP for CSA & Mx Analytics, said, “As the industry’s fastest-growing market, India is experiencing exponential growth, and it’s crucial for Indian brands to leverage their data and tech assets in a comprehensive, sophisticated manner. We’re excited to launch CSA in India at such a crucial moment in this market’s development, bringing a seamless, integrated approach to data, tech, and analytics to the region.” 

Meanwhile, leading this major development is Gaurav Seth, who has been appointed managing partner to head CSA India’s operations. He will report to Shibu Shivanandan, CEO and founder of PivotRoots, and will be based in Mumbai.

Seth brings over 20 years of experience in digital advertising to his new role at CSA India. For the past 15 years, he has focused on data-driven marketing solutions, leading more than 300 projects for ad networks, agencies, and product companies, establishing himself as a recognised expert in the industry.

With experience across marketers, publishers, agencies, and ad tech firms, Gaurav has a deep understanding of the marketing ecosystem. During his eight years at Lotame, a global data management company, he built the business in India from scratch, establishing it as the leading data management platform in the country.

Rana Barua, group CEO of Havas India for SEA & North Asia, said, “The launch of CSA in India marks a significant milestone in our journey to offer integrated, data-led solutions to clients. As businesses increasingly look to data to fuel their growth, CSA’s blend of global expertise and local insights will provide them with the tools to navigate today’s complex landscape and deliver measurable results. With Gaurav Seth at the helm and the integration of PivotConsult, CSA is poised to lead the way in helping brands harness the full potential of data to drive transformation and meaningful business outcomes. I wish the team the very best.”

Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India, added, “More than 50% of marketers are struggling with redundant marketing technologies. They are spending a lot of time learning new technologies that are often sub optimally used and may not work well with other existing platforms. Havas CSA solves exactly this problem. Leveraging its experience with more than 1,000 clients globally and in India, this expert team in Martech and Adtech stands at the vital intersection of marketing, data, and technology. I wish Gaurav all the best in this new journey.”

India – Havas Worldwide India, a creative agency under Havas India, has announced three key appointments to boost its strategy team. The agency welcomes Dhananjoy Ray, Aniruddh Subramanian, and Jahan Nargolwala as associate vice presidents of planning and strategy.

Ray, Subramanian, and Nargolwala bring more than 10 years of experience from various agencies before joining Havas Worldwide India. 

Ray, who comes from FCB India and Publicis India, has worked with brands like Horlicks, Uber, Pernod Ricard, Vivo, BMW, Google, Maggi and Nokia. His expertise is in communication and brand strategy.

Also from FCB India, Subramanian has worked with brands in different industries, including consumer goods, services, health, automobile, and technology.

Meanwhile, Nargolwala joins the agency from Creativeland Asia and has experience working with brands like Pizza Hut, Uniqlo, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Taj Hotels, Coca-Cola, and more. He specialises in forming creative strategy, brand planning and management, and cross-functional project management.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dhananjoy, Aniruddh and Jahan to the Havas family. The world is changing and so are we. Strategy needs to be more business forward, digital first and data driven than ever before and our journey towards creating a more converged, multi-disciplinary team begins now. Each of them brings a deep and divergent level of expertise and experience to the table,” John Thangaraj, chief strategy officer at Havas Creative Network India, commented.

“Dhananjoy brings a deep passion and excitement for all things tech and auto. Aniruddh’s understanding and experience on the CPG category is second to none. And Jahan’s digital-first expertise across multiple categories nicely rounds out the team. Their hires underscore Havas’ deep commitment to delivering insight & data-backed strategic solutions that focus on keeping our clients ahead of the curve. That said, we’ve only just begun – watch this Space!” Thangaraj added.