Tag: Havas Media Network

Singapore – Havas Media Network has launched CSA, its technology, data, and analytics consultancy arm in Southeast Asia (SEA). As part of the launch, the media experience agency has appointed James McNeely as head of CSA in SEA.

In his new role, McNeely is set to spearhead CSA’s growth, strengthening its capabilities and offerings in the region. He brings over 13 years of expertise in data, analytics, and martech.

CSA’s launch in SEA aims to serve its clients better in the region, providing data-driven solutions and technology. Its services include digital and proprietary tools, and strategic insights across its CSA Tech, Science, and Consult offerings.

Having been launched in 2023, CSA has expanded to 20 markets, including the Middle East, Australia, China, and India.

Rana Barua, group CEO at Havas India, SEA & North Asia, said, “Our strategic growth in this region is driven by a bold ambition—to build a future-facing network anchored in strong, differentiated capabilities. With Southeast Asia’s immense potential, CSA’s unique mix of global expertise and local insight puts us in a stronger position to help brands navigate complexity, seize new opportunities, and create lasting impact.”

Pankaj Nayak, CEO of Havas Media Network Singapore and president – SEA at Havas Media, commented, “With data and technology increasingly shaping business transformation, CSA empowers us to reimagine how we use data and technology — not just as tools, but as catalysts for meaningful brand growth. I’m excited to partner with James to shape solutions that are agile, insight-led, and built for the future in this high-potential region.” 

McNeely said, “I’m excited to lead the growth of CSA across Southeast Asia and support our clients in leveraging the full potential of their data and tech assets. In the months ahead, my focus will be on strengthening local capabilities and partnering closely with businesses to deliver smarter, data-led outcomes that drive measurable impact.”

Singapore – Havas Media Network Singapore has appointed Kenny Yap as chief executive officer (CEO) of Havas Play as part of its series of leadership changes to advance growth. The appointments are part of the agency’s efforts to innovate and strengthen its offerings.

Louise Koh has also been appointed as managing director of Havas Media Singapore, while Deanson Lee has been promoted to managing director, digital.

In his new role, Yap will lead Havas Play’s growth in Singapore, expanding its presence across Southeast Asia (SEA). Meanwhile, both Koh and Lee are responsible for strengthening Havas Media’s client relationships for business growth.

 Yap, Koh, and Lee will report to Pankaj Nayak, who was appointed as the CEO of Havas Media Network Singapore and president of Havas Media SEA in January.

“These promotions reflect our commitment to nurturing talent and building a strong leadership team for the future. Kenny, Deanson, and Louise have been instrumental in our success, demonstrating expertise, vision, and an unwavering drive to push boundaries. I have no doubt that under their leadership, our agencies will continue to thrive and set new benchmarks in the industry,” Nayak said.

He added, “I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Russell for his contributions to the agency. His leadership and dedication have been instrumental to our progress, and we wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”

Paris, France – Media holding company Havas has appointed new executives to lead its global data and technology strategy. Dan Hagen and Jamie Seltzer are the new global chief data and technology officers for Havas and Havas Media Network, respectively.

In his promotion, Hagen is responsible for developing Havas’ AI-powered Converged strategy across the global holding company. The operating system aims to empower the group’s employees to work efficiently to deliver integrated solutions to its clients.

Additionally, he is set to spearhead Havas’ data, tech, governance, investments, and operational strategies across the company’s global units.

Prior to his appointment, Hagen held the same role at Havas Media Network. His experience spans 25 years in data and tech, including serving as the chief strategy officer at iProspect and Carat UK.

Seltzer succeeds Hagen, now responsible for developing the Converged media product for the growth of the network’s data capabilities. She is still overseeing CSA & Media Experience Analytics, which she most recently served as global executive vice president.

In her over two decades of experience, she has held roles at WPP and Publicis Groupe.

“Data and technology are the cornerstone of our Converged global strategy – giving our people the tools, insights, and means of collaboration to supercharge our positive impact for clients. With his experience developing the Media Network’s award-winning audience planning platform, and his collaborative work with partners to develop industry-leading data and insight capabilities, Dan is ideally suited to chart a powerful data and tech future that delivers for our people and clients,” Yannick Bolloré, CEO and chairman at Havas, said.

“Clients are demanding future-forward agency partners who are data-led and outcome-driven; Jamie has been critical to ensuring Havas Media Network is positioned to deliver on that promise. We look forward to seeing Dan and Jamie’s continued collaboration across the entire Havas ecosystem to accelerate the group’s broader Converged strategy and data and tech ambitions,” Peter Mears, global CEO at Havas Media Network, said.

Australia – Chinese automotive maker Geely Auto has chosen Havas Media to be the media arm of their agency Village, joining forces with sister agency Havas Host, who has been handed responsibility for Creative and Social Media, and dentsu, who leads PR and website development. 

With more than seven years automotive experience, Havas Media is already putting their knowledge to use with Geely’s first consumer engagement campaign in Australia. Focused on creating meaningful connections across digital, social and OOH channels, leveraging Automotive expertise and data-driven media strategies to showcase Geely’s impressive innovation, smart technology, and competitive edge to millions of Australians. 

The campaign also supports the pre-launch activities for the upcoming Geely EX5, including registered interest from the public.

Li Lei, head of Geely Auto Australia, said, “The journey to establish our brand and operations in Australia has been incredibly rewarding for our team. Bringing a car to market requires more than just a product and strong dealership network – it’s about building a genuine connection with consumers through creative storytelling and impactful campaigns.”

He added, “We are excited to have Havas Media join us and use their expertise to create meaningful connection with Australian consumers, and thrilled to have brought to life this very first campaign.”

Meanwhile, Virginia Hyland, CEO at Havas Media Network ANZ, commented, “We are excited to partner with Geely Auto who are clear about their ambitions to grow market share. As a technology-first brand revolutionising the future of mobility, Geely Auto’s entry into the Australian market represents a perfect alignment of innovation and opportunity.”

She added, “Coupled with our team of automotive specialists we can help accelerate market share, developing impactful attention of the top of funnel brand proposition through to dealer support to deliver sales uplift. There has never been a better time for Geely to enter the Australian market as consumers are open to new car brand entrants with exceptional technology and competitive pricing. We are looking forward to supporting Geely to capture the hearts and minds of the Australian consumer.”

Singapore – Havas Media Network has appointed Pankaj Nayak as its new chief executive officer (CEO) in Singapore and president of Havas Media in Southeast Asia (SEA) as part of its growth efforts in the region, effective immediately.

Having worked with the agency in the past, Nayak returns to oversee its growth strategy while providing innovative and impactful client solutions. He is set to work closely with Russell Lai, chief commercial officer of Havas Media Network Singapore, and Kenny Yap, chief operating officer of Havas Play.

Nayak has 25 years of experience across different markets in Asia, 17 years of which have been spent in Singapore. He has worked with various clients, including National Heritage Board and National Council for Problem Gambling.

Having joined at a time of the agency’s transformation, Nayak’s role includes the SEA implementation of the Converged strategy, recently announced by Havas. The strategy focuses on combining talent, capabilities, and platforms for agency growth and client impact.

Additionally, Nayak will forge alliances and lead acquisitions as he focuses on enhancing expertise and offerings.

Rana Barua, group CEO in India, SEA, and North Asia, said, “Asia’s diverse and rapidly evolving markets demand a leader who understands the nuances of each market, and what it takes to drive growth. Pankaj brings to us deep regional experience, and his expertise in driving global and regional client businesses, developing product capabilities and verticals, and fostering high-performance teams is the ideal fit for this role.”

Nayak commented, “I’m thrilled to join the network during such an exciting phase of growth in the region. The opportunity to lead the media team in Singapore, while contributing to the broader SEA region, is incredibly exciting. My conversations with Rana have been incredibly fruitful, and with Havas’ Converged strategy—alongside the growth potential in the region—was a major factor in my decision to join Havas. 

“I look forward to working with the team to drive growth by leveraging our collective regional strengths to deliver impactful, integrated solutions that meet our clients’ evolving needs,” Nayak added.

London, United Kingdom – Multiple instances of short attentive exposure to an advertisement are more effective at driving brand results than having a single exposure with sustained attention, research by Havas Media Network claims.

According to the study, a viewer’s frequency of exposure to an advertisement can result in an aggregate attentive experience. Even if the viewer pays attention for merely one or two seconds, this number can increase over time and is effective at driving brand awareness. 

While sustaining viewers’ attention through a single advertisement exposure has its merits, multiple ones result in capturing ‘good enough’ attention and consequently in consideration and action intent. 

The research combines Lumen Research’s predictive attention models with Brand Metrics’ studies to generate results. 

“We’ve seen significant progress in the prominence of attention since this relatively nascent discipline was first introduced five years ago. However, while there has been an abundance of scholarship in this area, adoption into media planning and buying has lagged. Our new study with Lumen Research and Brand Metrics bridges this gap, providing actionable insights into the specific attention required to achieve brand metrics, allowing us to implement attention into planning and activation tools like never before,” Jon Waite, global managing director of marketing experience at Havas Media Network London, said.

“Brand Metrics was delighted to provide our brand lift research to this pioneering study of attention and brand metrics. By integrating brand questionnaires directly into publishers, we are able to mirror the different stages of the brand funnel and provide the survey consistency and impression-level viewability data necessary to understand the relationship between predicted attention and brand metrics at scale,” Anders Lithner, chief executive officer at Brand Metrics, said.

Australia – Havas Media Network has named Mitchell Long as its new chief strategy officer, entrusting him with spearheading the strategic direction for Havas Media Australia and Havas PLAY.

Prior to joining the Havas Media leadership team, Mitchell Long spent 12 years at PHD as national head of strategy, refining his communications strategy skills and collaborating with global giants like Google, Volkswagen, Unilever, Virgin Australia, and Chanel.

With a wealth of experience across diverse categories, Long’s work has garnered industry-wide recognition and numerous awards. He has also been instrumental in creating industry-relevant content over the years.

Virginia Hyland, CEO of Havas Media Network, said, “Mitch is a rare talent within our industry with a sharp, focused mind that can unpack and develop business solutions for clients with compelling results. I have taken some time to identify and find the right candidate for this important role. Mitch will lead the strategic direction for Havas Media Australia and Havas PLAY. He will also play a pivotal role working alongside the Havas Village agencies to support our continued global focus on creating a converged operating system and data home platform for clients from across our Havas Village.” 

“With recent significant business growth via wins and independent agency acquisitions for the Havas Media Network, it is a particularly exciting time for Mitch to join the team. The challenge for marketers to simplify the complicated has never been greater, particularly when budgets are tight and their teams are stretched. They desire to work with partners who can unpack their problems and deliver an integrated, seamless working model to deliver new growth areas. Mitch will play a key role in leaning into our clients business in a true partnership extension.”

Long originally studied journalism, but soon found his calling when he became an intern in advertising. For Long, he was “instantly struck by the fun energy, the smart people, and the warmth I felt.”

Speaking on his new role, Long shared, “In the face of industry fragmentation, Havas’ new Converged OS, backed by their unique Village model, holds the opportunity to build much-needed bridges between creative, media, production, and technology. As part of my role, I’ll be looking to evolve our strategy product to draw upon our unique strengths within Converged and across our breadth of Village capabilities, all in the service of great ideas that real people care about and that live through every facet of a brand’s marketing ecosystem.”

“Havas’ Village model is uniquely positioned to bridge the growing divide between breadth and depth; I’m excited to help build their next chapter,” he added. 

This appointment comes on the heels of Havas’ recent strategic evolution, including a substantial €400 million investment in data, technology, and AI, the promotion of Alastair Baker to chief planning officer, and the acquisition of Hotglue by Havas Media.

Australia – Michael Kay, most recently the business director for OMD Australia, has been appointed as the new client experience officer at Havas Media Network. In his new role, he will focus on unlocking business growth strategies for CMO’s and senior business leaders.

Using Havas Media Network’s integrated smarts across data, tech, engaging content and media amplification, he will aim to open up powerful ways of communicating that help marketers’ businesses grow well.

With close to 20 years’ of experience both in Australia and the UK, Kay has won and worked across some of the world’s most prestigious brands including Coca-Cola, Apple, Amazon, LEGO, Johnson & Johnson, Spotify and Sony Pictures. 

Prior to OMD, he was the head of client and business development at Initiative, and the managing director of IPG’s Rufus where he helped launch Amazon into the Australian market and oversaw its rapid growth across Retail, Prime membership, Smart Devices and Entertainment (Prime Video and Amazon Music).

Virginia Hyland, CEO of Havas Media Network, said, “I am enormously excited to have Michael join our team. Michael is a highly respected industry leader with a proven track record in unlocking audience insight and cultural moments that deliver greater growth for marketers brands and businesses. He has the unique ability to balance strategic high-level thinking with grounded day-to-day deliverables. In addition, Michael has won multiple awards in the most impressive and competitive environments such as Cannes Lions.”

She added, “Michael will also bring greater support in how we integrate the uniqueness of the Havas Village teams and ensure we work closer than ever. I look forward to watching Michael get to work and grow our client’s businesses and the agency opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Kay said that he is thrilled to be joining Havas Media Network and is incredibly excited to help drive the client relationships and agency product forward, both within Havas Media Network, Havas PLAY, Havas Market and the wider Havas Village offering.

“I’ve known Virginia for a while and always admired her accomplishments in our industry. So when she approached me about this role I jumped at the opportunity. Virginia has been assembling an impressive team and has reorganised the agency around an integrated set of capabilities that truly enables us to operate across the end-to-end customer journey. It’s a great time to be joining Havas Media Network with the recent global brand refresh, and you can feel the energy of building an agency for the future,” Kay said.