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Tag: Yannick Bollor

  • Havas group acquires digital agency Immerse in Malaysia

    Havas group acquires digital agency Immerse in Malaysia

    MUMBAI: Havas group is strengthening its capabilities in the growing Malaysian market with the acquisition of award-winning digital agency Immerse, which will integrate with the group’s creative operations and will be rebranded as Havas Immerse.

    Taking forward Havas’ pioneering Together strategy, Havas Immerse will become an integral part of Havas Village Malaysia by adding its digital prowess and client relationships to the group’s robust creative and media offering in the market.

    Immerse was set up in 2004 as a digital agency primarily specialising in providing strategic creative consultancy and digital marketing solutions. The 50-people agency services a diverse portfolio of client brands in Malaysia and Singapore including Volvo, Mitsubishi Motors, F&N, Wrigley and a wide range of Unilever brands such as Dove and Magnum.

    Havas Group chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré said, “We would like to welcome Immerse to the Havas family. Immerse talent will further strengthen our expertise in Malaysia which is an extremely significant market for the Havas group. This acquisition signifies our commitment in this region of Southeast Asia that has witnessed a great momentum in the last few years.”

    Following the acquisition, Immerse’s founders Jeffrey Tang and Kerry Khoo will join forces with Andrew Lee, managing director of Havas Malaysia, to lead Havas Immerse reporting into Vishnu Mohan, chairman and CEO of Havas Group Southeast Asia. Additionally, Kerry Khoo will take on the role of chief creative officer for Havas Immerse.

    Jeffrey Tang and Kerry Khoo commented, “We have a great relationship with Havas’ local and regional leadership teams, and have been attracted to their entrepreneurial spirit and the agency’s cohesive Havas Village proposition. The Havas Village concept of bringing together the best talent and disciplines under the same roof is especially exciting, as we now have the opportunity to hack our own growth, and immediately offer a full suite of marketing services under one umbrella.”

    Vishnu Mohan added, “Immerse reflects Havas’ collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit and we have shared a wonderful relationship with the team for several years. Keeping in mind our shared values and Immerse’s cutting edge digital expertise, Immerse will prove to be a great addition to Havas Village Malaysia.”

  • Havas Health & You to broaden APAC offering with Sorento buy

    MUMBAI: Havas Group is expanding its capabilities and footprint in the important and burgeoning Indian market by adding Sorento to its roster of agencies. Sorento will integrate the Havas Health & You business unit and be rebranded Havas Life Sorento. This strategic acquisition will allow Havas to further develop its regional presence and add to its depth and breadth in India to deliver for global clients.

    Sorento’s current client base is a strong and complementary mix for Havas’ health-and-wellness activities, with such international clients as Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, along with local pharmas including Alkem, Dr. Reddy’s, Finlinea Healthwits, Glenmark and Torrent. The agency is well regarded by clients and peers and is the only Indian healthcare agency to have won the prestigious Cannes Lion.

    Yannick Bolloré, CEO, Havas Group, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Sorento to our group. The team will partner with Havas Health & You India to create a broader health-and-wellness offering in the region for our existing global clients and provide a new infusion of energy that will allow us to expand our APAC capabilities.”

    Following the acquisition, the management team of Susan Josi and Sangeeta Barde—Sorento’s co-founders and managing partners—will continue to head up the team of more than 70 health-and-wellness comms professionals. Josi and Barde will report to Charles Houdoux, CEO, Havas Health & You APAC, and will work closely with local Havas India management for day-to-day operations.

    Barde and Josi said: “At Sorento we passionately believe that even complex healthcare brand problems can be solved with insightful and creative ideas. Our years of dedication and the commitment of many people who have been associated with Sorento have allowed us to forge strong partnerships with our clients and help build their brands in India. Joining hands with Havas will equip us to look beyond our current frontiers and make us an even more valued partner in India and beyond.”

    Josi, with a Master’s in Pharmacy and Management, has more than 28 years of experience in the healthcare sector. Barde has more than 22 years of experience in pharma marketing and healthcare communications and trained as a microbiologist before going on to earn a Master’s in Marketing Management.

    “The Sorento culture of innovative, best-in-class client service makes it an ideal fit for the Havas Health & You family. Its integrated approach to brand stewardship has resulted in long-term relationships with clients, which also aligns with our client-first philosophy,” added Donna Murphy, CEO, Havas Health & You.

  • Havas Group merging creative & media under one P&L

    MUMBAI: Havas Group has announced another step in its together strategy to accelerate integration by further breaking down silos and moving to a client-centric and region-based organization.

    The Group’s two divisions, Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group, will no longer exist. The creative and media businesses, alongside the healthcare and wellness business, willbecomesimply business units, under one regional P&L, to ensure agility and a seamless experience for clients.

    And to ensure the most relevant organization in a client-centric model across media and creative, Dominique Delport is appointed as Global managing director and chief client officer for the Havas Group,where he will oversee global clients relationships, marketing initiatives and new business.

    These moves are the result of the successful implementation, at the end of 2016, of a centralized management of our four largest markets,where chairmen were appointed at the group level: Chris Hirst for the UK, Alfonso Rodés for Spain and Yannick Bolloré for France and North America. The Group is now adding two new chairmen roles to optimize its structure and offering in Latin America and Asia Pacific.

    Presently, Havas Media Group Latin America CEO Jorge Percovich has been appointed as the CEO of Havas LATAM Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 65 offices in 19 countries,with+3,000 people.

    Havas Creative Group APAC CEO Mike Amour has been appointed as the CEO of Havas APAC Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 79 offices in 17 countries, with+2,400people.

    Delport said, “For four years now, the #togetherstrategy and the opening of our 47 Havas villages has transformed the wework and serve our clients. Now it’s all about extending Yannick’s vision and reinventing our industry by creating new standards, new offers and new services that blend the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability. Havas wants to beat the forefront of this transformation by putting the power of content and data at the core of our activities. It’s an exciting challenge.Being agile and having a challenger mindest doesn’t prevent us from having big ambitions for our Group, our people and our Clients.”

    Bolloré mentioned, “As the world moves faster and grows more complex, we believe we need to transcend the traditional definition of “creative” and “media” to better deliver for our clients.The appointments of Dominique, Jorge and Mike will ensure we create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins. They will enable us to better share talent and resources on behalf of our clients, as well as create cross-channel learning and development opportunities for our people.”

    APAC implications:

    In Asia Pacific, there will be two additional executive appointments. Currently Havas Media Group APAC CEO Vishnu Mohan will become CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia, responsible for all media and creative group agencies across those markets. Levent Guenes, currently CEO Havas Creative Group South East Asia, will become 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 Mike Amour.

    Amour said, “I am honoured and excited that Yannick Bolloré has asked me to help lead the next stage of our ‘Together’ strategy in Asia Pacific. 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”.

  • H1-2015: Havas revenue up 19% as India, China, Oz lead APAC growth

    H1-2015: Havas revenue up 19% as India, China, Oz lead APAC growth

    MUMBAI: Even as Havas’ operations in Asia Pacific felt the effects of the downturn caused by China’s economic difficulties, the biggest contributors to H1 growth were India, China and Australia in the region.

     
    The Group revenue in the first half (H1) of 2015 were 19.2 per cent up at €1034 million on an unadjusted basis, from €867 million in H1 2014. 
     

    The agency’s Europe ops maintained sound growth of +5.1 per cent in Q2 2015, resulting in a highly satisfactory first half driven by strong performances from France, Spain, Germany and Italy in particular.

    The North America region continued its strong growth, driven mainly by healthcare communications and creative agencies, whereas Latin America region reported satisfactory growth of 3.2 per cent for H1 2015. However, the pace of growth is now slowing due to a downturn in the economies of key countries such as Brazil and Mexico.

    Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré said, “We are pleased to note satisfactory progress across all our regions.”

    The Group’s organic growth (excluding exchange rate variations and changes in the scope of consolidation) was +5.5 per cent in Q2 2015 and +6.3 per cent for H1 2015.

    Exchange rate variations had a positive exchange rate impact of €85.6 million over the half year.

    Havas’ income from operations for H1 2015 was €137 million, an increase of 21.7 per cent over €113 million for H1 2014. Income from operations margin for H1 2015 was 13.3 per cent compared to 13 per cent for the corresponding period in 2014, an increase of 30 basis points.

    Operating income rose by 22.4 per cent to €128 million, compared to €104 million for the corresponding period in 2014.

    The effective tax rate was 30.4 per cent, compared to 29 per cent in H1 2014.

    Net income, Group share of €77 million in H1 2015 was up 27.6 per cent on H1 2014, representing 7.4 per cent of H1 2015 revenue. Net earnings per share (basic and diluted) increased by 23 per cent to €0.18.

    Bolloré added, “Havas reported strong growth in its interim results, with revenue up by 19.2 per cent and income from operations margin up again, by 30 basis points to 13.3 per cent, driven by a powerful commercial dynamic and continued execution of our “Together” strategic plan. Our strategy to create the industry’s most agile and integrated Group continues to deliver strong results because it is focused on supporting our clients through their process of transformation.”

    “We also believe the macroeconomic movements of recent days may offer opportunities for Havas to win new clients attracted to an innovative agency model that offers a better response to their changing needs. This strong first-half performance gives us every confidence that our annual targets will be met. I would like to thank all our clients for placing their trust in us, and our 17,500 employees for their excellent work,” he said.