Havas India has announced the launch of Havas People, a global talent communications and employer branding agency, in India. Initially starting with a four-member team, Havas People India will operate in complete partnership and with the full support of the agency’s UK office.
Arindam Sengupta, the Chief Growth Officer of Havas Worldwide India, has been promoted to the position of Managing Director, Havas People India, to lead the organisation. With over 20 years of experience, Sengupta has been an integral part of Havas India since 2016. Havas stated that Sengupta has managed a diverse range of clients, including Citroën, JBL, Harman Kardon, Tata CLiQ Luxury, Tata CLiQ Palette, Celio, Burger King, P&G, and Lionsgate Play, and has played a key role in growing the company’s profit and loss (P&L) through integration.
The London-headquartered agency bills that its work spans every aspect of the ‘People Agenda,’ encompassing internal communications that foster employee engagement and enhance performance, as well as employer brand positioning to attract prospective talent.
An official statement informed that Havas People utilises data-driven insights, creative storytelling, and digital innovation to develop employer brands that establish meaningful connections with candidates and generate measurable business results.
Havas People will become part of Havas Creative Network India’s repertoire that includes agencies like Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX (customer experience), Think Design (UI/UX), Conran Design Group Mumbai (brand design), Shobiz Havas (experiential), and Havas QED (digital) in India.
Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, said, “India has emerged as a lighthouse market within the Havas global ecosystem. Our global leadership recognises and is deeply invested in the immense potential that the country has to offer.”
Barua elaborated, “Havas India has seen unprecedented growth in the last 5 years, completely transforming the network’s perception in the country, consequently adding us to the big league. One of the catalysts to this growth has been our constant endeavour to identify market gaps and come up with the most meaningful and innovative business solutions, which gives us the edge over other networks. This, combined with our integrated One Village philosophy and service-led solutioning, has helped us create meaningful difference to our client’s business. Launching Havas People is one more definitive step towards that. I wish Rupert, Arindam and the entire Havas People team all the very best.”
“We are positioning ourselves as a company in india and overall as a group, the basic fundamentals are about being a meaningful brand and a meaningful company which makes a difference for our clients and people. That’s the philosophy of the group, globally. Havas People is a very beautiful idea, it’s an agency which looks after both client needs and employees. Fundamentally, it’s a communication end-to-end agency to build perception, needs and stories for people who are looking for jobs, people who want to stay in those jobs and for companies who are going through transformation. Jobs are plentiful in India, no matter even if you say there are lay-offs happening, India continues to be a job opportunity market. The growth will continue, demand and opportunities will happen. I think it’s the right time for Havas People to walk into it because now is actually the time to create loyalty. Great opportunities and great growth but imagine no loyalty. How do you sustain employment and long-term stability. That’s a role Havas people can play because you are going to build communication and vision for the company,” added Barua.
Commenting on his appointment, Sengupta said, “In the post-COVID world, demographic and social changes have compelled clients to radically rethink and adjust not just their consumer needs but also those of their employees – both existing and new. Today clients are faced with several challenges including talent shortage, trends like great resignation, quiet quitting, and several other deeper issues. This has led to the need to completely overhaul the employer branding space, going beyond just the transactional relationship. And that is precisely where Havas People steps in. At the core of the agency lies a simple idea – to help our clients build meaningful connections with the people who make them who they are. As a specialist agency we understand the intricacies of employer branding, and it will be our endeavour to solve complex workforce challenges for clients.”
Sengupta added, “India is the most positive country. Growth is happening, people are hiring. A lot of companies are coming in India and there is going to be a huge requirement of talent and that is where we come in because these new companies coming into India don’t know the talent culture in the country. We will bring the expertise of Havas people, globally and the fact that we understand them very well will work together. We will give that expertise to the client which help create a strong employer brand.”
Rupert Grose, CEO, Havas People, said, “We are thrilled to be announcing the launch of Havas People into the Indian market. Our entry into this dynamic country reflects our commitment to expanding our global footprint and connecting with diverse audiences, and it offers a plethora of opportunities to strengthen our expertise in shaping compelling employer brands. With its diverse talent pool, rich cultural heritage, and thriving business ecosystem, India provides an ideal platform for us to collaborate with organisations and unleash their full potential.”
Grose continued, “Our focus remains on empowering companies to attract, engage, and retain top talent by creating authentic employer brand experiences. We are excited to continue to partner with our existing global clients such as Haleon, Hitachi Vantara and Discover as well as working with local Indian businesses, aligning their unique employer value propositions with the aspirations of job seekers. Together, we will redefine the employer-employee relationship, fostering an inclusive and inspiring workplace culture that drives success and fuels growth.”
“Our work is anything around the people’s agenda for corporations. Our services are around retracting people in the organizations and retaining people as well. A lot of work we do, we define as employee branding, that is helping companies understand what is that unique proposition that they have for their employees and we help them to develop that into a brand and then into a communication strategy which we can then activate both in local markets and globally. We are full-service, we will be doing both creative and media,” added Grose.
