Havas Group has merged its media, creative and healthcare divisions to become business units under one P&L in the Asia-Pacific region. Havas Creative Group’s chief executive for APAC Mike Amour will take on a new role as CEO across all the businesses over the group’s 79 regional offices.
Meanwhile, Havas Media Group APAC CEO Vishnu Mohan has been appointed CEO of the Havas Group India and Southeast Asia. He will be responsible for all media and creative agencies across those markets.
Havas Creative Group South East Asia’s CEO Levent Guenes has been handed the new title of chief growth officer, Havas Group APAC, with a primary focus on driving new ventures, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Both Mohan and Guenes will report to Amour and the appointments are with immediate effect.
Speaking on the issue Mohan said: “The boundaries [between media and creative] do not exist anymore. The more we look at things in a holistic fashion, the better we are. And that’s what the clients need. It’s about creating simplicity where there is complexity.
“In the long-term there will be an integration of roles. But, there is growth happening in the business. There might be some streamlining, but it doesn’t mean the material growth cannot accommodate these changes. In the end I do not believe we will need a lot of [job] losses.”
He added: ‘This is not about creating efficiency, but it’s about what’s required for the clients and how to grow in the future.” Havas Group’s full-year revenue growth slowed to 3.3 per cent in 2016, versus revenue growth of 17.3 per cent in 2015.
Havas Media Group’s global managing director Dominique Delport has been promoted to global managing director and chief client officer for the newly-merged Havas Group. He will oversee global clients relationships, marketing initiatives and new business.
“I am honoured and excited that Yannick Bolloré [Havas Group CEO] has asked me to help lead the next stage of our ‘Together’ strategy in Asia Pacific,” Amour said.
“The Havas village model drives a clear, progressive view on the future of our industry, which is that creativity is the product of radical collaboration. It’s very important that our village strategy optimises our structure and offerings to create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins.”
Bolloré added: “As the world moves faster and grows more complex, we believe in transcending the traditional definition of ‘creative’ and ‘media’ to better deliver for our clients.”
