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Tag: Donna Murphy

  • Haymarket swoops on Centaur’s marketing titles in media power play

    Haymarket swoops on Centaur’s marketing titles in media power play

    LONDON: Haymarket Media Group has snapped up three of Britain’s most influential marketing publications from Centaur Media, tightening its grip on the advertising and communications industry.

    The acquisition of Marketing Week, Creative Review and Festival of Marketing marks a shrewd move by the 67-year-old publisher, which already controls heavyweight titles including Campaign, PRWeek and Performance Marketing World.

    Haymarket Media group  chief executive Kevin Costello called the trio “highly respected brands” that fit perfectly with the company’s focus on specialist audiences. The publications will join Haymarket’s business media division under managing director Donna Murphy, initially operating as a separate unit.

    Claire Rance, who runs the acquired brands, will stay on to lead them through the transition. “This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity to combine the strengths of our joint businesses,” she said.

    FESTIVAL OF MARKETING

    The deal adds serious firepower to Haymarket’s marketing arsenal. Marketing Week and Creative Review, launched in 1978 and 1980 respectively, are cornerstone publications for Britain’s £25bn advertising industry. Festival of Marketing, the events business founded in 2013, rounds out the portfolio.

    Haymarket has been building its marcomms empire for decades, launching Campaign in 1968 and buying PRWeek in 1988. The company now owns more than 70 brands globally, from What Car? to Asian Investor, with offices spanning eight countries.

    The acquisition comes as Centaur Media continues its strategic overhaul. The London-listed publisher began reviewing its assets at the end of 2024, offloading Mark Ritson’s MiniMBA business to Brave Bison in May, Oystercatchers to management in July, and The Lawyer to Legal Benchmarking in September.

    For Haymarket, the deal reinforces its position as the undisputed king of specialist media in Britain, giving it unparalleled reach across the marketing and creative industries.

    The details of the deal were not provided.

    Haymarket Media had earlier this year sold its joint venture Haymarket SAC with the Sorabjee family and its titles Autocar India, Autocar Professional, and What Car? India to Value Drive Technologies, the parent company of Spinny.com.

  • Havas announces new leadership appointments

    Havas announces new leadership appointments

    Mumbai: Havas has announced the elevations of two senior leaders. Rana Barua, based in Mumbai, will extend his remit to include Southeast and North Asia. Barua’s career spans nearly three decades, including the last five years spent overseeing Havas’ India operations, comprising over 2,000 people across Havas Creative Network and Havas Media Network. The expansion of Barua’s scope adds nine additional markets under his leadership in his new role as group CEO India, South East & North Asia.

    Speaking about his new role, Barua said, “I am extremely excited and thankful to the global leadership team for entrusting me with this additional responsibility. These nine distinct markets in South East & North Asia, provide multiple and diverse occasions for collaboration for both our global and local clients. I look forward to working closely with the regional teams and each country’s leadership to create more meaningful engagements and opportunities for our talent and clients.”

    In parallel, Alberto Canteli, based in Dubai, will continue as chairman and CEO Havas Nordics, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, and Middle East, while taking on new responsibilities driving special projects in coordination with Donna Murphy, Global CEO, Havas Creative Network and Havas Health & You. This new area of focus will include identifying growth levers and developing actionable strategies at the global level, including new client opportunities, services, expansion, and cross-selling. A long-time veteran of Havas, Canteli has been serving as a key pillar in the international expansion of Havas for more than twenty years.

    “During moments like these of continued disruption and transformation, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to combine my regional responsibilities in Europe and the Middle East with a new role that will facilitate a closer collaboration with our global leadership team. AI, Web 3.0 and Blockchain among other advancements, will have a strong impact on our industry and it will be a privilege to contribute to the transformation and turnaround of our business moving forward,” shared Alberto Canteli.

    “I would like to warmly congratulate Alberto and Rana on their new, expanded roles. Their proven leadership skills, vast expertise and innovative thinking will create new synergies and accelerate growth, allowing our teams to further build on Havas’ integrated approach and offer our clients the best possible outcomes,” commented Havas chairman and Global CEO Yannick Bolloré.